March 2008 Archives
At long last I got The Luckiest bag pattern from designer and friend KateyJ, and cast on. Like many projects, I wasn't sure how well I was doing for a while. The problems started, umm, pretty much immediately. First rectangle.....no problem. But then I had to use Backward Loop cast on for the 2nd rectangle. This is when it came in handy to know the designer--I sent her an email. Thank goodness, because I DO NOT want to describe my version of that portion of the instructions. Let's just say it was a far cry from what it should have been!
The first tier was a little squirrely and hard to manage on the circular, especially because I'm using a slippery Addi Turbo. But then I got throught the second tier and things started to have a bit more shape.
Here's how far I've gotten...
Several WIPs have been completed in the last few days, so here are two of them:
Unoriginal Hat
It has been brought to my attention that yesterday's post, in particular the picture, did not adequately convey the enormity proportion of the overindulgence of the Easter candy binge. Methinks this might be a guilt complex talking, since the aforementioned friend also had a basket-o-candy herself. Hmmmm....
In any case, I have been ordered urged to post a picture with the candy spread out, in order to more accurately show exactly HOW MUCH I bought in my sugar-addicted moment of weakness. (Yes, she actually told me to "lay it flat" and take another picture.) I would like to point out that I was not alone in circling the carts of candy like a great white shark cruising around a diving cage containing a tasty-looking dude in a wetsuit.....I'm just sayin!
*drumroll, please* I give you....the I-lost-my-mind-it-was-50%off candy splurge:
Let this be a lesson to you, people: friends DO NOT let friends plunder the candy clearance section at Publix the day after Easter. NOT pretty. If you have a serious candy problem and aren't currently in Chocaholics Anonymous, I suggest you steer clear of your local grocery store immediately after major holidays when seasonal candy offerings will be displayed.
In a fit of nostalgia, I downloaded a bunch of songs from the 60s and 70s by the brother and sister group The Carpenters. Her voice is still so beautiful, and I was surprised at how many of these songs are familiar, even though I wasn't really listening to "pop" music at the time they first came out: "We've Only Just Begun," "Yesterday Once More," and of course, "Rainy Days and Mondays Always Get Me Down." With torrential rain coming down and a severe weather alert in effect, that one seems very appropriate today.
Not that I'm really down, just a bit.....restless. With so much in limbo, there's a pervading sense of instability. Since I can't wave my magic wand and arrange everything to my liking, there's nothing to do but take each day and each moment as it comes. I can't take a job until one is offered to me. I can't help someone until they're ready to accept it. I can't participate in a relationship until I'm in one. So frequently in life there are things outside of our control, and even if an action or a decision on our part might be required, it's not the time....yet. So we have to wait.
Waiting. This requires patience. I think it's easier to be patient when we know what we're waiting for. But what if we don't know what's going to happen next? What do I DO with myself right now? It seems a silly question, a non-issue. No job responsibilities? Nothing to do? Great--I can spend all day knitting, reading, shopping, or laying on the couch watching daytime television. But I haven't experienced this to be satisfying at all. What I've found hard to deal with is the insidious, creeping paralysis that seems to suck up my days into nothingness. The computer sits, mocking me, representing the rabid job hunting I should be doing. Ugh....easier to wander over to the couch and pick up the current knitted washcloth. But after a few rows I lose interest and set it aside. The result is that I feel stuck between doing enjoyable activities, and more pressing tasks. It's a strange lethargy--I really don't feel motivated to do......anything. Then I feel like a loser. (Think Ace Ventura: Leh who - seh herrr!!)
Maybe it's somewhat of a perspective issue. Being unemployed is, categorically, bad. Right? Well, yeah. But I've got my Unemployment, so I'm not starving. And the job hunt is progressing, with a third interview in the works at one company about which I'm very excited. So what about the rest of the time? How often will I have this kind of availability? Why shouldn't I do some things I won't be able to do once I start working again?
To that end, I'm doing something about the appearance of my living room. The apartment is small, and the room is just too crowded with furniture, for one thing. Plus there's a rolling island that's designed for a kitchen serving as an entry table, and a round chair that would be a better fit in a dorm room. Those items don't work, and they need to go. The biggest change will be replacing the current TV table with an armoire. I've wanted one for a long time, for one specific reason: I hate looking at black plastic! Hiding the electronics behind the doors will improve the overall look of the room, and keep the TV from being the focal point. But wanting and getting are two different things. Trotting out to a furniture store and spending hundreds of dollars is not an option for me right now. So I checked out Craigslist, and found EXACTLY what I wanted, and for $200. As soon as the owner gets back to me we'll arrange a time to pick up. Before and after pictures will be posted. Hopefully things will all go as planned and we get this thing loaded into a truck, over here, and up the stairs without incident!
The Whoo Hat is finally done. I think the motivation to finish it came from repeatedly seeing previews for the Dr. Suess movie coming out, "Horton Hears a Who." It looks SO cute on JillyBean!
