Saving the world one stitch at a time

…to my own domain!  Check out my new (yet still mostly the same) blog at www.knittingmedic.com.

Update your links!  See you there!

I’ve still been knitting, but definitely not as much as before New Year’s. Why?

Adam got me a really nice sewing machine for my birthday, and I’ve been putting it through its paces. I made a dog coat for Molly (she doesn’t have a lot of hair…and it’s cute!) and then I decided to make a quilt for our bed, to match the new decor (once we get around to changing it). I have all the squares done (36), and I’m working on the borders of the squares, which have stars at the corners. I’m loving it so far, but it’s sucking up all my free time!

There has been knitting too, just not much. I’m done with the back and 1/3 of the front of Sizzle, and I finished the back and one front of the Twist cardigan. I start my new assistant supervisor job this week at work, which will mean about zero knitting time, so I’m going to have to budget my home time a little better. I also really want to spin…

Still no word from PA school. Classes are going well, but keeping me very busy (not that I wasn’t busy enough). I also joined a gym! I left my last one a year ago, and I’m tired of being a lump.

I’m finally getting through my denial, and realizing that it’s time for a new camera. Mine still works, but the rechargable batteries aren’t working in it any more and it sucks the life out of AA’s so fast that I may as well just buy a new one. I have no idea what to look for at this point, except that I want one I can plug into the wall and recharge. Any suggestions?

So about two months ago, a light came on in the dashboard of my car, and the screen told me my right rear brake light was out.  I still haven’t gotten around to fixing it (yeah, I know).  Today I was driving home from school, and noticed the warning light wasn’t on anymore.  My car fixed itself!  VW rocks.

Two weeks of school down, and it’s rough.  I’m going to have to take swap some shifts at work this semester, because four hours of sleep in 56 hours doesn’t cut it.  My classes are going well so far, though - just want to keep it that way!

I officially start my assistant supervisor job next Tuesday, which is going to mean a big cut in knitting time.  I’m a little disappointed (I’ve gotten a LOT done at work the last few months), but it’ll be good in a way because it was getting expensive to knit so fast!  I want to do some more intricate lace projects too, which really should only be done at home when I’m not distracted.  Lace + phones + radio = lot of mistakes and pulling my hair out.

I met a paramedic who works for a local Fire Department who has Celiac, and he gave me some great recommendations for food and places to eat out.  He recommended a millet and flax bread (also comes in rolls, wraps, and pizza crusts) made locally by Sami’s Bakery in Tampa.   I found the bread at the local health food store, and it’s great!  Still a little dry compared to wheat bread, but very tasty, healthy, AND it doesn’t have to be frozen!  I’m going to take a day trip over to Tampa next week and stock up.  They ship anywhere in the US as well!  Other winners: Mr. Krisper’s baked rice crisps (sun dried tomato & basil is my favorite so far), and Lifestream gluten-free buckwheat berry frozen waffles.  Yay for good food!

Coming up soon: Adam and I are finally going to redo our master bathroom (and bedroom?).  I’ve been motivated all week to do home improvement projects, but of course it’s been raining all day.  Oh well - that means I get to knit!

As of January 21st, I will officially be an Assistant Communications Supervisor! I interviewed last Friday and found out Tuesday.  I think I’m a little crazy taking this job at the beginning of our busy season, but it should let me get a bunch of experience really quickly.  Once we get through season, I’ll train as a road supervisor as well.  Can’t wait to get started!

School started this week as well.  I knew this semester would be rough, but I have a feeling it’s really going to kick my butt.  I have classes four days a week (with labs on two of those days as well).  I just have to keep telling myself “it will be worth it in the end”.

Monday was a busy day…I went to the orthodontist, to the dentist (found out I had a cavity), to Organic Chemistry class, BACK to the dentist to get a filling, then back to the orthodontist….where I got elastics for my braces.  Super fun…not!  (Wow, I just said “Not”.  Hello 1992.)  It’s better now than it was Monday, but they are definitely going to be a pain in the neck.  Oh well, whatever it takes to get my teeth fixed.

This week was Adam’s and my fourth anniversary.  Wednesday (”the” day) we went to a nice dinner down on Clearwater beach, and last night we camped out on the boat with a couple friends and their boat.  It was nice to get out and do something, instead of working or sitting around watching TV.  The sunset was beautiful, we had a bonfire, and this morning on the way back to the marina we saw pelicans and flamingos and dolphins (oh my!).

Not much knitting this week, but I’m working all weekend so I’m hoping to make some progress on Sizzle.   I finished the back on New Year’s, and I started the front this week.  I want to finish it soon, because I’m not sure how much knitting time I’ll have once school really gets going.

I survived the Holidays! I am never working 11 shifts in 14 days again. The paycheck will be great (just in time to buy books for school), but it was rough. My Christmas was nice and quiet, and we got to spend a couple days with Keri while she was here (come back soon!). I have one last FO from 2007 - the Central Park Hoodie. I started it on the 22nd, and finished a few hours before midnight on the 31st. This was a great project, and definitely worth the wait for it to come out on the Knitting Daily website.

Specs:
Yarn: Cascade 220 (5 hanks)
Needles: Size 6 and 8
Size: 36
Mods: None! (This is really impressive for me)

I love it. As I’ve read the sizes do run small, so I had to block it pretty strictly, but it fits great. I found really cute buttons too:

Definitely a great way to finish the year!

I got iLife ‘08 for my MacBook last week, and I’m working on setting up a new website and my OWN DOMAIN!  More on that soon…

Sorry for my recent lack of posting - I worked five days in a row over Christmas and I’m in the middle of six in a row over New Year’s.  All this working has given me lots of time to work on my last project of 2007 - I’m in the final stretch, finishing the button band, and hopefully I’ll be done by midnight.  Full post and pictures next year (wow, I’m a geek). 

Happy New Year everyone!

Merry Christmas everyone!  Just got home from work and I’m working again tonight, but I’m thinking of everyone back home in Rochester and I hope you all have a great day :)  Love you guys!

Last night Adam and I went over to Tampa and had a date night - dinner out, and a hockey game!  We saw the Toronto Maple Leafs (!) play the TB Lightning.  It was a pretty good game, and it was amazing to see the Leafs in person after so many years of watching on TV.  The Leafs scored first, and the Bolts answered right back…then with less than a minute left in the game, Lecavalier scored the winning goal for TB.  Very exciting ending to the game, and even though the Leafs didn’t win it was a good game.  I’m definitely going to have to go to more games.  Lecavalier is a big deal around here, and now I understand why - that last shot was great.  The best part?  We got $8 day-of-game tickets.  Yeah, we were sitting in the very top row, but we had a great view.

Now I head into two long weekends at work…I work Friday through Tuesday this weekend, and Friday through Wednesday next weekend.  Long hours but gotta love holiday pay.   I cast on for the Central Park Hoodie Tuesday, and I’m 12″ up the back already - love the pattern!  I’m using some dark pink Cascade 220 which is a little rougher than I’d like, but I think a good wash will soften it up nicely.  I have a couple other cardigans in my queue, and once I get my paycheck with the holiday pay and pay my school bill, I’m treating myself to some Silky Wool to make the Tangled Yoke Cardigan.

Gotta clean the house - company’s coming!

I’m done with my Christmas knitting! (Well almost…I have one last thing I’m working on but it’s not a definite.) Now to wrap and play Santa this afternoon

Oh yeah…driving home this afternoon I hear an alarm bell from my car.  The souce?  The temperature gauge - it was 39 degrees outside.  That’s what I get for blogging about yard work in December.

Haven’t posted because there’s not much to post…I’ve been knitting exclusively Christmas things, so I can’t post pictures yet.  I’m doing pretty well - only three more things to finish this weekend, then everything gets shipped out next week.  I have a few other things to shop for as well, but by the middle of next week I should be done.

On the non-knitting front…not much else there either.  Ended up with A’s in all my classes this semester (woohoo), and I’m looking forward to three weeks (or four?  have to check) of not having to get up/stay up for class.  My application stuff for PA school is finally done and I’m just waiting on them to send in a physical copy to Barry, but it’s available to them online as well.  My school bills are due January 3rd, so if I don’t hear from PA school by New Year’s I’ll give them a call.  I’m pretty much resigned to taking 12 credits next semester though.

Possible promotion opportunity at work…more on that later.

Bought fabric and a pattern to make a quilt for our “new” bedroom (we’re going to redecorate it after New Year’s).  Very excited to get started, but I’m not letting myself start until Christmas knitting is done.  It looks like for a while work will be for knitting, and home will be for sewing.  And spinning.

Oooh I finally was up during daylight hours yesterday (not going to discuss how screwed up my internal clock/sleep schedule is right now) and I weeded the gardens, pulled out dead plants, and raked the backyard.  All I need to to do today is cut the grass, and the yard will finally look nice again.  Then I can take pictures