Beautiful weekend…that I’m spending at work

Even though tonight will be day (night) five out of six in a row, i’ve managed to catch some glimpses of summer:

The “golden torch” (false bird of paradise) in the backyard is going crazy – it loves the heat and doesn’t seem to need water.

This is the hibiscus bush that I hacked back to the fence line a few months ago…it’s going crazy!  It’s full of blooms.

The grass is growing like a weed – no new pictures because it desperately needs a haircut (and pictures of watching grass grow are probably only interesting to me).

I finished Wicked – it came out really well!  I just have to sew in the ends and take some pictures – I’ll post them on Tuesday probably.  I started a cabled scarf to go with the Odessa hat I made a couple weeks ago, but for once I’m finishing more projects than I’m starting.

Now off to work…

Day off

I started on nights again last night…then had to get up today for a 1pm orthodontist appointment.  Just for the record, getting up early to go have my braces adjusted is not my idea of a super fun time.  I now have some brand-new steel archwires (instead of the heat-sensitive titanium ones I had before) and an elastic tie on the bottom for good measure.  Not too sore yet, but I’m bracing for tonight and tomorrow.  It’s a great excuse to have milkshakes and smoothies for a few days

I started Wicked last Tuesday.   I’m using Misti Cotton (Pima cotton/silk blend) in a deep purple/eggplant color.  It feels really yummy as I knit it up, and it has great yardage for the price (one of my primary requrements of yarn lately, with school bills coming).  It is knit from the top down, and I’m at the point where I need to separate the sleeves and the body.  Pictures once I make the split and see how it fits.

I’m also trucking along on my Mystery Stole 3.   The clues come out each Friday and the first two weeks I hauled along and finished the clues on the day they were released, then had withdrawal all week waiting for the next clue.  Week three I took my time and finished it on Thursday night, so that Friday morning I was all ready and excited for the next clue.  Week four (last Friday) was a really big clue because it’ll be two weeks until the next clue, and I’m trying to decide whether to add the extra repeat and lengthen the stole.  Once I decide I’ll post a new picture.  I’m still very pleased with the pattern, and somehow I haven’t gotten tired of knitting something despite having no idea how it will come out.

AND Harry Potter book 7 finally came out!  I got my copy at 10 am, read the first two chapters before work, then (miracle of miracles) we had a slow shift and I read the entire book at work.  I’m not telling what happens so don’t bother asking, but I’ll say that it was very well written and was a satisfying end to the series.   I laughed, I cried…and I can’t wait to read it again.  Actually, I want to read them all again, but the first five are still up in NY.  I’ll have to get those (and all my other books) next time I go home.

We’re finally getting rain, and the yard and garden are so happy…we’re also knee deep in hurricane season and we’re just sitting here waiting to see what happens.  Our storms this week have been impressive, lots of thunder and lightning and big scary clouds, but not a lot of rain here at our house.  There have been several tornado sightings in the area but none have touched down.  Yet another benefit of working in dispatch – the building is extra super reinforced, and I get to stay indoors during storms.  Yay

Christmas in July

It’s that time of year…visions of sugarplums are dancing in my head, and I’m once again trying to get a head start on Christmas presents.  With school starting in a month I want to get as I can done now.  As soon as i saw Odessa, I knew it would make adorable hats for my 10 year old cousins.  I made the first one last night at work:

Yarn: Plymouth Encore Worsted; Needles: Size 4 and 6

The hat is stretchy; even though I will fit on my head it is a little small, and I think it will fit them perfectly.  I have plenty of yarn left over, so I am trying to decide whether to make a scarf or mittens to go with it.  I’m taking advantage of the fact that my cousins probably don’t read this blog to post pictures, since most of my Christmas knitting will have to remain Top Secret until after the big day.  So shhhh!  Don’t tell

Officially a Student Again

I spent all morning yesterday on campus trying to sort out my prerequisites and other requirements, and now I’m registered for fall classes!  I’m taking an introductory Psychology class online, and General Chemistry 1 with a lab on campus.  It feels weird to only be taking 7 credit hours, but I have to remind myself that I’m also working full time at the same time.  I’m so excited to be going to school again!  (Wow, I’m a dork.)

Bridal Knot Shawl…decision time

Tonight I pulled out the bridal knot shawl for the first time in six months (or maybe more).  After finishing Alpine Lace, my first thought was that this yarn was thick and bulky, and my second thought was that the shawl was really heavy.  And big.  I figured it was because I just finished using cobweb weight yarn and my fingers just had to get used to it.  Then I knit a few pattern repeats…and realized that the shawl is REALLY heavy.  And then I remembered that when i measured just the center section, it stretched out to 5′ across.  Which means that when I add the two borders, this is going to be at least 8′ in diameter.  And heavy.

I wonder if I subliminally knew this last fall when I put the shawl into hibernation.  As much as I wish there was another alternative, I think I’m going to have to frog it.  (Wow, it hurts just thinking that!)  I still love the pattern, and I still definitely want to make it…I just need to get a cone of thinner yarn and size 0 needles.

I know this is what I have to do….but it’ll probably take me a few days to be able to rip it all out.

FO’s everywhere

It is FO week here at chez knittingmedic…first the alpine lace, then i (started and) finished a calorimetry headwarmer:

It’s too hot today to model it, so more on that later.

I also finished my second pair of Jaywalkers:

I also started a new pair of socks at work the other night, using the Sockotta yarn I won in the MS ride raffle. They are my first pair of toe-up socks, and also my first pair of socks knitted with the magic loop method. I’m not sure I love the magic loop yet, but it’s growing on me. Adam leaves tomorrow for a week to visit family up north, so I’ll have the whole weekend to hunker down and knit – the bridal knot shawl is calling!

I also got my credits transferred to the local community college so I can finish my prerequisites for the PA program – now I just have to convince the professor to let me in to Organic Chemistry without all the prerequisites!

Beautiful sunshiny day

The grass plugs in the backyard had their first haircut today!  They haven’t filled in much but they are bushy and happy, and they’ll fill in with time.

There’s blooms on the flowers:

And the lace is blocking.

I finished clue 2 of the mystery stole yesterday, and so far it’s been pretty easy to keep up.  Clues are released on Fridays and Friday is my day off, so I’m trying to do as much as I can on the day the clues come out so I don’t get behind.  I’ll show a picture after next week’s clue once I can see a little more about what is happening with the pattern.  It looks really nice, and i love the feel of the zephyr wool-silk.

It was a rough week here…work was busy and it is HOT and HUMID outside, which puts me on edge to begin with.  Then, Thursday the air conditioning in the house went out.  The repair man came yesterday morning and luckily it was just a burned out wire, but he warned us that the unit is getting old (9 years) and soon we’ll have to think about replacing it.  The air is on for now though, at least.