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April 29, 2008

Negligence

So, I've been a really negligent blogger. I don't have the typical excuse because I've been negligent on Ravelry as well. Truth be told, I haven't been knitting and spinning very much. This is not a good thing, as I am still sitting in a room full of yarn.

At first, I was just busy, and never doing things that it was easy to knit while doing. Work, school, some mile relationship crisis, the usual. Then, something surprising happened. I'd find myself watching TV or on a long car ride, sometimes even with my knitting with me, and I just wouldn't knit. You know, like I used to do before I knit.

So clearly, I've lost my knitting mojo. What is ironic is that I've actually enjoyed what I've been knitting! (Don't bother checking Ravelry -- I haven't been updating there either). Anyway, I want my mojo back! I love knitting and spinning and I'm still enjoying reading blogs (and lust after yarn) so I'm not too sick.

I have this new kick ass laptop (Macbook Pro thank you very much). This should be a blogging machine!
Of course, I need to work on my photo skills and the Digital SLR I was dreaming about would be nice.

Instead, I've been obsessively reading and buying books on nutrition, diet, and food (not weight loss per se, health) as a procrastination method against the massive project due tomorrow for school. Did I mention, big project, due tomorrow, yet I'm posting for the first time in a month at 10:15PM?

So off I go, I just wanted to let you know where I was at, and that I hope to be back soon.

March 28, 2008

I'm alive

and have knitting to show. I plan to catch up on blogs and ravelry this weekend.

March 16, 2008

Not just socks

Hi, I'm Jenny, and I'm a procrastinator. After spending the majority of last week cramming for my midterm and then swearing I'd get ahead of my school work, here I am at 4:55 pm Sunday just starting. Ick.

I did have a good weekend though. Friday Carlos made a nice dinner and we had some wine and talked. Saturday we had a lazy day (although I skipped yoga which annoys me) and then went to IKEA to get a new desk chair for me and into Philly for dinner. We meant to go to a sushi place a friend recommended, but the wait was 2 hours and instead ended up all dressed up at a little hole in the wall Middle Eastern place and had an amazing meal. We then went to our favorite Belgian place for a few beers before trekking home to A-town.

Today was another lazy day . . . bagels and lox, 2 pots of coffee, and a lot of knitting. I did finish the first Jacobean sock, but I couldn't get a great picture so today I've actually been knitting on my scarf for the boy.

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I'm pretty happy with how it is turning out. It is the Corrugator (ravelry link) pattern and is easy to memorize. It is a nice use of the Shephard Worsted C picked out when we were at Purl in December. It's getting very long and I'm not done yet with the 2nd skein (I bought 3) so he may end up with a matching hat or the like.

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I'm making some excellent vegetarian split pea soup for the week and have to start the baked casserole for dinner tonight. (Did I tell you the trick to do work, school, and 90 minutes of yoga 3-4 times a week is cooking ahead on Sunday? Highly recommended). Oh, and do homework, so hopefully a better shot of the Jacobean sock later on.

March 06, 2008

The Ick

So, I am home sick today. I have this weird combo of sinus headache, sore throat, and horrible stomach pains. I have been taking the time being home to catch up on some sleep, laundry, studying, blog reading, Lost watching, and yes knitting.

I had been focusing much of my energy on Oscar's sweater (which I have not blogged about yet) but misplaced the contrast yarn and the buttons that are needed for it, so that is on hold until I find those. I have been knitting however.

I decided, against all logical thought, to join the Sock Knitters Pentathlon (which is both a Yahoo group and a Ravelry group) even though I'm horrible about keeping up with these things. I did cast on for the sock last night and although the toe is a little weird shaped (this is only my second toe-up sock) I am enjoying it so far.

I am a little further a long than this is here:

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Today has also given me some more time to think about things. I posted here before about my complete disinterest in my job, and you all know that I've started back to school for a career change to teaching. In the back of my mind since I made this decision, was a knowledge that in the fall I'm going to need to do some fieldwork as part of my classwork and I'm frightened that my job will not be supportive of me having to change my schedule. I've been trying to figure out a way to take more classes, and have more flexible work, but I've never had to do this with the responsibilities of a mortgage and a household and without wanting to put too much of a burden on C. Anyone have any experience with this? Well-paying part time jobs, flexible or work from home jobs, taking out student loans to cover some living expenses? Any advice would be appreciated

March 02, 2008

Did I offend someone again?

Well, someone unsubscribed to my blog since the last time I posted so I must be getting pretty boring.

Anyhoo, I haven't posted because I haven't been doing much knitting and I just got a new computer this weekend (Macbook Pro baby!) so I've been playing around with that.

I did knit almost all of a
Gretel
hat with the orange handspun I showed you and it wasn't until I ran out of yarn that I realized that somewhere along the line my gauge went completely off. Oops! I took a picture but I think it accidently got cleaned off my iMac before I gave it to C.

This week is spring break which means I don't have class, but it also means that I'm less than 2 weeks away from my first midterm and my first paper in almost 7 years. Not fun. So I should go hit the books. I just wanted to check in.


February 24, 2008

Not just spinning

I finished this hat awhile ago but never posted. It turned out too big for me, but fits C's big noggin just fine. Which is actually fine with me, as I really just knit it to try my hand on fair isle. I've already cast on for a new hat with the orange handspun from the other day.

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Not the best picture I know -- he didn't much care for being the model.

Here's a closeup:

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February 21, 2008

More spinning

The fire 2-ply is not all the spinning I've been doing . . .

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I've been super busy lately with school and work. I've also really stepped up my yoga (and need to my running) because I'm tired of making excuses for not being healthy. For me knitting is like running, and spinning is like yoga in my crafty mind, and I need to make more time for all of it because it is what is keeping me sane.

February 18, 2008

Fire

My first contribution to Project Spectrum. I've decided that I primarily want to contribute through my spinning, so this is also for NaSpiMoMo.

This is superwash Merino, that I did my best plying on ever. I now need to decide what to do with the resulting yarn.

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And with a stitch marker for scale.

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I'm beat and ready for bed, so this will have to suffice for now.

Good night.

February 14, 2008

Happy Valentine's Day

to those of you in or out of relationships. No matter how you feel about the day, do something nice for someone. There might be some people who need it.

February 08, 2008

Where'd I go?

Ok, so I have some housekeeping to do here, and I'm at work so no photos. Sorry.

1. That was really fun to come out of lurkdom and give out the Make my Day awards to some of my favorite bloggers, although it was REALLY hard to narrow down my huge blogroll to just a few. I've gotten really behind in my blog reading so that was fun.

2. Pay if Forward. Mama E generously is Paying it Forward and making me something handmade. Same thing goes to you all. First 3 commenters get something handmade from me.

3. Project Spectrum. Need to really play along this year. The Elements theme is awesome.

That's all I've got, but I'm going to start instituting some structure to this here blog to make it easier for me to post. I spend all this time thinking of posts, and then never get around to writing them and that isn't fun for me or fun for you.

Have a great weekend you guys!