Things I want to do when I stop working

I can't sleep so I am making a goal list to reference in five weeks when I quit working at my day job. This is the stuff that has been floating around in my head for months so writing it down frees my mind to do other things. The lists aren't in any particular order; I just recorded them as they popped in my head. I will probably be adding to this and hopefully scratching through some of these items as I finish them. Sorry this isn't too exciting, but if you scroll down there are finished projects in the two previous entries that you can admire (or make fun of if you like.)

Free Projects

• sand, repaint, and hang the spice rack
• make labels for the spice jars
• beat Marvel Ultimate Alliance and return it to Shaun
  
• paint last two drawers in computer desk
• list unwanted video games and books on half.com
• dye and skein yarn surplus
• fix bamboo on bar
• make a sock knitting pouch for my morning bus rides
• hang paintings, pictures, and decorations around the house
• hem kitchen curtain
• redo blog layout and links
• iron ReBelle bags
• create a recipe file organized by ingredient price
• read a book a month
• organize CD's, DVD's, records and videos
• redesign etsy store
• finish or rip all old knitting projects
• knit another ball band rug for the kitchen
• sand and paint hand and foot displays
  

Cheap Projects

• put spoons up on eBay
• put old camera equipment on eBay
• make grass curtain for tiki room
• buy baskets and organize VG controllers, cords, etc
• buy and install stemware hangers behind the bar
  

Daily/Weekly goals

• exercise 5 days a week (3 strength, 2 cardio)
• blog 3 times a week
• bake a loaf of bread every week (this just sounds nice)
  
• make ahead healthy convenience foods (i.e. hummus, baba ghanoush, cut veggies)
• clean for 30 minutes a day
• keep the laundry under control by running at least 2 loads a week
• take 1-2 days a week off with Philip to do fun stuff (we'll call this a weekend)
• Spin for 4-5 hours/week
• put new items in etsy store every week
  

Booklist (these are books I own, but never finished)

• last two Sandman books
• Life of Pi
• Running with Scissors
• Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates (I've read the first hundred pages 4-5 times)
• Villa Incognito (another book I keep starting)
  
• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
  
• World War Z
• The last two Hitchhikker books
• Dirk Gently's Holisic Detective Agency
• Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul

I should also mention that I will still be working about 30 hours a week at the store and also substitute teaching from time to time so my days won't be completely empty they will just seem that way coming from the 75 hour weeks I have been working for the past 2 years.

Hey, Teach!

Finally, here is my Hey, Teach! cardigan. This is a sample from the shop so I just made the small size. I knitted the pieces fairly quickly (something like 3-4 days,) but like most projects, I procrastinated on the blocking and finishing so those two steps ended up adding a week and a half to my project time. I have to admit, after working on the heavy hemlock ring it was really nice to have a lightweight cotton project on my lap.

I did make one small change to the pattern and that was in the edging. Instead of knitting the edging with US8 needles like the pattern suggested, I decided to go down to a US6 to give the garment a bit more structure and help prevent some of the drooping created by heavy cotton fabrics.

I highly recommend this pattern, especially after seeing it on several body types on Ravelry. It is a fairly simple pattern and the lace work is easy. I might knit another one for myself before next Spring.

The big question remains: Will I ever block the Hemlock Ring afghan? Stay tuned for the answer.

Blocking is killing my soul

I have been in blocking mode for the past few days, finishing up some of those old projects. I still haven't blocked the hemlock ring, the idea of using all of those pins scares me just a bit. My plan is to wake up early tomorrow and do the soaking and pinning before I start work at 8am. We'll see how that goes. For now, I have two projects to show.

First is the chevron scarf that I started last summer. This project lost my interest pretty early on so I really had to force myself to buckle down and finish it. Then, after it was finished it took me almost two months to finally block it. Of course it is still too warm to take this baby on a test drive, but I imagine it will be in heavy rotation come the fall.

Next is the Vlora hat from Woolly Wormhead. This is a sideways hat pattern that is available to buy on Ravelry and was the Sideways Hat KAL project for the month of August. I made mine without the brim since I was using a partial ball from one of Sarah's projects and I didn't want to have to add another ball. I am really happy with the final product, but I would have liked the extra space a brim would provide.

That's all I have to show for now. If I finish seeming the Hey, Teach! I might have that to show off tomorrow. Have a wonderfully lazy Sunday.

Woo hoo!!!

After months of searching for a used drum carder in my price range, I finally found one and in a few short days it is going to be mine!!

Too tired to think

I finished knitting the Hemlock ring on Sunday which was way ahead of schedule so I am adding another project to my Olympic knitting. In addition to blocking the Hemlock ring (I have to find my blocking pins first) I am going to knit the Hey, Teach! cardigan from the current issue of Knitty. I have less than a week to finish, but with two more discs of Degrassi on their way it shouldn't be a problem. I plan to put up a post about blocking and pictures of the hemlock ring being blocked on Saturday or Sunday so stay tuned.

I am so excited that Sarah is coming back this weekend; I really need a break from the store. We have been extra busy lately (which I made worse by deciding to have a sale last Saturday) and it is all a bit much to handle while still working my day job (which has also been extra busy thanks to my brilliant plan to quit.) I have been working 10-13 hour days every day for the last two weeks and I am exhausted. I am taking off half of Saturday and all of Sunday to hopefully catch my breath and maybe get some more unpacking done.

A night of Degrassi

Last week I discovered that Philip had never seen the Degrassi series. Immediately we added it to our Netflix queue so that he could experience all of the wonders that this Canadian teen drama of the late eighties has to offer. Disc one arrived yesterday and we dove right in. The first season was pretty mild compared to some of the later episodes, but we did learn important lessons about responsibility, cheating, drinking, and child abuse. Philip did a ton of research on the show before we started watching it so he would fill in from time to time with little factoids about the series like "Did you know that they were trying to make it appear to be an American series so sometimes you can see them using American money or some cars had American plates." I didn't notice any of the American additives, but I did notice the heavy Canadian accents and the poor Canadian fashion which lead me to believe that there is no way this show could ever pass as something American. We watched all of the first disc and were a little bummed when we realized that we have to wait until Monday for the second disc to arrive, too bad we don't live near the Naro video store anymore. For your enjoyment, I leave you with the Degrassi Jr. High Theme Song.

Just another Wednesday

I made another tam, shock of all shocks. This one was a special order from a customer who picked the yarn and size. I was asked about my pattern, but in 10+ years of making tams and dready hats, I have never used a pattern, only a sort of template I came up with in college. Using any size yarn and hook, I start with a ring of twelve crochet stitches, whatever stitch I am feeling in the mood for, then I increase 12 every round until it is about dinner plate size (give or take depending on the head and hair size.) Then, I crochet plain for 1-8" (yet again, depending on the head and hair size) and finally I start the decreases, usually decreasing 15-20% each round. The last two rounds are sometimes crocheted plain with a smaller hook and smaller stitch to give the bottom strength and sometimes they have a drawstring. I have made hundreds of these hats (seriously, they funded my summer travels in college) and I doubt that I have ever used the same pattern twice, I like to just let it flow and see what happens. That is what I have as far as a pattern goes, but if you want something more structured, there is a great book called Get Your Crochet On! Hip Hats and Cool Caps by Afya Iboma that I recommend to people who come in the store and want to learn to crochet tams and caps. The book has excellent patterns and instructions, my only complaint is that she is highly reliant on Red Heart Super Saver and instead of weaving in the ends she likes to glue them with fabric glue (boo hiss.)

Now on to some knitting. I joined Team Angstylvania for the Ravelympics. If you remember, this is the same team I "competed" in the Knitting Olympics with in 2006 so it just seemed right to continue in the fine Anstylvanian tradition. Since my team's government likes to blur the rules and since I have so much knitting time right now, I decided to start competing early this year. I started the Hemlock Ring on August 2 and my goal is to finish it by August 18. I am actually planning on finishing the knitting by the 15th and then spend two days binding off (568 stitches in a picot bind off, yikes) and one day blocking. Anyway, here is my progress so far.

Now onto the new apartment. We are still unpacking, but the end it in sight. We still have too much stuff so we are purging more stuff as we unpack the boxes. I love this neighborhood. Every morning I take Astrid on a long walk and we explore the little side streets and the high school campus. School starts next week so I worry a little that it won't be as quiet around here in the mornings, but we'll see. I am totally getting the hang of the bus thing now and I am really loving it. My commute to the store is actually shorter now than it was when I lived downtown. I just hope the bus gods don't go and change the routes on me.

Some babble and the big news

We are slowly getting settled in, but there are still boxes, lots of boxes. We are unpacking at a slow and steady pace and I am hoping by the weekend that we will have 2-3 rooms that are completely box-free.

I have been taking the bus to the store since I have no desire to bike down Harrodsburg Rd. I am slowly getting the hang of the bus service, but I find myself getting to the stop way too early. The drivers on my route are extremely prompt so everyone arrives at the stop 2-3 minutes before the bus. I, on the other hand, show up 15-20 minutes early and end up standing around. My actual bus ride is pretty short, I hop on the bus at 50 after the hour and I am in the store by about 58 past the hour. It almost feels lame to take the bus for such a short distance, but it is a solid 2 miles so the bus does save time. I think that I am going to take an earlier bus on Saturdays so I can stop by the downtown farmers' market. There is a Sunday farmers' market over by us, but it is in the parking lot of the Southland Drive shops and it just looks hot and unwelcoming. If I skip a Saturday market I might check out a Sunday one.

Now it's time for my big news. Yesterday, I turned in my letter of resignation at my day job. This was a really difficult decision since I am very emotional and financially attached to my place of employment. I have been juggling the job and the store for almost two years and it has forced me to make several sacrifices which where not always easy. Without that secure, steady flow of income things are going to be a little scary, but I have savings and I have a few odd jobs (including substitute teaching) lined up. The best part of this decision is that I will once again have days off. Currently I have one day off every two weeks and that is often filled with errands or family stuff. My new schedule will allow for 1-3 days off a week (depending on if I am taking any odd jobs that week.) I will have time (and energy) to do the housework, cooking, and other household things that I have really been neglecting. I am also planning on doing more pattern design work and possibly learning to play the piano again. I will be working at the store 3-4 days a week and during that time I will be about to work on more projects, host a couple of knit-alongs, and teach more private lessons. My future seems so bright and open right now.