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Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Back at work

It's mid-week already, thank goodness. My vacation was by turns relaxing & slightly stressful: I spent most of the week on the couch, knitting for holiday gift giving -- that was the relaxing part. We got some news about our car loans, also about the mortgage, and more medical bills from Plaidman's surgery -- which was the stressful part. I declined to allow myself more than about 10 minutes of stress over this stuff. I just will not let myself get too wrought up about the money matters. This has always been a big source of excess worry for me, and I'm tired of it, and that's all I'll say here.
On the holiday knits front, I've completed several small projects which I'll not photograph or describe in detail, just in case someone I know checks out the blog. I'm having fun, and using up lots of acrylic yarn.
Ok, last week was my birthday week. What, you don't take a week to celebrate being alive? Try it, you'll like it! Pup sent me a check, so I went out & got some glasses & new lenses for my sunglasses. I bought myself 3 new purses -- and you know, I don't really like changing purses all the time, but these were cute & cheap. Plaidman & DiscoDame took me to the Haus of Yarn (in Paddock Place) for a spending spree: Disco gave me a copy of EZ's Knitting Workshop, which has the Baby Surprise Jacket pattern--yippee! I've only skimmed it, but already learned how to cast on without a slip knot, something that had never occurred to me before. I got two new Addi 40" circulars, in sock sizes for Magic Loop knitting. I also got some aluminum DPN's, sizes 7 & 8, for the Christmas knitting. AND we went to Books A Million--I got a paperback copy of Wee Free Men: The Beginning, which I tore through in no time. The Plaid Patrol loves the Nac Mac Feegle! Ach, crivens!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Count down to vacation

Next week I have a birthday, so I'm taking off work the whole week as per my usual routine of having a Polish birthday. DiscoDame & I went to WallyWorld & found the plastic bangles I was wanting, for a price that I was willing to pay! So I can get started on the Bracelet Bags (from Laurie Perry's book--I think they're in the first one, Drunk, Divorced & Covered in Cat Hair)for the nieces. I'm going to use some of the stash enhancing gift I received from Debbie Stoller, though I'm not sure which yarn(s) as I'll have to check them against the bracelet colors. I'm knitting another pair of fingerless mitts, with corrugated ribbing at the cuffs -- whew! what a PITA! I have a piece of knitted fabric made up to felt for Sis' latte cozy; just haven't done the felting yet. But I'll have a whole week to play with yarn, so I imagine this will get done soon. I found a site that sells undyed sock yarn in cones, about 1 lb of 80% merino/20% nylon sock yarn just waiting to be dyed. It's very tempting! Of course, dyeing would mean winding off hanks (I have a swift!), figuring out what dye to use (lots of ideas on the Innerwebs!), and setting up dye pots, utensils, etc etc.
I bet you're wondering at the hopeful attitude expressed by all the knit blather above. The Plaidman has cashed in one of his retirement accounts, so we can get all caught up on the bills & likely stay that way at least thru the winter. It's so nice not to worry about whether the mortgage company will foreclose on us, or if the cars will be repo'd. It's a bit sad for him, but he has another account and it's kinda his fault we got in such a fix anyway, so I don't feel too badly about it. Anyway, the Captain of the Plaid Patrol should be able to take one for the team. Now if we could get DiscoDame employed somewhere, we'd be able to stretch his cashout even further. But I'll think about that another time--it's too depressing for the day before I start vacation!
ETA: We just had our Departmental Meeting/Birthday Luncheon (combined, so we can all have an hour to dine!), and boy did we eat! We had pulled pork BBQ, turkey BBQ, fried cornbread, white beans, turnip greens, mac 'n cheese, squash casserole, sliced tomatoes, homemade chow-chow, and topped it off with CocaCola cake with ice cream. I'm stuffed. I'm so stuffed I'm almost in pain. It's naptime!

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Long overdue




I have finished the pair of Fetching Mitts I started oh ages ago! Couldn't remember how to do the picot bind off on the second one, so I just winged it--it looks the same as the first one LOL. I really detest the yarn, Schachenmeyer Nomotta Bolino! But these four balls were only $1 each at Threaded Bliss, way back when it was still Threaded Bliss. Anyway, I also finished another pair of Aunt Maggie's slippers, and cast on for yet another pair as well as another pair of mitts in the Bolino. No cables this time! For fun (!?!?!) the cuffs are corrugated ribbing, what a PITA. I'm glad the rest of the things are in stockinette, up to the knuckles, and plain 2X2 ribbing after that. I think the pattern calls for a thumb gusset, which should be interesting. So, the count of holiday gifts finished includes one (1) pair of slippers and one (1) pair of mitts. The holiday WIPS are a pair of mitts, a pair of slippers, four Grumpies (need to be felted),and one tall latte cozy to be felted. I still have to mail Dolly Blankie #2, and the books for The Amazing Abigail. I have two sets of metal bangle bracelets, which I'm thinking of using for bracelet bags for the nieces--but I'd really rather have plastic bangles for them. Depending on some financial footwork the Plaidman is supposed to be performing today, those plastic bangles could be bought this weekend. If the bracelet bags go pretty quickly, I may work a couple of them for office gifts.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Not much, what's new with you?

I'm just plodding along on the Blankie & the stole. The last couple of days I've been playing Bejewelled every evening until I got too sleepy to care. So not too much progress on either, sad to say! But a long weekend beckons, and then I'll take some time off for my birthday. No Polish birthday this year; the celebration will have to be kept low key & very cheap! Plaidman goes back into surgery next Tuesday, and we've gotten the bill from the surgery center for the 1st one. Get this--we had to pay the $500 deductible up front, and then were told that after insurance we'll need to pay $243, which had to be paid the day of surgery; and now we have a bill from them for another $400! Unbelievable. And we get to do it again on Tuesday. I don't see how we can even have a Christmas dinner this year, at this rate. Welcome to Land of Stress!