Lazy (Day 137 KEDfaY)

No picture today because I'm lazy. So lazy that all I did was finish the second sleeve of my sweater, something that I think, in total, took about 2 hours but for some reason took me most of the day. I blame the weather, the normal sunny skies have been replaced with grey ones and while I normally wouldn't' complain, it isn't really making me want to do anything.

Tomorrow is a busy day. I get to go have my blood drawn for tests to make sure my anti-anxiety meds aren't completely messing with my body and then my ride, Jeannine and I are gonna go get brunch. From there, who knows. Possibly a nap before knitting with the ladies and possibly meeting my next commission in the afternoon. Or I could just load up on coffee and hope for the best. The worst is that I can't eat anything before the appointment so I'm going to be starving and grouchy because I have to get up early and can't go back to sleep.

I think I might've also figured out what is causing the rash on my face but time will tell if I'm right or not.

I have about 10 days to finish Supa Sekrit project #1. I think I can do it as long as I'm not a lazy bum like I have been the past two days. I don't know why I've been so slow at knitting lately.

And the winner is...(Day 136 KEDfaY)

Now I know what you're probably thinking, "But Leigh! Aren't you done with that sweater? I thought you finished it ages ago!" Well I did. Kinda. I finished it in time to submit it to the local fair but the sleeves were too short so it was finished...kinda. To be finished-finished, I need to lengthen the sleeves about 4". The yarn didn't stretch as much as I had anticipated after being washed. And for something so simple, it really has taken me all day. I don't know why but I think it has to do with the fact that it's Monday and I'm scatterbrained today.

And the fair you ask?

It might not be first place but since this is the first year I've ever submitted anything of mine to be judged, I'm going to take it! My purple shawl I knit and the purple and blue handspun I did also got ribbons, a general "well done!" and another third place respectively. Since that was my fourth or so handspun ever, I'll definitely take a third place ribbon! I'm very excited and I even got some money from it, enough to buy me a coffee next time I go to the coffee shop, if I don't get a fancy one and I just get plain coffee but hey! Free coffee! 

I think I'm mostly excited because I can now say I'm an award winning knitter and spinner! Not many people can say that! 

I know yesterday's post was short and sweet. The truth is that I almost didn't post. I was *this* close to not posting because I was in bed almost asleep when I remembered, hence the one sentence post. 

Yesterday I spun a bit while watching the F1 race with the Boyfriend. He enjoys watching the races and I've started watching too. It makes for great background noise while I'm spinning. I finished the first braid of the fiber I've been working on and now I have another one in the same color and fiber content. I hope to get a 2 ply fingering out of it so I can do a pi shawl but I'm a little worried now that I won't have enough yardage. I might have to do a smaller shawl or something else with it. We shall see, won't we?

Sometime this week, one of my essays is going live, online! I'll of course plaster this blog with links as soon as I get them because it's my blog and I can do what I want, harumph. Also, I reread the essay that I think is going up first and it was actually really good! I surprised myself with how good it was. I definitely suffer from the traditional creative cycle of "This is awesome. This is good. This is crap, I hate it. This is amazing." I think everyone has experienced this and I do quite frequently with my writing. I think I'm great, it's just finding an audience that likes me too.

You guys like me, right?

One less thing to do! (Day 122 KEDfaY)

Completed sweater! Sorry for the crappy pic. You will survive.

Whoo! Sweater is done and has been submitted to the fair along with some of my handspun and my lace shawl. I REALLY want to get at least one ribbon because I think it would be super awesome to win something for my awesome knits but I don't expect to because there are a lot of other people in my knit group submitting stuff and they are also really good.

This week is major cleaning of the entire apartment week. Boyfriend's dad is visiting for the Boyfriend's birthday this weekend so I have to make this place presentable for someone besides us. It mostly involves doing all of the laundry piled up and actually putting away dishes but it gives me a reason to do something! I also have three more washcloths to knit for HPKCHC. I have started one today but I haven't gotten much done on it. I've been busying dicking around the internet which is a lot of fun, in case you didn't know. In fact, I think I'm going to go do some of that now!

Done (Day 121 KEDfaY)

My sweater is done! I'd show you but it's in the washer and I'm tired so it's gonna be washed then thrown in the dryer then I'm going to bed. I haven't knit with a lot of wool but I do have to say that acrylic is awesome in times like these.

Lookit that body! (Day 120 KEDfaY)

I got the body done on my sweater today! WHOO! I am very excited. I started the one sleeve and I'm about 2" above the elbow on it right now. I want to get it done, finished, washed and dried tomorrow so hopefully I'll be able to get there. As long as I stop running into problems then I should be fine but things like forgetting how to kitchener are causing me issues. I should know how to do that by now but it still alludes me half of the time. 

But in the mean time, I'm going to continue watching the Norwegian knitting marathon. You might call me a nerd but I'm going to be too busy watching them to care! Maybe I'll do a review of it tomorrow. Hmm.

Frustrating (Day 119 KEDfaY)

So I'm cruising right along on the Supa Sekrit Project #1 and then I hit a brick wall. I spent 4-5 hours today trying to solve a problem on it and I couldn't figure it out. Luckily I *just* made it to 50% on it so I can get points for HPKCHC hopefully.

Next up on the list is my owl sweater and then more washcloths. I can do this but right now I'm going to go read and go to bed. 

Phantom-y (Day 116 KEDfaY)

Whoo! Something else to mark off of my to-do list! It didn't get mailed today. Why, you ask? Because I didn't want to walk to the post office. 

So my kinda being sick has been a really nasty rash all over my face. It's super unattractive, let me tell you. I suspect it's a bacterial infection because I've also been more tired than normal and I've had a feeling of just being sick without any symptoms aside from the rash that is threatening to take over my face. So, going out in public is not really a top priority of mine. I can deal with being stared at when I dress funny or when I'm making an ass of myself but being stared at for something I can't control like a seemingly incurable rash on my face would probably make me cry.

Last night, while getting ready for bed, I noticed, that, after a week and a half of various treatments, it hadn't gotten any better and in some places actually looked worse so I resigned myself to the fact that I have to go do the doctor to get this fixed. I have tried every home remedy and basic first aid recommendation I've found online and nothing has helped and some have made it worse. I didn't really want to go to the doctor because it's a hassle because I don't have a car but at this point, I need to. Add to the situation the fact that there is flesh eating bacteria 'round these parts, and I decided that I definitely need to go. Nothing looks like it's necrotizing at this point but one can't be too safe. Thanks, Florida

I scheduled my appointment for Wednesday and I'll mail out my commission then. Until then I have Supa Sekrit Project #1 to finish, my sweater to finish, and three more washcloths for HPKCHC to finish. All due at various points in the next few weeks. I'm sure some of those things would be done if it weren't for the disgusting rash on  my face. Once it starts healing, I'll probably post a picture but right now just imagine the Phantom of the Opera minus the singing and kidnapping of random teenage girls. 

Deadlines (Day 109 KEDfaY)

If she fits, she sits even if there is a bigger box that she fits in better just over there. 

Today, the yarn I ordered for a hat that I'm making for a commission FINALLY arrived. I ordered it last Monday and it just got here today. I guess I'm spoiled to really fast shipping but seriously. I hope to get that done and mailed out by this weekend but I have a few other deadlines I have to deal with first. The halfway point on SSP#1 is due on the 31st to get points for HPKCHC. The test knit I'm doing for Lee Meredith is due Saturday. My sweater needs to be done by the 1st ish so I can submit it for a local fair. I don't expect it to win but it would be nice to have a hand knit of mine recognized for its awesomeness. Supa sekrit project #1 is going much better now. A technique that Lee Meredith explains in the pattern I'm test knitting is actually coming in SUPER handy for SSP#1. I am very thankful for that. SSP#1 is also looking better and I think/hope I won't have to rip back again. *fingers crossed*

The good thing is that it's going pretty quickly. The bad thing is there's still a lot to go to meet the halfway point. 

The hat that I was commissioned for though should be quick, only a couple of hours. It's a simple hat but a darn cunning one, nonetheless. Now to just figure out how to get everything done on time! 

Random Project Update! (Day 101 KEDfay)

I think I fixed my problem.

The one I had with my spinning the other day. Did I talk about it? I was trying to make a 4 ply yarn from two 2 plied yarns and it turned into a hot mess. So I untwisted it, respun the two separate yarns to overtwist the crap out of it then respun it. And you know what? There are some parts that aren't terrible! I'd say half of it is actually nice and turned out how I wanted it to! It's hanging to dry in the bathroom now and I hope to get pictures up tomorrow. I got just about 100 yards of a 4 ply yarn. I'm pretty happy with it. I have no idea what the fiber is. It was some of a destash from someone. It's purple and blue and white and I think there is actual dryer lint in it along with just some fiberfill but I really enjoy how it turned out and I hope there's enough to make the hat I want to make. We shall see.

And as for my sweater, the owl one, it's going great. I just attached the wee sleeve-y bits. I don't know how much yarn I'll have for the sleeves so I just did a provisional cast on and knit three rows then attached those three row bits. Once I'm done with the body of the sweater, I'll go back and knit the rest of the sleeves. I'd like 3/4 sleeves at least but I'll settle for shorter. I have almost an entire skein left for the sleeves so I *think* I'll be fine but I'm nervous about it since I can't go get more of it. 

As for the supa sekrit project, I haven't worked on it at all today. I know what I need to do next, I just don't want to because it's frustrating and it takes more brainpower than my owl sweater. My owl sweater only makes me stop and count once every other row and most of the time I don't need to unless I've really messed something up. It seems that I might actually be getting better at this whole counting thing. I hope to get to the next milestone for the supa sekrit project by the end of the week. I could probably hit it tomorrow but that's if EVERYTHING goes right which it probably won't. This project has been challenging to say the least but I've enjoyed (almost) all of it. 

Dizzy Miss Leigh (Day 98 KEDfay)

I didn't knit much today. I only knit a few rows on my washcloth that I've been working on because I've been spinning all day. Like, seriously, all day. I started at 1 and just stopped less than 10 minutes ago. That's 8 hours of spinning. That's a workday full of spinning. I just couldn't help it. I really wanted to spin up that roving I had. I'd ply it now if it weren't for the fact that you're supposed to wait to ply it. I'm very excited about this yarn. It's going to be awesome. 

The washcloth is boring. The supa sekrit project needs to be worked on along with my sweater. That will probably be tomorrow and this weekend. I hope to get to the next big milestone on the supa sekrit project by Monday. We shall see. 

Plans (Day 94 KEDfaY)

Today was a day of just getting things done. I turned in my detention for HPKCHC. We went grocery shopping which we've needed to do for about two weeks now. I worked on the supa sekrit project for another 2 hours and my owl sweater for another hour. Both are going well and I'm happy with how they're turning out. 

Tomorrow is going to be a day of getting stuff done around here. I need to clean up because although we aren't messy people, I still haven't really cleaned in a few weeks because I've been lazy. I also plan on working out tomorrow for at least a little bit just to try to get back into the habit of it. I really need to stop sleeping until 10:30 AM because there's no reason for me to. I think that this bout of depression has lasted long enough and now I need to get off my ass and do things. I feel that that's always the first step, realizing you need to get shit done and actually caring that it needs to get done. 

I feel that I am babbling and not really being coherent and not in any creative way, just in the babbly sort of way. 

Best laid plans (Day 89 KEDfaY)

So there is a blanket that I've been working on for three years now. You might notice that there's one lonely little hole waiting for the last hexagon. You might also notice that it seems a bit...wonky. 

I thought I had started connecting them correctly. I thought I had double checked and made sure it would all line up just fine but NOOOOO! Of course not because I am THIS close to finishing the damn thing and I'm off. 

I am now trying to figure out what to do. Do I fix it now? Do I fix it later? Do I ignore it and use it as a blanket nonetheless? Do I add a whole other row of hexes along the side to fix that problem? I just don't know at this point.

I also knit today. I don't have a picture of it because I waited to long to take one so all of the sunlight is gone but if you believe me, it looks a lot like yesterday's picture just a bit longer. I'm back on my anti-anxiety meds as I have mentioned before, which I love. They make everyday little things just that instead of a whole big to-do which I have been known to do about the simplest things. The downside is that my body will not stay asleep for more than about five hours at a time. As I may or may not have mentioned before, I need 8 hours of sleep for the benefit of everyone around me. Just, trust me on this. So this morning when I woke up at 4 am for no explicable reason, I decided to watch some shows and work on my sweater a bit instead of lay in bed and pretend to try to go back to sleep when I know I wouldn't until after the Boyfriend left for work four hours later. I am very happy with the progress so far though. It's coming along nicely. I am worried I might run out of yarn but I've had that worry for a while. I might just end up with shorter sleeves than originally planned. 

Aside from chunks of my skin on my nose falling off, my day has been largely uneventful. After this weekend though, I think I'll take it. 

Eventful (Day 88 KEDfaY)

I knew this weekend would be eventful. My friend had told me he got tickets to the Colts vs Jaguars game and was going to visit that weekend back in probably July. So I knew I would be busy. There would be hanging out and going to the beach and of course the game. I also got to meet two different people who have both said that they'll take a look at my resume and pass it along. That was unexpected and fantastic. 

Friday night, my friend Dirk and I went out to eat with one of these people. He was a great guy who knew a lot about what he was talking about which I've found to be rare in people who have any position of power. We ate at a fantastic local place, Bistro Aix which I HIGHLY recommend if you're visiting Jacksonville. Their parmesan truffle fries are fantastic even if they did make me want to throw up later. Not because of anything wrong with the fries but because I am a dumbass and ate them even after being told they weren't gluten free. There is a running theme of my being a dumbass this weekend but I'll get to that in a bit.

Dirk and I decided to grab some drinks after having dinner so we stopped at another place just down the road from where we had dinner. We're standing in line waiting to order our drinks when I get the urge to throw up. I know this feeling. I've gotten it numerous times, most of the time because I'm a dumbass. It's the feeling of everything in my stomach wanting to vacate my body as fast as possible and not caring how it gets out. I ducked out of the bar and went to the little indie film theater next door and ran in their bathroom. I didn't puke and everything turned out fine even if I did will myself to not vomit for about 15 minutes. I was even able to enjoy my cider along with great conversation afterward.

I came home and showered and was getting ready for bed. I was watching an episode of The Kids in the Hall, my current favorite for getting ready to fall asleep time. 

Then my mom called me. It's ten till 1 AM at this point. I knew what it would be about. 

"I held her as she passed that way she knew that we all loved her and cared about her." My mom said to me as she and I both tried to hold back the tears. She then handed the phone to my brother. "We treated her like the princess she is," he said through tears. Bagel the Beagle would never walk in the grass if she could walk on the side walk. She would never go outside when it was raining or snowing or threatening to do either. I took her and our other beagle who has also passed, Trini, to the park one time to play in the creek. Trini seemed to enjoy herself but Bagel wouldn't go near it and when we picked her up and put her in the creek, she did all she could to try to keep her paws out of the water. 

My brother and I spent an inordinate amount of time crying on the phone together. I started laughing because the idea of us just crying on the phone seemed absurd to me. We said our goodbyes and the rare, "I love you," as we hung up the phone. I ran to the other room and sobbed into the Boyfriend's arms and he just held me. He didn't even mind that his character was being killed in what ever game he was playing at the time. I eventually decided I was tired and went to sleep but not after posting my favorite picture of Bagel on all social media. I texted my brother and Dirk saying that I wanted to bury her and dig the hole myself and how it made me think of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt 2 and how the scene where Harry shouts that he wants to dig Dobby's grave didn't translate well to film. 

Posting this picture again because it's my blog and I can do what I want.

A lot of my friends knew her and loved her. Everyone who met her fell in love with the little blonde beagle. We were often asked if various friends and visitors could keep her. We always joked that she would be the worst guard dog because she will walk up to any stranger and wait for the attention that she thinks she deserves. She was sweet and well tempered. She would put up with pretty much everything, except feet. The only time she ever really barked was when she was asleep on the couch and someone dared to put their feet near her. It hurt my heart when we decided to leave her home, in Indiana. She never dealt with the heat well and since it's still over 80* here daily and will be October tomorrow, I knew she wouldn't cope with the heat here. What hurt the most was not being able to be with her in the end. As I sobbed into the Boyfriend's chest, making his tshirt damp, I choked out, "I wish I could've been there." 

The next two days were a weird juxtaposition. Everything I did that made me even remotely happy, I would remind myself that my dog, my baby, my princess, just died and I wasn't there to be with her. I'm glad I'm back on my anti-anxiety medication otherwise my ups and downs would've been more drastic and there would've been a lot more tears and would've confused everyone I was around and that's not something I need when I'm trying to make people like me so that they'll look at my resume. 

But back to me being a dumbass. We've recently moved to Florida if you haven't been following along. I also burn very easily. I have been relatively careful every time I know I'm going to be outside for more than five minutes at a time. I usually bring sunscreen even though I might not need it. But not this weekend. Sunday we went to the Colts vs Jaguars game. It was a blowout like everyone was predicting but a lot of fun. For those who might not know, EverBank Field is an open stadium. 

That's me after coming home and showering. The yellow lighting doesn't show just how drastic of a difference there is between my pale, pasty skin and my bright cherry red face and chest. My chest and neck are still bright red although the other parts that got too much sun have slightly faded. I am in more pain than should be caused by just sitting outside for too long without sunscreen, that's for sure. 

It's hard to say that I had a good weekend. Yes, I had fun and yes, I did meet people who could help me get a job in a field that I am interested in working in but at the end of it, I just keep thinking that I lost my puppy. 

On Monday afternoon, the most I can say was that it was eventful. 

Mission (Day 87 KEDfaY)

Feline (Day 75 KEDfaY)

The Boyfriend was getting ready for work this morning as I was groggily laying in bed, looking through my twitter feed like I normally do, catching up on the news that happened while I was asleep, when he walks in with a sheepish look (at least I’m assuming it was sheepish because I didn’t have my glasses on).

“I think Pebble (the cat from hell) decided to play with your fiber last night,” he said, knowing full well that she was playing with it and that I wasn’t the one who left it in the state he found it whatever that may be.

It's too early to be mad or to get worked up. I brace myself for the worst. Leslie from the KnitGirllls had her dog felt large portions of a batt once so I could end up with that.

I walk out into the living room where the wheel and fiber were and in front of the wheel, not in the bag I had put it in, was my fiber, definitely fluffier than when I had put it up last night. I looked at it, still groggy and half asleep, tried to make some sense of the mess and calmly put it back in the bag. I made sure to zip the bag this time.

While fluffier and not as well groomed as when I went to bed last night, it was still useable. It made for an interesting challenge, trying to sort out the various fibers going in every which direction. There are some spots that aren't as smooth and pretty as the rest of it but it's still my third thing I've ever spun so I'll just use that as an excuse...

I knit some today too. I finished the one square I was working on yesterday and started another one today. I'm pretty happy with how this blanket is turning out and it's working as a palate cleanser even though I haven't really been working on anything big lately so I guess it's really more just entertaining me until I can work on my big projects. I should be getting yarn for the sekrit project soonish and I can start my sweater in about a week and a half. So I'll go from no big projects to two fairly substantial projects. I'm excited though. I want something challenging to do with my time. Hopefully after I finish my two substantial projects, I can add those to a website and then start getting commissions! *dreams happily*

Family Times (Day 57 KEDfaY)

Because of reasons that I don't quite understand, my family isn't here yet. I have been told that they are about an hour away so I figured I should get this done and over with before they get here and I become a sobbing, blubbering mess and space it completely. The posts this weekend are probably just going to be pictures and titles, fyi. 

This is my gauge swatch for my sweater I'm gonna make. I figured I should get it done and out of the way so when the term begins for HPKCHC I can just jump right in (after hours and hours of math of course). 

So. Yeah. That's about all I have right now because I'M JUST SO EXCITED! AH! 

Ruffle butt (Day 56 KEDfaY)

I finished the edging on the sweater and I now have the opposite problem. Before I ripped it out, it curled under and gave my butt a bubble. It was frustrating so hence why it languished for years. So then I try to fix it and now it's ruffly. I went from a bubble butt to a ruffle butt. Sometimes knitting is very frustrating.

Failure (Day 55 KEDfaY)

I knew it was going to happen eventually. I knew at some point I would fail and I wouldn't get a post up. I figured it would be sometime while we were traveling or while I was home for Christmas. I didn't expect it to be a day when I literally spent 4 hours knitting with 6 other women. 

I even had a post planned yesterday. The project I'm currently working on is a sweater that has been needed to be fixed for two years now. It's just been moved from laundry to winter storage to knitting pile and back and never been fixed. The edging didn't lay right and even though hundreds of others online said the same thing, I ignored them all and didn't pay attention. So I failed there too. Yesterday though, I picked it up and went to work on it. I ripped out the old border and I'm within 4 rows and a bindoff of finishing this sweater and having it, hopefully, be wearable. 

But yesterday, after getting home, I was so distracted by food and cleaning and reading that I completely spaced writing a post. 100% didn't even cross my mind. 

Today is going to be a day full of Gettin' Shit Done. I have laundry to fold. Dishes to wash. Kitchen to clean. Bathrooms to clean. Office to finish organizing. Book to finish reading and an email to write about it. And of course knitting to do and write about. Today is going to be one of my busier days around the house but it's a good thing. I not only have something I need to do today, which is rare, but it's because that by this time tomorrow, my family will either be here or be within a few hours of here and that is really exciting.

But right now, I need coffee. 

I seee youuu (Day 36 KEDfaY)

I'm really bad about being a monogamous knitter. I have numerous projects right now in varying states of finished-ness. Most of these are blankets but those are hard to work on in the summer when you're sweating sitting still let alone with a blanket sitting on your lap. 

I had thought that I might've lost my knitting mojo and it has definitely decided to go on vacation and leave me behind. I've wanted to start a sweater for a couple of days now but the sweater I had planned for this yarn no longer appealed to me so I went down the pattern hole on Ravelry trying to find something new and exciting that caught my eye. The pattern that did it is Ginny's Cardigan from the new Unofficial Harry Potter Knits magazine that I want so much holy crap it's hard to describe how much I want it. I like the idea of the lace panel down the back but I wanted a sweater not a cardigan so I started looking through one of my knitting treasuries and sure enough, in the lace section was the same (or incredibly similar) lace pattern. I now know what I want to do and I even swatched for it, even if I did miss a yarn over and it's pretty obvious now but I was just trying to see how it would work up. I also want to do it top down which would mean how the pattern is written right now, the owls would be upside down. I'm going to try just reversing it and see how that goes. 

I started watching Once Upon a Time. I did it because I was bored and everyone who watched it says it's so great. I'm almost done with season two. It gets a hardy "meh" from me. The plots are a bit ridiculous and some of the characters have no motivation to their actions but it's fun and it does poke fun at itself every once in a while and I like that in a show. 

The Boyfriend comes back from his trip tomorrow so I'll finally have someone to talk to besides the cat who I believe thinks that I am the reason the Boyfriend is gone. I might be wrong but this cat is crazy so we'll never know.