I have an excuse....

I know one of my goals was to blog more. But, seriously, I have an excuse!

I was having issues w/ my iBook. The battery/charging icon was alternating back and forth between the two and my monitor was flashing. Then on random occasions the whole dang thing would just shut off. We believed that maybe the power adapter cord was loose and jiggly. We would daily try finagling the cord just so, wrapping it around the laptop, nearby coasters, or whatever else we could manage to place the cord just right to make a secure connection. It was bad enough that I even ordered a new Macally power adapter from amazon. Wouldn't you know, same damn problems. I did some investigating online and concluded that it was the DC-in board, which is where the adpater plugs into the acutal laptop. There is a rather detailed, picture by picture, tutorial on repairing it yourself on ifixit.com and the part online is only $35. But, I couldn't bare try disecting my laptop. With my luck, it would surely result in disaster. I ended up taking it to the Genius Bar at our local Apple store. They had to order the part, which came two days later and they had my laptop back to me two days after that. I was quite impressed. AThe whole repair was $100, most of that labor, which I expected because I read how much of a pain it is to take apart these laptops. So, that was last week.....

Then I was hit with the ICK! Last Friday I could tell I was coming down with something. I was exhausted, achey, and extremely congested. Didn't stop me from seeing Hotel for Dogs (funny movie, btw, cute!) and visiting the horse track w/ coworkers again (but only for a short time). I got worse as the weekend and the new week went on. Yesterday my ears started to feel funny. When I tilted my head to the right, I could feel pressure moving in my ear, in the same manner as water in a bottle would shift when tilted. At that point I decided to make an appointment for the doctor. This morning, I woke up feeling somewhat normal and considered cancelling my appt. Tara, though, being the concerened BFF that she is, insisted that I keep my appointment. Luckily I did. I feel like crap because I for good reason~ sinus infection as well as double ear infections! I am now under orders to take an antibiotic, mucinex, nasal spray, and use the neti pot!!! Could it get any worse?? Well, yeah, I guess it could have had I not gone in when I did.

So, that's what's going on. My knitting has gone on the wayside since Christmas. I'm still stuck on Clue 3 (or is it 4) or my Mystic Ice. Not because it's hard. Just because its taking longer and longer to finish each row! I'm also going to frog my Mystic Earth. It's been hibernating and I already have a rectangular stole in a similar color green. I needed something a little simpler and quicker to work on, so last night I cast on a drop stitch scarf using old Lime and Violet sock yarn from back when they only had an etsy.com shop.

This weekend we're supposed to attend another Pits Pound the Pavement dog walk. It's to be held outside the airforce base to support our troops. I'll have to see how I'm feeling by then though. Right now, I don't even want to think about it.

On that note, I'm off to do some mindless knitting.

COMPLETE!

BYOB from knitty.com
Made w/ Sugar n' Cream
The seed stitch was rather monotonous and boring for me, but I love the finished product.

Ta-da!

Here it is~ Mystic Lights! Knit with Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Flames. It's still blocking in the photo, but at least you get the big picture :o)
Now, I've resurrected the Bee Fields shawl that I started e-o-n-s ago!

Photos

Here are photos of stuffs.... ant in his new, $5, jack skellington shirt, which goes great with his finally finished socks! yup, that's the yarn he dyed~ perhaps he should go in business with me!
also, a photo of my newly dyed red hair. i tend to do this when the seasons change. its pretty deep. i was planning on going with something a little more brown, but i just can't help going with those crazy hair colors that tap into the old punk rock girl inside

A Few Quick Updates......

First~ on the needles......
Still working on MS 3, though I'm SOOOO close to the end. Just another 30 rows or so. I've also still got Ant's socks and Tara's baby blanket on the needles. All mostly completed, but none yet finished. I've come to discover that I'm not so good at multi-project knitting. I do better when I've only got one or two things going.

On the wheel.....
gorgeous BFL in Morning Glories dyed by Funky Carolina for the Sweet Sheet Fiber Club. Between that and the new wheel, spinning is oh-so-addictive! i'm luvin' the Lendrum. Its spins like buttah!

Girly news.....
Went to my doc for my annual. She's referring me out to a reproductive endocrinologist to see what's going on. My spotting is either because I just can't get a period, or my body is trying to have a period, but the Clomid has thinned the uterine lining and all I'm getting is spotting now. I have my appointment scheduled for Thursday, however Humana sucks and I need a referral. I called my primary care early Friday morning and left a message on their referral line, and called again several hours later. The recording says that they'd return calls by the end of the business day~ I however received no such call. I will try again tomorrow, where I won't be quite as pleasant that no one called me back! Hopefully all will be taken care of before Thursday.

Work news...
Tara's doc told her she's lost too much weight and is to stressed to continue working. So, she's done a week earlier than she had planned. Her sub isn't so bad, but boy can she talk! I know it's only for 6-8 weeks, but I miss her terribly! It's just not the same without her.
And while I like the kids in my class this year, they're really sweet and kind... boy do they run their mouths nonstop! I've never had a class talk as much as they do!!! I'm really at my wits end. I've got to figure something out!!

Alrighty... off to knit some more!

Hopefully pics soon. My batteries are charging

i've been busy!!

i'll have to do some serious picture taking today, because i have photos of NOTHING!

first, i finished Grow With Me!!! well, it's mostly finished. i just have to sew it together and sew in the straps. quick and easy sewing, its just a matter of actually doing it. the smocking and knitting are all done though and that's the important thing!

i've been a dyeing fool lately! i dyed up six skeins of sock yarn and will be putting them up on my Etsy shop soon. i'm a little disappointed because i technically should have gotten 4 4oz skeins out of a pound of yarn~ RIGHT???? well, from both "pounds" if blanks, i got 3 full skeins and then a partial skein. i didn't have my scale when my base yarn first arrived, so i'm not sure how much was actually on the Kona cone. but i did weigh my BFL, and it was not a full 16oz. so no wonder i didn't get fourth skein out of that. what can i do?

anyway, enough about that.

i joined another swap! whoo hoo!! i stumbled upon The Hand Dyed Yarn Swap while searching for groups on ravelry. i got in, which kind of surprised me since they were originally going to open it up to 25 people, and it was pretty close to that when i sent my email. i'm excited, but that will also mean ordering new yarn blanks (hmmmmm)

photos later, hopefully!

mom's socks are done!

whisper lace socks (pattern on ravelry)
cherry tree hill sock yarn, potluck water
knitpicks sz 1 dpn's

On the Needles......

Finished half of Grow With Me (no smocking yet)


Whisper Lace Socks for mom, using the Cherry Tree Hill yarn that she almost stole from me!
front back

and the dreaded cabled baby blanket. knitting blankets takes F-O-R-E-V-E-R!