needles & vectors

Remember awhile ago when I said I’d be trying this? Well, it’s finally time to get started. Why start in August 31? Why not wait until September 1st? Because then I’ll say “Oh, I can just wait and start on my birthday” then “October 1st sounds good.” In short, because I’ll put it off unless I start now.

Anxiety and anticipation are very tied-together in my life. I get anxious about things in anticipation of them going badly. I fear the worst. If Matt’s running late at work and I can’t get a hold of him via phone, I fear he’s gotten in a horrible accident and at a hospital with a chart labeled Jon Doe beacuse he can’t tell anyone what his name is. When I’m running a few seconds late to a meeting I think I’m going to get a letter in my file about tardiness.

Yes, I’ve seen a shrink about this. Things improved greatly and I no longer see him (though he’s on call if it’s ever necessary). I learned relaxation excercises, how to explain to myself the incorrect logic of my thoughts, and how to just put the worry on hold and get on with my life.

I’m about to start school again and I’m terrified. I fear I’ll not find my classes, not get a parking space, slip and fall into a pile of mud, chatter on to someone who really doesn’t want to talk to me, get C’s (or worse), hate my teachers, etc. But things will be fine in a few weeks. I’ll settle into my new schedule, meet people in classes, and learn how to excel in each class. I’ll still worry about test scores and getting homework done but this big wave of anxiety will pass shortly. I’m just going to be a nervous wreck until then.

I was supposed to work this morning. All day, in fact. Instead I’ve taken the morning off. April from my dentist’s office called yesterday to tell me they have my permanent crown. So I’ve got a ten o’clock appointment to get my real fake tooth put in.

Then it’s up to work to go to lunch with the repair team (plus Jon, Rasmey, and Brian). I’ve actually got a decent amount of stuff to get done before I leave but I doubt I’ll be there past four.

Can’t believe it’s my last day for the summer. It just came to a grinding halt. I’ll miss work (and, of course, the money) but the quicker I’m done with school, the faster I become a full-time employee.

Off to work on Clapotis for awhile.

I had a weird dream last night and I blame it on Steve who wrote recently about having to have an MRI. Keep in mind that everything below is from a dream and didn’t happen.

I was at work, on my way down to the conference room on the first floor for a meeting. As I walked to the stairs, I got dizzy and passed out. There was some sort of a tour going on with middle school students. Despite my being on the floor with a dazed look on my face they just walked on by.

Some time later (that afternoon?) I was at the doctor getting a CAT scan. Except it was a weird type, where you didn’t just lay down and get rolled in. I stood in a big chamber, leaning against a metal t-shaped bar on a cushioned floor. I was told to stand still or the entire thing would explode. (Just wait, this gets odder.) The scan turned on and all of a sudden my feet and hands (they were holding the metal bar in front of me) got really, really warm. But the operator yelled at me that the pain was nothing compared to what I’d feel if the machine exploded. So I was a good patient and stood still.

When the horrible event was done, I was taken aside with my doctor and told that they found something strange in my scan: a small piece of aluminum embedded at the base of my skull. This was supposedly what made me pass out and also caused the searing heat at my feet and hands.

Like I said, it was a really strange dream. Why moving during this strange standing-up CAT scan would make the machine explode and why my hands got really warm, I have no idea. I woke up with a start after and my hands and feet were perfectly cool.

I’ve made it through four (total) repeats of the increase rows. Actually managed to get an entire repeat set done today with the extra knitting time to and from work. I hope to be done with the increase session by the end of SnB on Wednesday night. I love this project with its little milestones. The yarn’s knitting up really well and I love the softness factor. Plus the color almost matches the blue in our slipcovers.

I’m off to bed..

Friday night we were driving and all of a sudden my check engine light came on. Dropped it off at the dealership today (car’s under warranty). Apparently it was just a loose gas gap. WTF?? Ninety dollar charge for figuring that out. How much you want to bet they didn’t even connect the car to a PC, just checked the gas cap?

Also had them fix the broken front headlight. Fifty bucks for that.

So we’re paying 140 bucks for them to change a light bulb and tell me I’m an idiot who couldn’t figure out how to properly close the gas cap on my car. *sigh* One very small good thing: I got a ride into/home from work with Daniella and got to knit. I will be doing some serious whining and knitting on the way home.

Update: I guess the Toyota people decided to be nice. For the diagnostic, light bulb, and oil change they only made us fork over sixty bucks. Yay!

Matt has a theory. A theory that says my blog will get more hits if I post photos of cats. Consider this post an experiment of his theory. Our cats have taken to sleeping in small, weird places lately. Usually they prefer open locations such as our bed, windowsills, couches, tables. Now it’s inside the hamper, my nightstand*, and on the floor between my trunk and nightstand.

Before:

Now:

* The other day Matt went to get something out of my nightstand and left a drawer open. Willie somehow managed to get behind the drawer so that he was stuck in place. Several hours later I tried to close the open drawer and wondered why it kept hitting some resistance. After several tries, I heard a muffled meow and figured out Willie was in there. Matt had to grab a screwdriver to sort of take apart a drawer to get the poor guy out. He was in there for at least three hours, poor guy! Thankfully he’s fine and no longer hates us for his imprisonment in the nightstand.

I have given in to the siren’s call of the Clapotis. One of the first projects I drooled over when I first found the knitty website, Clapotis is a beautiful drop-stitch scarf that’s knit of a bias. So far I’ve knit a swatch as described here. Of course, I bound off WAY too tight so my swatch has a serious curve to it. (Any tips on binding off more loosely?)

I tried to start the actual item last night but got aggravated when I couldn’t quite “get” kfb. I get the forward part fine but when i have to knit the back of the same stitch, I have all sorts of issues getting my needle in. Will attempt yet again today.

I decided to use Caron Simply Soft. I really like working with it, I have a skein in a gorgeous color, and it’s cheap. I’m about to go back to school which means I’ll soon start feeling very poor. I feel guilty now, with a fully salary, buying yarn – image how I’d feel once classes begin! I’ll be buying more yarn when I need it. It’s acrylic so no die-lot issues and all the cheap craft stores sell it.

That’s all for now. I’ll try to take more progress pics on this project due to its large size. It may even get its own WordPress page. A quick thanks to Susan (who’s blogless but should really get a blog) for her inspiration in tackling this pattern.

Edit: This post was sitting as a Draft for 24 hours or so. I figured I’d rather let it out there without photos then waiting forever for them. I’ll post an update before I head to bed tonight with photos and my final progress for the weekend.

Matt had to work late so what do I do to keep myself occupied? Take photos of yarn-type stuff, of course. Prepare yourself for tons of photos.

First, the stash:

Yes, this is all of my stash (that’s not tied up in a WIP). If I’m using multiple balls for a WIP, I put the extras in this bin until I’m ready to use them.

Two random things from my stash. Click either to get to the Flickr set with all the stash pics I took today.

Second, WIPs:

Baby blanket number one.

Yarn: Cascade Siera Quatro (bought in MD)
Needles: Size 6 32″ circular (later 47″)
Pattern: Spiral Baby Blanket

Baby blanket number two.

Yarn: Flash by Classic Elite Yarns
Needles: Size 6 24″ circular
Pattern: None

Evening Bag

Yarn: Uh..
Needles: Size 10.5
Pattern: from “Knit 2 Together”

First Socks

Yarn: Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock
Needles: Size 1 24″ circular
Pattern: First Socks (from someone’s LJ)

Yarn: Reynolds Saucy
Needles: Size 7 straights
Pattern: Ball Band Dishcloth from Mason-Dixon Knitting
Last, Fiber Fest. A quick photos from a small craft show I went to in Santa Monica last weekend.

Not what I was expecting to be asked at the dentist this morning. I expected him to say that it was only cosmetic damage, that nothing other than sharp edges was wrong.

After a two-hour visit filled with castings, poking, and lots of grinding, I walked out with a temporary crown and a three-hundred dollar bill. Eep! I go back in three weeks for the real crown.

Maybe I shouldn’t have had that sandwich..