Hey NerdGirl...what'd you do today?

Um...let's see...I woke up. I brushed my teeth and took a shower. I got dressed and put in my contacts. I had lunch with Nan. Oh...and I got my Ravelry invite!!!!! I played around on the site a little bit today and I think I did okay getting myself set up. I still have more things to add but I feel it was a respectable day's work. I am NerdGirl on Ravelry so feel free to check me out and say hello. I am thinking about being a volunteer editor when I get a little more familiar with the site...any thoughts from someone who does it?

Exciting developments

One of the women that I work with wants a scarf from me so badly that she offered to paint something for me in exchange. I felt honored that she wanted one of my handmade scarves but I didn't feel right just making one for her without offering to make one for everyone at work since I am a supervisor and I can't seem like I am playing favorites so the deal works well. She asked what I wanted her to paint and I told her that since she was the artist, I would let her choose. I gave her these hints to stir her creative juices: I love nature; my favorite colors are green, blue, and purple; and fall is my favorite season. I am looking forward to seeing what she comes up with as the "clues" leave a lot of room for her artistic vision. She wants a machine washable Irish hiking scarf in black with fringe at the ends. I am going to knit up some sample swatches in a couple of different yarns so she can decide which she prefers.

In other exciting news, there are only 95 people in front of me for a Ravelry invite!

Yarn-a-holic

I might have a yarn problem...but on the upside you get some lovely yarn photos.

First is the lovely sock yarn that I got from The Loopy Ewe using the gift certificate that my secret pal got for me. Thank you secret pal!
Here is the sock yarn that I got to use in my sock class.

Here is a nice laceweight that I got just 'cause it is pretty.

There has been a little bit of knitting progress. The photos aren't the best but you should get the general idea on how the cable scarf is progressing.

Progress

I was finding it difficult to bring myself to work on my Red Scarf projects and then I was feeling guilty about not wanting to work on a charity project so there was a lot of knitting avoidance going on. I wasn't working on my charity projects so I didn't want to work on a project for myself despite the fact that I have several waiting in the wings that I am really anxious to get started on. My relief from the seemingly endless cycle of working on a couple of rows and then dropping the knitting in disgust came in the form of a Norma post. Now that I know that I really don't have to make five scarves and that the OFA might be better off if I only make one or two, I have relieved myself from the prison of a project that I hate (otherwise known as Red Scarf #2). I don't know if I will always dislike Cascade Superwash or if it was just an unfortunate combination of yarn, needle size, and pattern but I really did not enjoy that scarf at all! I resented it taking time away from other knitting projects that I might love if I had some time to devote to them. So, I cast off the start of the scarf and gave it to my cat to cuddle with. Now, I am happily working on Red Scarf #3 which is now the new #2 and that will be my last Red Scarf. It is the cabled scarf and I think that it looks really good despite the fact that it is my first cable project. I will have to get a picture of it tomorrow since it has grown about a foot and a half since the last blog photo.

In other knitting news, I got a call from the lady that is teaching the Magic Loop sock class in October. She just wanted to make sure that I didn't need any help selecting a needle or yarn for the class and she wanted me to work up a swatch gauge before class because we are going to write up our own sock pattern in class! I had just assumed that we would make an average test sock that wouldn't necessarily fit so it is nice to know that I should be getting a usable pair of socks out of the class. Maybe this weekend I will swing by the LYS and get my supplies so I can get the gauge swatch out of the way. This will be a first for me as I haven't ever made a gauge swatch before. All of my projects have been things that I didn't have to pay attention to the gauge...scarves and shawls are great in that respect.

Thank you

I just got a Loopy Ewe gift certificate from my secret pal. How cool is that?!? I get the joy of getting a wonderful surprise from my secret pal but I also get to spend time picking out yarn that I love and then getting a package in the mail from The Loopy Ewe with an extra surprise in it. I have to go drool over some yarn now.

Today was yarntastic!

I went to Needleworks and paid for the Magic Loop class that mom and I will be taking in October. I am really looking forward to it and the shop owner seemed very excited that I was paying in full for two class spots. I think that we will have a lot of fun taking a class together. After I left Needleworks, I stopped by Klose Knit which just reopened about five days ago in a new location. I fell off of the yarn wagon and bought myself some lovely new yarn and a pattern.
I hadn't really planned on buying as much yarn as I did. I thought I would go in, browse for a bit, buy a courtesy skein, and leave. Um...not so much. I got some lovely Rowan Cashsoft Aran (2 balls green #SH018 and two balls gray #SH014) that I am thinking of making a scarf out of as it is so very snuggly. I almost succumbed to the call of 200yds of cashmere for $30 but I knew that to make the scarf that I wanted I would need at least 400yds and I can not justify $60 for a scarf. So, I went with the Cashsoft which is very nearly as soft as the 100% cashmere.I also got some indigo Banana Silk yarn that I use to have a go at the shawl pattern that I have that was written for recycled silk. I am using the pattern right now with Suri Dreams from KnitPicks but I don't really enjoy the Suri Dreams so I am going to try to redeem the pattern with the a yarn similar to the intended version as it is a little ho-hum with the Suri Dreams.I was almost out the door when I was drawn in by the Interlacements yarn and patterns. I got a lovely feather and fan shawl pattern and the Interlacements Kansas yarn in the Woodland color way. I am really looking forward to starting the shawl project with this yarn. The colors aren't my normal color palette but it was so pretty that I had to pick it up. After I picked it up, I practically ran to to the counter to pay before I took even more yarn home. There was some Malabrigo, Rowan Tapestry, and Rowan Felted Tweed that I wanted to take home.Did I get any actual knitting done? You know...the two scarves that I am supposed to be finishing...nope! I just don't enjoy the Cascade 220 Superwash so it is hard for me to enjoy knitting that scarf and the cable scarf is something that I need to pay attention to and I wasn't in the mood...maybe next week.

Training session

Today I went with five co-workers to a training session in Springfield on mental health issues, the trauma model of dealing with youth, and suicide prevention in juvenile detention. It was a wonderful training by an incredibly well-qualified instructor but it probably could have been a two day session as there was a bit of rushing over details at the end of the day. It is always nice to get a reminder on the manifestations of trauma and mental illness that may be exhibited by the residents at my place of employment. On the way back from training, the woman driving took a wrong turn and we ended up going a bit out of our way. I enjoyed the detour as it took us through lovely small-town, rural America.

I am been poking around on-line a little bit look for things to spoil my secret pal with and I ran across the cutest stitch markers on Etsy. I am thinking about getting her some and if you are a knitter you should definitely check out weeones shop on Etsy. I love the cats and dogs in Halloween costumes and the woodland creatures [squirrels, skunks, etc...]. I wish that she would make owls or an owl and squirrel combination!

I have only managed to do a couple of rows of knitting since my last post. I am such a slacker. Hopefully I will get a lot accomplished in the next two days since I don't have to work. I am trying to come up with a plan that will make me accomplish knitting without getting distracted by other pursuits. Any suggestions?

What I did on my fake vacation

My fake vacation was great. I spent Saturday with my friend Kas seeing the sites in Springfield, Illinois. We went to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library which took about 2 hours to go through. I had Kas pose with the fake Lincoln family at the museum even though she was a tad creeped out by the figures. Note John Wilkes Booth lurking in the background.
Before we left the museum we hit the gift shop where I resisted buying anything. I almost bought a magnet for mom but she has a ton already and she isn't a big history buff so I decided to skip it. I was excited to see a penny squishing machine so I did spend $1 squishing pennies (50 cents a penny). It may be silly but squished pennies are my favorite souvenir maybe because they are cheap and easy to lug home.

After the museum we headed to Lincoln's Home which is free to tour because of a stipulation that Lincoln's son made when he gave the home to the state of Illinois who in turn gave it to the National Park Service. The tour doesn't take too long so if you happen to be in the Springfield area you should have time to work it into your schedule. There are a couple of other homes in the historic neighborhood that you can tour on your own but we skipped those in favor of lunch! I did snap a shot through the view tube that shows "the most photographed view of Lincoln's home."
After lunch, we headed to Camp Butler and then hit Allerton Park on the way home. Kas had never been and I thought she would enjoy the Garden of the Fu Dogs. It was enjoyable until I was swarmed by mosquitoes! I ended up with probably 40 bites which are making me itchy-itchy-itchy! Here is a shot of the end of the Garden of the Fu Dogs which leads to the evil mosquito trail.Monday (after taking it easy on Sunday) I went to a family cookout at my brother's house. Ribs, deviled eggs, baked potatoes, and seven layer salad. Yum! The lemon pie that my brother made was the so good it deserves a double yum. I did manage to get a little bit of knitting done on the third red scarf but I discovered that my first cable project is not good social knitting because I have to pay attention to the knitting. Are all cable projects like that or is it just because I am new to cables? Hopefully this week I will get a lot of knitting done.