Sep

Labor Day & The Inlaws

So the Mr’s parents were in town over the long Labor Day weekend and frankly it was pretty awesome. I’m really lucky that my inlaws are amazing people (they’d have to be right? They made an amazing man for me to marry) and we really get along. (Sure there were times when we all were hungry and in each other’s personal space and we might have gotten a little pissy but that happens to the best of us).

It seems as though we drove all over Washington and Oregon in a few short days but we had a blast. The mother in law and I crafted in the back seat of the car the whole trip which rocked. I like that I’m not the only person that can entertain myself. I actually knit a whole pair of socks while they were here! (Pictures coming).

We do things when people are in town that we might not always do by ourselves. The Mr and I have actually been to the Bonneville Dam before but we didn’t go INSIDE for some odd reason. It was alright though because when the FIL was all for it we found out that the salmon were running! It was so incredibly awesome I could barely stand it!

I’d never seen so many huge fish outside an aquarium. And people, you know I love my animals like no one’s business. For some reason I didn’t take my real camera so all I had were crappy cell phone pictures I’ll go back, they’ll be running for a month and then again in the spring.

Then the next day (Since we apparently didn’t have enough driving) we went to the Tillamook Cheese Factory. I know, we are incredibly original. BUT! The awesome part was that my FIL had been on this factory tour when he was 9 when his family drove up to Seattle to go to the Seattle Worlds Fair. When he went the first time everyone could walk on the factory floor, now we understand how dirty people really are and have observation platforms that are completely sealed.

There was A LOT of people here. Even more because it was a holiday weekend. Lots of tours and lots of kids. Thankfully my FIL has no problem pushing little people out of the way and back into the arms of their distracted parents.

There was so much cheese! and at the end of course, there were samples.

I take a lot of pictures of my FIL I’ve realized. I know why I do it too. He has a very expressive good face and rarely EVER makes an unflattering mouth half open slouchy shouldered squinty eyed “duh” face. Also? He completely ignores me when I have the camera up which I love. He looks somewhere else or doesn’t give me the “don’t take my damn picture” face. I love it. The Mr is getting better at it but the FIL is really game, he’ll do just about any goofy thing with out a thought. He’s past embarrassment, he’s so cool he just doesn’t care. I think that’s one of the things I really admire about him and try to emulate.

And then I made them take this picture because I’m sure if he was here at 9 his mom took the same picture.

I think at this point we should have stopped and let the boys have a cigar. There’s no smoking in my car and it’s a lot of driving. We were all in really good spirits but I think maybe a cigar would have kept them going longer. That and real food. We Salyers are not a fun bunch when we are hungry and frankly you don’t want to be anywhere near us because we will turn our growly stomach wrath on you at the first opportunity. We did stop for jerky but it wasn’t enough.

Here we stopped in Sea Side after the initial blow up. There should have been food at this point but apparently we don’t learn our own lessons.

The cool beach air, stretching, and some cigar time helped a lot. I got to take lots of foggy awesome pictures and everyone was in a much better mood when we left. Amazingly we still didn’t eat…DUMB.

When I’m out with the camera I really try not o take pictures of other people’s kids. I worry that they think I’m creepy or a perv. I think it helps that I’m not a man but I always feel like I shouldn’t. This time though I couldn’t help myself. The kids were in the water, the fog was SO THICK, and it was just amazing. I’d notice parents stepping in if they saw me and I aways tried to smile as if to say “Hi, I’m not a perv it’s just an amazing picture” but I don’t know that I can convey that well.

I amost kinda wish that I could be like “Hey, here’ s my flickr, I’ll show you that it’s about mood and not about being a weirdo.” but that might be weird too. I know if I noticed someone taking pictures of my niece I might be liable to kick their ass. But I kinda see that as my job, I mean that way Miss Mi would still have both her parents out of jail, it’s not like I’d miss any work, and a perv would get their ass kicked. Cheers all around.

Wait. I think I drifted off subject…

So instead I switched to the crazy antics of one golden retriever in the water going after a ball.

Monday we were all a little pooped so we decided to stay closer to home. We took the car up to Mount Saint Helen’s and dropped by copious visitor centers.

We visited the sediment dam built to block the still flowing sentiment from going into the Columbia River (They think by 2030 it will be done, that’s almost 60 years!)

The FIL, Mr, and I hiked through the woods which I think was the best part. It was so beautiful and I just wanted to sit and take pictures all day. They were not so patient. Once we got there I’m not sure it was worth the hike. The hike itself was beautiful and not that long, but the dam was…a little less spectacular.

We made it to the visitor center, saw Mt St Helen’s and viewed all the pictures of the damage. It’s just mind blowing when you look at it all. From our front pasture you can see the volcano perfectly and that puts things into perspective a little bit. I don’t know why people insist on calling Mt St Helen’s and Mt Hood a mountain, I think it lulls them into a false sense of security, they are volcanos and they do explode at their own pleasure.

Then on the drive back down I found something I totally love. Big Foot in concrete! I’m not really sure what it is about huge concrete animals/ statues and why I love them but I DO SO MUCH! SO MUCH LOVE! It’s ridiculous. I always feel the need to stop and take a picture with them. Plus this is BIG FOOT! (If you don’t know I will tell you – and don’t laugh too hard because I am being 100% serious – It is my dream in life to hit big foot with my car. Seriously, go on, finish laughing, I’ll wait. Yup, I figure if it does exist – which I’m not saying it does – someone will find it by running into it at 60mph. I want to be that someone.) there, now you know my biggest secret. I honestly think it would be AWESOME to hit a big foot with my car. One day man, one day.

Then because I am really good at forcing other people to do what I want I made the Mr join me.

He’s such a good sport. Then as my camera batter was dying I took one last not so appropriate picture. Apparently this Big Foot is a lady.

149 days ago Short URL 4 Comments

Family/Memories/photography/Picture/Pictures

mt st helens/Oregon/seaside/tillamook cheese factory

Apr

Living With Passionate Purpose

It has now been 7 months since I moved from California to Washington where my husband had started his business and we were finally ready to live in one place together in a more settled lifestyle. Before I moved it was grueling, heart breaking, lonely, and stressful. I spent 5 months alone – dotted with visits from the Mr every 2 to 3 weeks. I continued to work at a job that I hated, for a boss that hated me and did everything in her power to make me feel worthless, stupid, and always in fear of loosing my job. I popped antidepressants by the handful and went back to the doctor to have my dose increased. I lived with up to 10 panic attacks a day, riddled with anxiety I hid it the best I could while I was at work, often going to the bathroom to cry silently.

Then the business took off and it was finally ready to leave behind California and it’s madness (along with in-laws I sorely miss) and stake a claim in the south-western Washington. The first few weeks were chaotic at best but we have settled into live in our semi-rural home nestled in acres of pasture, trees, birds, and all sorts of wonderful wildlife. The Mr had picked out the most wonderful house and property. Since I was still living in California and packing I saw only a few poorly chosen pictures captured by the real estate agent so I wasn’t prepared. The house is lovely, it’s set up well, not to large, has plenty of storage (with a second unattached garage), 5 acres of enclosed pasture and a wonderful barn that makes me all sorts of happy.

Still, something seemed to be missing. I spent my first few months knitting ferociously, reading, cooking, cleaning, unpacking, exploring, and spending copious amounts of time with Tank on walks. We added chickens, turkeys, geese, and ducks to the property giving it a sense of purpose and giving us a sense of satisfaction in growing something that was meant to nourish our bodies as well as our spirits. We had been lost in the fold of Californian greed, and frankly, it hurts. Raising our livestock fills a need to create and harvest that is intensely satisfying in a way that is hard to explain. It’s hard to put into words that this chicken has lived a good, well cared for life and now will nourish the family that raised it. That the vegetables will grow and their harvest will be reaped and enjoyed more than any store-bought lettuce ever has. Wool shorn from my sheep and spun into yarn and knit into a sweater will be a better sweater than any ever offered by a designer.

We are returning to the land as my Father in Law puts it. The odd bit is that he seems to say it with pride. We never expect anyone else to understand why we have chosen the life we are living – and of course this is only the tip of the iceberg - but we certainly don’t expect understanding and such acceptance. We love it, but most people would rather not raise chickens and turkeys for the dinner table, though many do it for eggs. Raising livestock isn’t hard but it isn’t as easy as dropping by the store after work and grabbing some chicken breasts. What it lacks in ease it more than makes up for in environmental impact, sustainability, and wholesomeness. I know where my birds come from, I know they are healthy and what they eat. I know they have no extra hormones and that they have never suffered (except when they are slow to get into the coop at night and I pick them up, and they will tell you this is suffering in the worst sort!).

I finally have realized in the last couple of weeks what was missing. I was missing my stress, my worry, my anxiety. I wasn’t taking any anti depressant (which I had been doing every other 6 months or so for the last couple of years). I’m happier than I have been in years and frankly, after that long, it’s a little odd. Yes, I’ve been always pretty happy, I have an amazing husband, an amazing family, amazing friends, and an amazing dog, but there was always a tinge of misery I hid from the world. Now though, even on the worst days, even on days when no chicken wants to go into the coop at night and I have to pull them out from under the coop, kneeling in chicken poop in the process, or when Tank finds coyote musk and rolls in it happy as can be I am happier that I could imagine. I am happiest now when I am the dirtiest, most tired, and most sore because it means I am doing something meaningful, something with purpose. I didn’t realize before how much I needed this but now that I have it I don’t think I could give it up. It might not be the life for everyone but I think I have finally found my best life.

Nov

A Quicky

We are headed up to Seattle today for Thanksgiving. As soon as the Mr gets home we are loading up the car with the dog & heading off. These are the Pacific NW Salyers and it’s nice to be semi close to some family. I sometimes wish we were the ones that were visited but that’s never been the case and probably won’t ever be.

Thankfully we are with in driving distance.

What has happened since the last post. Well it officially became winter & so it snowed. Tank got a new coat & actually does very well in it. He’s a big dog, but not a hairy one so a rain coat/ parka was a must. Especially since we go to the dog park daily. I think I take my dog to the park more often than some people do with their kids!

Since I get asked this A LOT, I got Tank’s coat at Pets On Broadway in Portland. They have a ton of designs, larger sizes (who knew that my dog and I would have the same fit problems?!) and friendly staff. I felt bad when Tank growled at the sales gal who was helping me put on his coat, but I think I would have growled too if someone caught my wiener (assuming I was male and HAD a wiener) in the elastic. It was $28 bucks (no sales tax, thank you Oregon) and it’s machine washable. What more could you want?

I have put out seed for the birds and though the squirrels can get to it, they preferred their own way.

I have designed a simple shawl and have found a new model!

Pattern coming soon.

My mother has sent her usual pre-Christmas package with goodies to be enjoyed before the holidays. This however is the most amazingly horrific and awesome thing I could have ever expected. Mom, seriously, you couldn’t have done better unless you sent me a zombie ornament!

Not only is it super metallic & has a scary “I’ll end your existence” smile, but it’s motion activated and TALKS. Seriously, I love it, and I love it because it’s so horrific. I’m a little afraid of how awesome this is.

Also, the Mr and I had family portraits done with an amazing photographer here in Portland. He was fab, fun, easy-going, and did amazing work. The Mr and I are not America’s Next Top Model fierce so I had my doubts but the photos turned out fab. Can’t wait to order!

438 days ago Short URL 3 Comments

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family portrait/fritz photo/portland portrait

Jan

Happy 2010

It’s the new year & we are up and running here at chez poopers. The Mr and I spent the weekend at Ranch Of The Oaks with our good friends Mette, Tom, Jim & Carol. In short it was AWESOME.

First, Jim made so much chilli that we could have exported it to end world hunger, but then again we would have initated the burning off of the rest of the ozone layer with that much methane…course, it could be the new “green” energy (why is it that everything “green” stinks?). Anywho, chilli was awesome. After that we bribed, begged, pleaded, cried, and finally forced everyone to play Rock Band.

They played & they liked it

After the first few songs everyone was diggin it. We even found someone who can actually sing Bob Dillian REALLY well! Even with a terrible sinus headache he rocked it out. Tom really kicked major butt on the drums & the ladies all sang & played guitar. It was awesome.

We had our own little KAL for the incognito cowl which was fun!

I have been knitting a lot lately.

Zag Hat, pattern coming soon!

And Crocheting too.

Cloudy Day Cowl

We also have a new member of our family.

He doesn’t have a propper name so until then he’s Poopers Jr.

He’s a sweet fabulous 8 month old great dane mix that we already love more than anything.

And on the subject of dogs…

Well, back to puppy proofing the house. Expect more pictures soon!

762 days ago Short URL 4 Comments

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Sep

Update with Knitting & SHEEPS

Whew, seriously has it been a week already? I can’t believe it’s friday. It’s odd because my day at work burns by at light speed which is awesome and unexpected. I was pulled in to the big bosses office again. This makes it 4 times in 3 weeks (if not the 5th time) to ask me what I think about processes and what’s happening in the department. It’s weird and humbling because though I have the most experience in the entire department I don’t know that I’m ready to offer an opinion on what people have been doing for the last three years.

I won’t bore you though because I fully admit that bankcard is only interesting to people who are in bankcard. I could wax on about PCI compliance or dues & assessments or truncation but I won’t because that’s not why you come here.

These days though I’ve been pretty boring & I apologize for that. Good news for you faithful readers is that I am going to the ranch this weekend for National Alpaca Day (NAD HA!). Yeah, equally as dorky as comic con or Star Trek I take comfort in the fact that I am still not as dorky as the furries. (I apologize to all furries I have just offended and I’m sure your not all freaks like those popularized on the internet because I’m a knitter and that doesn’t mean I knit weird creepy toilette paper cozies).

For people who come to Mr Poopers for the pictures here ya go.

Handturned niddy noddie out of yellowheart wood.

I found out yesterday through the Mr’s searching (did I know he read my blog? No I did not so I guess I better stop telling stories about him- yeah right) that there is actually ANOTHER Mr. Poopers out there. :/ Though we share a similar blog name I have to claim that I am the original Mr. Poopers and I will not talk about actual poop (unless it’s animal poop and then I might because it’s funny). Why “Mr” Poopers? Why not? Enough of your questions! Moving along!

Back to more relevent subjects above is a handturned niddy noddy done out of Yellow Heart which I have mistakenly (and quite randomly) been calling lemon wood. Well, either works if you ask me but the Mr insists I correct myself so I will *sigh*. It’s YELLOW HEART. And it’s for sale. If you are in California and come to Ranch Of The Oaks this weekend you can buy it. If it’s stillhere at the end of the weekend it will be for sale on monday I will post it on the blog and you can buy it through etsy.

Random alert! the Mr hauling a sheep!

More randomness!

And for those of you that come here for the knitting stuff here ya go…

Liesel Handspun Scarf

I spun this yarnto make this scarf! Crazypants! Pattern is Liesel & it was fast, fun and totally worth it. Free, easy, & pretty can you ask for more?

Expect tons of pictures from the weekend, not only is it the ranch where we do all sorts of weird, fascinating, fun, and drunken things, but it’s national alpaca day and Carrie is coming & so is Jim & Kathy (though sadly no Jim & Carol which still makes me pout) and other crazy other people who do weird things like help alpacas have sex

I also just remembered that sunday is the 6 year anniversary of our wedding. 6 years since the Mr and I had an 8 minute ceremony that was honestly the best decision of my life. If you’ve been here long you know how I feel about the Mr. I love him more than I could ever express. He’s the flame of my heart and the fuel for my soul, he’s my best friend and my biggest fan.

Also I’ve pumped out another 15,000 words which brings me to a ridiculous amount of words and pages and characters and plot lines. It also means that Mildred has moved on to the third person reading the rough draft and the second part of the “book” is being circulated as I type. So we will see because the second half is when I get going and um…get bloody

So yeah & stuff with things. I have to say that facebook is the weirdest invention ever. Two people in the last 2 days who I thought were gone from my life forever have surfaced. It’s pretty damn neat actually. How do you sum up 6 years of life? Is it bad manners to say, “Um, read my blog”?

Aug

Hey Guess What?!

"What'd she say?!"

I’m employed. Starting Monday and I think it’s going to be an awesome fit. This is exactly what I needed, what my family needed. What we needed so we don’t have to move or pack. OR MOVE.

It was a terrible couple of days but no worse than THIS TIME 2 YEARS AGO! (What the hell is with my family that we need tests every 2 years?) 2 years ago the company 1/2 my family worked for was sold and we were given 5 days to pack our house and get across the country (Ohio to California) and start work again. I cried. I think we all cried. I still miss my house and my huge back yard and snow.

2 years before that the partners at the company we all (my family) worked for fought and we almost went under as they ripped each other apart.

I swore I’d never work with family again (not because I can’t or they drive me nuts because I LOVE working with family) but it’s so scary when you fail. When you fail everyone fails. It hurts too damn much.

So here I am on the other side of my 2 year trial. My husband will be starting his in November along with my FIL and I know it will be ok. It’s always ok because that is the only option.

Thank you all for dealing with my week of depressing posts. I’m normally a very optimistic (somewhat sickeningly so) person but my heart hurt pretty bad because my family was suffering. Leave it to me though to fix that kind of suffering in a week. I should have been in charge of turning the economy around. I probably could have finagled it in 4 weeks. I’m THAT kind of problem solver.

Ok, enough of my babble. I wanted to thank you all for your kind comments though I didn’t reply. I wanted to thank my MIL for being my second mom, my FIL for being made of magic, Mette & Tom, Jim & Carol who were ok with the prospect of us living in Yurts on their property, Shawna & Rebecca who let me cry on the phone and make no sense, my knittin’ kittens @ Anacapa Fine Yarns who surrounded me in a cushion of happy thoughts, my spinsters who all told me how they had gotten through it and for listening to me talk. Thank you all. I’ve never realized how blessed I am until the world starts to crumble.

891 days ago Short URL 6 Comments

california/Family/Memories/photography/Picture/Pictures

2 year curse

Jun

I had such a lovely weekend that sometimes I am truly overwhelmed by how blessed I am to have married into such a fantastic group of people. We drove up to the Mr’s grandparents Saturday and though we had to play nice with the only unsavory element of his family it was really nice. I have to tell you once again, if you do not know someone well enough to know why they do not have children after almost six years of marriage, you do not know them well enough to ask. It is the rudest question on the face of the earth. I do not ask you “why did you feel the need to have babies to justify your marriage” why? because it’s rude, yes? Just keep that in mind if you think this is a good small talk starter.

In other news I’ve been knitting like mad (is there any other way to knit?) and have finished the back and half of the front of the apres surf hoodie except I’ve got no pictures. Maybe tomorrow if the sun actually comes out.

I have supplemented my summer reading with some good gore. I dig the concepts of this book and at times it’s been funny but there are a few things right off the bat that I’m not a fan of.

ORCS now with women!

1) the sentence structure seems to be lacking somewhat. The sentences are themselves fine, but the author doesn’t seem to fully employ a compound sentence. I’m not sure if this is the editor’s fault or the work of the writer. Each sentence is between 12 and 14 words with few exceptions. Being a big fan of Tad and Terry and Patrick ect (Williams, Prachet & Rothfus for those of you just joining us) I need long drawn out page long sentences.

Problem (for me) #2 is um, well there’s sex. I don’t read sex, any type of sex, which makes this book a little awkward at times. This book should come with a warning “FOR ADULTS ONLY” because, yeah, ew. (and it’s not at all that I’m a prude, I just don’t care to read about ‘manhoods’ and the like).

Next for the knitters and spinners. June 27-28 you all want to be in Lompoc CA.

965 days ago Short URL 1 Comment

Family

May

Froot Loops!

Well, kinda, at least in sock version I have to say, I love these socks but I still am not a fan of this yarn. I think if I would have used it for a scarf or a shawl it would have served me so much better. The color is stunning, it’s smooshy, but the stitch definition is not what I could hope for. That said I do love these socks, they were fun to knit (every other row is a knit row for those of you that love that) and there is no actual cabling. It’s all k2tog or slipped stitches. I know, a lot of you are trying to figure this out right now, but seriously, it’s brilliant for socks. (Also, please don’t notice, though I am totally now pointing it out to you, the difference in the cuff lengths. I have no idea what happened.)

Froot Loops Socks

Pattern: Froot Loops Socks
Yarn: J Knits Colorway “California” (how appropriate! And delish!)
Needles: US 1 circs
Mods: I added 1 extra pattern repeat to bring the st count to 70 since I was afraid of a lack of stretch. I didn’t need to, but I like it this way.
Verdict: Love

Froot Loop Detail

I think the end result is pretty nice and the yarn is just enough variegated that it adds interest with out detracting from the pattern to much.

Gusset

I ended up keeping a shallow gusset because I like the instep pattern to come right to where the middle of my foot. I don’t like any stockingknit creeping up onto the top of the instep at all!

Froot Loop

Second pair of socks finished this year & I might just be on another sock kick. It’s summer, I’m laid off and I have quite the sock yarn stash. Since I am off buying any new yarn I will knit what I have, which means most likely, socks.

I’d like to thank you all again for the wonderful response I got to my Cornrow Socks. I was a little overwhelmed by how nice the responce was. Especially for a sock I was just kind of making up as I went. I would like you to know also that it is available as a direct download from Ravelry now thanks to my Dad for turning my pattern into a PDF (we have really old versions of word at our house apparently!).

In other news the Mr and I are joining his parents up at June Lake (up near Yosemite National Park) and I can’t wait. It’s a cabin right on the lake and there will be fishing! The FIL is actually thinking about renting a boat so I’m stoked!

Yesterday I met up with my friend Sophia and we had coffee, chatted excessively (which is the only kind of chatting I do), knit and cruised Main St in Ventura for a while. Silliness was to be had.

You all have a fantastic holiday weekend! I’m off to out fish the boys, knit, write, and enjoy some nature! (PS I’m now up to 125,000 words, another 100,000 words & I think this part – yes I did say ‘part’ which isn’t what I was planning on originally – will be done!)

989 days ago Short URL 4 Comments

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May

Knitterly Monday

So my first full week of being unemployed as come to an end. I can fully attest to how draining it can be now. Before I would always wonder why people didn’t just get a job, but now that I am here and I am looking for a specific kind of job, well, now I understand more fully. I spent a full day just registering to sites so that I could submit my resume.

I’ve applied to a few different types of jobs, nothing insane because I know there are things I won’t do and things I can’t do. I won’t work mind numbing manual labor (that’s not saying I won’t work with my hands, it just has to be stimulating), I won’t sell, I won’t work in a restaurant. Things I can’t do include accounting, and IT. If I could go back to my post high school self I would have whispered this nugget of brilliant. “Dear Preita, you should double major in accounting and computer science. Then you will never ever be unemployed”

I took per the Mr’s insistence 3 full work days off last week. 3 days where I did not go completely nuts looking for a job. I slept in till 8 am, had coffee, watched Good Morning America and had many more doctors appointments than I’ve had in the last year. I had an ultra sound, blood tests and a consultation. I really love my new doctor and feel so much better than I have in months. I feel so much better than I have in at least the last 6 months and the only thing that has changed is that I am no longer employed at my previous company. Two days after being laid off I slept through the night and awoke feeling refreshed for the first time. I can’t think that isn’t a coincidence.

I have caught up on my Unitarian Universalist podcasts and have had my heart filled by my family and friends. I have written and knitted and found renewed strength. I spent the week with my niece and am once again amazed how she and her mom always seem to be around when they are needed most. How at some of the hardest times in my life that little girl has pushed those fears away with her laughter and unbiased bottomless love and healed my heart. I have received heartfelt much appreicated emails and notes from friends, some of whom I have never met in person and feel fortified by each and every one.

So the hunt is officially on and we are tracking that crafty fox. In my spare time (because I have been having a normal work day, on the computer by 6:30 to look for jobs, an hour for lunch and done for the day at 5) I have spun the rest of my yellow merino.

Yellow Merino Handspun

I spun this looser and thicker than I normally would then plied it tight. I really love the smooshiness of the end result. I still have to work on spinning a bit thicker, I feel really out of control with it.

Yellow Merino Detail

The Mr also finished spinning some yarn.

The Mr's handspun "Zoo Blend"

This was 4 oz of Ranch Of The Oaks “Zoo Blend” which means it had quite a few different animals in there. Llama, alpaca, Icelandic wool & I think maybe some curly the angora goat. Either way it’s totally delish and so damn soft. I think it needs to be some mittens, this yarn should be close to the skin and I think also that it will be super duper warm.

I also finished one Froot Loop sock. I always loved the pattern since I first saw it on Knitty but the pattern looked complicated and though I love cabled socks I rarely knit them because I can’t stand the thought of a cable needle on socks. This one should have had a exclimation at the top proclaiming “No Cabling Required!”

Froot Loop Sock

We are also dog sitting again which actually works out well since I’m off work. I only wish I would have had the MIL set up a grooming appointment for the dog so I could have taken him while they were gone.

Next weekend we are joining the parents up at June Lake next to Yosemite National Park. I can’t tell you how excited I am. They rented a two bedroom cabin and I heard tell there is fishing equipment involved! I know absolutely nothing about fishing other than 1. I love it & 2. I will catch a larger fish than you. That’s the proven method and it usually does drive people nuts as I cast willy nilly and sometimes with out even bait What it will allow is some great pictures, some excellent father son time for the Mr & his dad and lots of smiles. I really can’t wait.

Bob says Howdy, he is helping me apply for jobs & is polishing up his typing skills in the process.

993 days ago Short URL 4 Comments

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May

Knit Thursday-Yellow Version

A week of mixed emotions is coming to a close and I have survived it. I’m still kind of getting my shit together and with the help of my more than amazing FIL I’ve almost gotten a serious hard core resume that honestly, is pretty impressive. I think the hardest thing for me personally is that I have troubles talking about my accomplishments. Yes, I blog, a lot, and it’s mostly about me me me! but it’s hard for me to say in real life “Look at me, I did this, I rule.” It was hard to go through my almost two years at the last company and think of a single actual accomplishment because it was not the environment that would have ever told you that you were doing a good job. Fortunately my FIL did this for me, and actually? I accomplished quite a lot.

In other news I have been knitting. I think I might have found my knitting mojo again.

First off. I knit my niece a February Baby Sweater and it is most likely the cutest thing I’ve ever knit.

Pattern: February Baby Sweater
Yarn: Cotton Fleece a little less than 2 skeins
Needle: US 8
Mods: I knit one more increase round which was perfect.

Amazingly it came out perfect, the length of the body, the 3/4 sleeves, all perfect. it still needs a toggle which I will have to do today because they are leaving tomorrow morning.

The Baba is a big fan of the sweater, she twirls and runs around telling everyone she’s “Pretty!”

The only improvement I could see on this sweater was one actually suggested by the niece herself. She was convinced that this sweater needed a hood and kept asking for one. I think it would be seriously cute with a hood and am pretty sure I will be knitting one of these sweaters every year of her life until she’s old enough to tell me to stop being a dork.

I also started a new sock (I’m now almost done with the first sock, but you know how we knitters are

Froot Loop Sock

I really love the stitch pattern, but I’m not sure about the twisted stitch heel, it doesn’t seem as nice & secure as the slipped stitch heel.

I also finally finished some spinning!

800+ yds of sock weight Merino

I only meant to spin 400+ yds but I guess I got carried away.

As some of you noticed yesterday I released a new pattern which is becoming way more popular than I thought it would. I have to make it into a PDF to directly download from Ravelry but for now my computer at home doesn’t have that updated word format that would allow me to do it.

In job news I have stepped lightly through the listings so far. Picking and choosing what is worth actually applying to, writing a personal cover letter for and putting down on my list for a follow up call. I know I could go strait back into the same industry but…I’m not sure that I want to. It’s hard because my first job in this industry was so awesome. I would have bled myself dry for that job, my bosses and the work. This one that I was just laid off from was disappointing, it’s hard to have management that doesn’t inspire you to do your best so I’m a little gun shy about going strait back into that line of work.

One job that actually interested me when I applied was the position of a court collector. So we will see. One step in front of the other gets you further than an all out sprint.

997 days ago Short URL 3 Comments

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Mr Poopers Day Out

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