Disappointment

I am disappointed in myself. I didn't finish a single scarf for the Special Olympic Scarf Project. The last state in need (VA, which I just returned from) has a receipt deadline of Monday, March 7. I was hoping to be able to finish at least one scarf today and send it to Alaska, whose deadline is the 9th, but they have received twice the number of requested scarves already. So much for that idea.

THANKS A LOT, TENDINITIS! I really do blame it for this, since it hit right when I received my yarn, and got worse when I started the scarf. I had attempted to crochet with the splint on, but it was really a challenge (and painful without it). Since I got the cortisone shot last week, the pain has subsided (it took a few days, and I was out of town at a family wedding); however, now that I feel pain-free enough to work on it, time has run out.

Now I am left with a half-finished granny square scarf, and a few skeins of brightly colored yarns. Luckily, there is also a Scarf Project for the 2012 Special Olympics. I have a good deal of advance knowledge for next year's project, so I expect more out of myself in the future. Hopefully they will use one of this year's colors, if not both, for next year's scarves! They haven't announced the colors yet, so there's still hope. I'll find out sometime this April.

Scarf Project Update

If you read a few posts back, you'll remember that I was itching to start working on whipping up some scarves for the Special Olympics. I finally received my yarn (the ever elusive blue #886 from Red Heart), and settled on a granny square scarf to start with. Then I was reminded of why I love self-striping yarns:

(Way too many loose ends!!

If this was a book or a movie, I'd hate it!)

Shortly after starting to work on the scarf, my left wrist starting feeling stiff and sore, which I figured was probably from typing in a poor position at work, so I was trying to rest it, and didn't do much in the way of crocheting for a little while. I'll admit that I did make attempts, but probably shouldn't have (and won't be letting my doctor in on that tidbit, even though it only hurt me in the long run). My wrist got worse, with pain at the base of my thumb, and loss of functionality. I broke down and went to the doctor, who confirmed that I have Tendinitis de Quervain. (See here for my feeling on the subject.)

In lieu of the cortisone shot, I opted for large doses of Ibuprofen and a splint to immobilize the wrist/tendon area. If it's still not better by mid-week, I'll go back in and face the shot. (I think this is what's going to happen, because it's almost been a week, and it doesn't seem to be better.) In the meantime, I have not made much progress on the scarf, and don't know if I'll even finish it. I'm annoyed by that, since I was really psyched about the project.

Hopefully, I'll get some relief from this quickly - from the shot, if not from the Ibuprofen. Maybe then I can power out some scarves for the states with later event dates, like Louisiana and Alaska. Northern CA had their numbers posted wrong previously, and it turns out that they have already met their actual goal. So, much as I'd like to help my most local event, I am glad that they have received what they asked for, and would be happy to help out the other locations.

*Warning - TMI coming up*

Side Note: I'm also annoyed by the fact that I'm on 800mg of Ibuprofen, 3x per day, and yet I still have menstrual cramps! The fact that they're as bad as they are with all that medication makes me wonder how bad they'd be without it! I'm afraid I'd be bedridden!

Crochet for a Cause

You may have read in my last post that I have decided to whip up some scarves for the Special Olympics as a part of their Scarf Project. I mentioned how I had not been able to find any Red Heart Super Saver Blue (#886) yarn in stock at any of my local stores (I tried 4 different ones). Well, I finally broke down and ordered the yarn online through Joann last week.

Naturally, I couldn't buy one skein of $2.50 yarn and be expected to pay $7 in shipping... So, I bought 2 skeins of the blue (I have high hopes) and managed to add a few other items that I didn't really need. This included two different pink yarns, just in case I really get in the groove and decide to make some items to sell to raise money for my Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure that's coming up in May. (Join my team here, if you want to walk with us, run without us, or stay home and sleep but still raise money for the cause. -More on this campaign in a future post.)

Since I've been itching to begin my scarves, I was really hoping that my yarns would have arrived today. And I think they did...only the post office didn't deliver because I wasn't home. Argh! I was stuck with that little pink slip they stick in your mailbox, saying the item will be available for pickup tomorrow after 10am. Sorry, I have a job! I'm going to go to the website to see if they'll redeliver (and leave it at my door or at the apartment complex offices). Wish me luck!

I also checked the Scarf Project website to see how many scarves have been provided for the Northern CA event, and out of the 1,150 scarves they requested, they have only received 45! Please consider contributing your own creation to this worthy cause. See the project guidelines here.

The deadline to receive scarves for the your scarves in for the Northern CA event is 3/1/2011. There are different deadlines for the games in different locations, as well as a different number of scarves requested for each event. If I have leftover yarn after the Northern CA deadline (a surety), then I will just keep making more scarves and send them to another state's event. Everybody wins!

New Project

I have decided to whip up some scarves for the Special Olympics. I actually found out about their Scarf Project last year, but never got around to doing anything with it. I found the site again this year via an ad on Facebook that appeared on my sidebar (how do they know me so well?). So, this is it. Fate, right?

I will be contributing to the Northern California program. The events are floor hockey, cross-country skiing and Alpine skiing. Totally scarf-worthy! The scarves are actually gifted to the athletes, coaches, families, volunteers and supporters as a symbol of unity. The deadline for shipping scarves to the Northern CA program is 2/25, so I'd better get a move on!

There are 2 official colors - blue and turquoise. Wait, that's not quite right. The official yarns are Red Heart #886 Blue and #512 Turqua. Believe it or not, I cannot find the blue color to save my life! I've been to 4 different stores, and none of them have it. I'm going to have to buy it online, which means I'll buy other things too, simply to justify spending the $ on shipping. (I know myself.)

Anyway, the Special Olympics would like to receive 1,150 scarves, but has only received 45 so far. So, please join me in my crafty little efforts to help them reach their goals! For more information, check out their Official Site. You can also make scarves for events in other locations, if you would prefer. They all have different deadlines and are requesting a different number of scarves. All scarves must incorporate both official colors, though.

As soon as I get my hands on that 2nd color, I'll see how many scarves I can produce...

Cry for Help

Pick a winner!

Okay, it's a bit less of a cry, and really just more of a polite request. I have made 3 practice swatches of different mitred squares (see above). Which one do you like best? I'm personally leaning towards the stockinette stitch, because I think it looks the best. But, the garter stitch square is the easiest, and results in the squishiest and softest texture.

I have decided to make a blanket for my 6 year old little brother, as a Christmas gift. I usually take some project or other with me when I go visit my Dad, and Gino always asks who it's for. The last few times I had been working on different baby blankets (for different babies), and now he just asks me if what I'm making is for "the baby." Not too long ago, he asked me why I didn't make one for him. I asked him if he'd like me to make him a blanket and he got kind of excited looking and said yes. So, I decided to do it. It's hard to resist those big brown eyes looking up at you!

I did ask him what colors he liked, and while I honestly can't remember the exact color combo he gave me, I do remember that it was a bright and garish selection. He's only 6 - what can I say? I have settled on a palette of greens, cream/brown, and grayish. The yarn will be Loops & Threads (Michael's brand) Charisma, which is a chunky acrylic. I wanted something that would be easy to care for (you're welcome Dad) and quick to work up. After buying a sample skein to test with, I was happy with the feeling of the swatches.

But really, which stitch do you like best? (Keep in mind that the garter stitch square is only that small because I was running out of the sample yarn.)

Thanks for your help!

*Lesson learned while swatching: Always make sure to read (and more importantly to understand) any special stitches to be used in your pattern before getting to the end of your project and wondering why your square is curvy...oops!

New Looks

Firstly, I've changed the appearance of my blog a bit. I was attempting to get the new Layouts feature to work on Blogger, but for some reason didn't have the required Button where it is supposed to be. So, this may change again...keep posted.

Secondly, I've decided that I'll be donating 1/2 of the proceeds from my Etsy sales to my Step Out to Fight Diabetes campaign. In keeping with that, I've listed a new item, below:

This is Lucine - a half moon shaped shawl. I really liked this pattern (thank you to Lion Brand - and yes, I checked with the company about copyright, and I am allowed to sell the finished product) and am thinking about making one for me... Check out the listing for more photos and a better description.

In other news, I've planned a trip to Denver to visit my good friend Joie in mid-October. I'm excited. I've only ever walked through the Denver airport, aside from standing at the Four Corners once as a child. I think we'll have a lot of fun.

Christmas Rush?

So, I'm starting to wonder if that Christmas rush everyone talks about is going to hit soon. One of my co-workers asked me to bring my jewelry into work last Friday, so I put it all in a bag and decided to include the cards and crocheted stuff too.

Everyone was duly impressed with the scarf and hat (Chloe and Talise), and I ended up selling Talise and getting a custom order for 4 scarves. Yay me! Below is a pic of the yarns I am making the scarves with (she asked for gold, pumpkin, deep blue, and olive, which is not in the below picture). Gracie didn't want to be left out. Unfortunately, I had to whisk her away after taking the shot, so she wouldn't leave (much) cat hair on the yarn.

I've also had more people ask about putting in some orders for the holidays, or for themselves, but I don't have any actual sales from that yet. My custom order (actually for my manager's manager) paid 1/2 up front, so I didn't have to buy supplies out of my pocket (I like that arrangement!).

Also, after this weekend I have a new respect for bowlers. I went bowling on Friday night with some friends (and yes, I still really suck at it). Aside from my final scores, the really pitiful part is how sore I am 2 days later! My thumb is no longer numb (okay, it wasn't quite that bad), but my forearm is totally sore, as is my right ankle (lunges, anyone?) and upper thigh. So sad...

But I'm recovering...and now I have to go attempt to sign into my work computer from home. I'm going to attempt to try to work at home 2x a month. This Wednesday is my trial run (if I find that I'm not getting any work done, I probably will not do it again). Wish me luck!

The Head!!

I'm really not that into Halloween this year, which is abnormal for me. I think it's because we're not making a big production out of it at work this year (you know, since there are pretty much no other departments still operating). I don't have any plans this year, and no costume. Though it's possible that some people from work may go out tomorrow. We'll see if that happens though.

Anyway, in the spirit of Halloween, I'll thought I'd share a little tidbit of my childhood.

Although I wasn't the youngest of the 4 kids in my family, I was often the victim of the others, who liked to gang up on me from time to time. So, when I (and my siblings) discovered something that terrified the youngest, I went with it for as long as I could. Of course, now I realize that my youngest brother was probably 5 at the time, and that we may have traumatized him for life...but now that he's 26, I can pull this on him with little to no guilt.

So, I think this all came about after Creepshow was on HBO. I believe it all started when my older sister (who was probably 13 or 14 at the time, and likely was the only one who saw the movie) was trying to scare us all by retelling the stories from the movie. I have no doubt that we were all hanging on her every word. So, she's retelling the "Father's Day" segment, where the dead father says, "I want my cake." (Or something like that.) She did a creepy voice, and it freaked out Tony, the youngest. Somehow, and I can't for the life of me remember how, we figured out that Tony got really scared when we all pointed to the floor in the middle of the room and intoned, "the head...THE HEAD!!"

To this day, it freaks him out. And yes, I test it periodically, because that is how mature I am now that I'm 32.

Anyway, in keeping with the theme of "The Head," I bring you this:

my newest acquisition

Actually, this purchase had nothing to do with Halloween (much to the disappointment of the sales guy at the craft store checkout, who asked what I was planning to do with it. I couldn't think of a good story, so I told the truth). I'm going to use this to display my hats and possibly scarves, so I don't have to struggle to take semi-non-hideous self-portraits anymore.

Nameless head modeling my newest hat creation

I am tempted to add some color to the blank/naked face, but am afraid I will ruin it and make it garish (or more creepy than it already is). I do think I should give it a name though. Anyone want to name that head?

Ella sin nombre modeling Ava. Doesn't she look demure? Pretty impressive "bone" structure, for styrofoam pellets.

Happy Halloween Everyone!

That being said, I'm off to make Christmas cards while watching the rest of Reaper.

Surreality

Well, we got additional information about the severance plan today (no info on the retention package yet though). The severance is paid out based on length of time with the company, and is in the form of regular paychecks, including benefits. That's good, since it won't be taxed as a bonus and we won't have to do COBRA during that time. Also, in addition to the severance, the company is giving everyone 60 days paid notice, during which we'll receive our regular paychecks and benefits and not be required to work. (This is a legal requirement.) The severance begins after the 60 day notice period is over.



A lot of people were finishing up their last day today, and will be back tomorrow for the career development seminar. It's weird to see so many people go all at once. Sad. It will be worse tomorrow after the seminar. Then, with those of us left (outside of my department anyway) being spread out so much in the building, it will be quite different.

And speaking of sad, they cleaned out the marketing closet today and it was a madhouse in the hallway where they were placing the loot. It was pathetic...what a bunch of vultures! (And me at the forefront!) Dad - expect some goodies.



In other news, I made this the other day and wore it to work yesterday:

I liked the clasp so much I wore it in front

This is freshwater pearls and czech glass beads on wire. I got a few compliments on it, and some people telling me I should make more and sell them. I'm thinking about Etsy, but don't really know how it works. Here's a close-up:

I'm not sure how sturdy the wire is though, and am afraid it might break after a few wearings. I'll see how long it lasts. I don't know the best type of wire to use to crochet jewelry - I just hope this one didn't contain any lead.

Ramblings

Well, today I got "the talk" at work again this morning. I have to admit, it was about time. I've been expecting it for a while, walking in late and dreading the possibility of running into one of the bosses (those of you who don't read my blog regularly should know that "the talk" is about my lateness). So, when I got the email from my manager saying to see her when I got in, I knew what was coming. She was okay about it, but warned me that if the big boss catches me, I'm screwed. Also, she'll be forced to write me up if it doesn't stop. This is the kick in the pants I need though - I'm scared witless about it again (because I am always in fear for my job anyway, and have never thought that I'm not expendable in the company), so I should be on time for a while now. That's what I'm hoping anyway. I go in cycles. I'll be good and timely for a while, and then start slipping into old patterns until triggered to watch it again (i.e. getting "the talk"). Argh!



Anyway, in other news, I made the following necklace last night and wore it in to work today:

28 guage copper wire with assorted neutral beads

I didn't get any comments on the necklace today, so I'm thinking maybe it's not too remarkable. I almost never wear any jewelry to work, so I'm kind of surprised no one said anything. Oh well, I like it, so who cares what they think? I do like the copper colored wire though. It's a simple chain, and pretty plain and easy. (hehehe...so easy Dagny...you know you're tempted...)

Detail

My company has just switched over to bi-monthly paychecks from our previous bi-weekly pay schedule. So, instead of getting paid every other Friday, we get paid every 1st and 15th. Well, tomorrow is the first paycheck on the new schedule, and I panicked when I saw my bank balance this evening. I was afraid that my card had been compromised again, but nope - that 3 days between the last normal paycheck (they paid up to the end of last month on the 1st) and the first new one really made a difference! I think I had forgotten about the change before scheduling my last round of bill payments. So, now I feel extra poor, even though everything will even out again after a few checks. Tomorrow even. But today - I feel poor and am thinking about re-budgeting. Which I need to do anyway. I really spend way too much $$ at Starbucks and need to ditch that expensive obsession.

I noticed the low balance tonight, since I needed to get cash out of the ATM so I could go to dinner with Christyn. I wouldn't have panicked if I'd just paid with my ATM card... but it's probably better that I was aware. Anyway, I had lots of fun at dinner, and her husband joined us. We should do that more often. (Not a good plan for my re-budgeting idea...)

Okay - off to bed so I can keep my job!

Blame Aunt Fran

Since I am still not feeling quite normal (for me), I didn't venture out much this weekend. I did try my hand at wire crochet though. I'm blaming Aunt Fran for this. She showed me a cool crocheted necklace she made and inspired me to pick it up. So...I used a full spool of 32 guage wire and made these:

I woke up with an annoying coughing attack that didn't want to stop. I had thought about meeting my friend at the farmer's market this morning, but didn't make it.

Then later, I was feeling somewhat better, or at least I thought I was...so I headed to the library to return a movie and have my fines forgiven (I love that they do this periodically at the library - this week only!). Anyway, I was perusing the mystery stacks when I realized that I was just inexplicably tired and felt an overwhelming need to sit down. I guess I'm not as recovered as I was hoping. And my ears still feel cloggy. I broke down and took another Sudafed this evening, hoping to clear the congestion.

Isn't my life exciting? Now...it may be a good thing that the exhaustion hit while I was at the library, because I was thinking about going back to the craft store for more wire and stuff. I hit the grocery store for some essentials and headed back home instead.

Tomorrow, it's back to work.

More Squares for Grandmother Purl

The day before I left for Atlanta, I received one of those pink delivery slips in the mail, saying that the post office had my package from Kristy, containing the extra squares collected from the Knit a Square for Grandmother Purl KAL. Since I live in an apartment (and therefore have a teeny tiny mailbox in one large room with everyone else), the post office didn't leave the package. And, the hours are after I need to leave for work in the morning to before I get home from work at night. At least they are open Saturdays...however, the next two Saturdays I was away from home (Atlanta, then my Dad's doing taxes). I was finally able to make it to the P.O. last Saturday and collected the package. (Okay, today my friend told me I should have had it redirected to my work address. Now, why the heck didn't I think of that 2 weeks ago???)

Yay! A package! Now, how to slice this puppy open without damaging the precious contents? Oh yes, I'll use my usual patented method... It always works too! And check out how well packaged the squares were (artistically, too):
Gracie wanted to help... Here's a peek at the colorful array of squares. There are some pretty neat squares in here. It looks like I got the slightly larger than 8" squares in acrylics. And a lot of circles...must the the batch that Kristy's friend whipped up to make enough for another full blanket. I must say though - I really do like the circle in a square motif.
So, I've started sewing these up already, after much laboring over how they should be laid out for the full blanket. I stayed up until 2am Saturday night laying them out and rearranging. And repeatedly de-catting the whole thing. I am definitely washing this before sending out the completed blanket. (I can't keep it cat-hair-free while it's here, but I can try to remove it all before it goes elsewhere.)

I decided on a light blue acrylic yarn to put this together, with a running whipstitch. I had it in my stash (it was removed from the no end in sight ripple blanket stash, but that project will survive without it), and I think it's Red Heart, so if I run out, I can get more without worrying about the dyelot.

Anyway, this takes precedence over the mystery baby blanket project (sorry Christyn), for now. I hope to finish it this week and get it sent out. Wish me luck!!

Big Loser

Phew! I seem to have finally broken my weight gain trend... I am down another 1lb+ today, as of weigh in. Just goes to show that following the WW plan really does work. I've been back on track the last two weeks (tracking and everything!) and it's paying off. I hope I don't blow it all next week when I'm on vacation!

In other news (there really isn't much going on around here), I joined the no-end-in-sight-ripple-along. See the snazzy new button gracing my sidebar - it's clickable! Anyway, I found the blog last weekend and figured that in the spirit of my no-new-craft-purchases-during-Lent, this was an ideal project to work on. I don't have to buy any new yarn, and I'll get a big old afghan I can toss over my bed in the wintertime. (I don't have too many blankets here. I keep making them and giving them away! I have one that I keep on my couch that I made for myself a few years ago.) Anyway, since it uses all the random yarns leftover from old projects, I'm not sure what it's going to end up looking like. Hopefully it won't be hideous! It will be containing random stripes and different textures (I posted more detail on the CAL site, if anyone is interested)...here's what I've done so far:

And, since it's a never ending project, I don't have to worry about making any deadlines. Which also means that I can pick it up and put it down at will. (Christyn, you'll still get your baby blanket.) And on the very off chance that I run out of yarn, it's random anyway, so new stuff that comes in can just transition into the (non) pattern.

Stuff

Today's horoscope, per Yahoo: "Stress is not always a bad thing -- in fact, it can bring out the best in you."

Let's just hope that's true!! I was "spoken to" again today about my chronic lateness. Usually 10-15 minutes, which wouldn't be a problem if my start time wasn't 9am. It looks like the department is going to be cracking down (again) on the tardiness factor and my direct boss wanted to give me a heads up (which I do appreciate). I'm not the only one with a tardiness issue either, and if they want to discipline anyone in the department for it, they have to discipline everyone. So, I need to really work on it. And it is a major problem for me to get out of bed! (Very sad for one of my advanced years, I know.) I actually asked one of my co-workers to call me in the morning tomorrow to make sure I'm up. It's helped in the past. Wish me luck!!

In other news, I've still been working on The Purse, and have decided that guage swatches are totally misleading. If you remember, I actually made swatches until my chosen hook made the desired guage called for in the pattern. Then I started the purse, second guessed myself, started again, screwed up, and started again (not sure how many times now). After all that, I thought the purse still looked gargantuan, so I decided to measure it... (See massive base below.)

Nineteen inches!!! If I keep going on like this, I'm going to need WAY more yarn. And of course, it won't be cute anymore, because it will be bigger than me. So, yet again, I've decided to rip this puppy completely apart again and start anew. And the rows that I've worked and reworked a thousand times have worn the yarn down to a nice nubbly old sweater texture...so, I think I'm truly starting fresh this time, and not reusing that half-skein that's already in there. (If I need it towards the end - yes, I am determined to finish this!! - I will use it to join the handles to the purse.)

Okay - back to Ugly Betty. :)

Grandmothers and Deliveries

How unexpected was the end of Gray's Anatomy?? I didn't really see that coming...Did you?

Okay, now that that's out of the way, on to more substantial topics...

Grandma Purl (Crazy Aunt Purl's grandmother) got her blanket last Saturday. Laurie put the story on her blog with plenty of photos and narrative. Check it out! The last photo (grandma opening the box) is priceless! I'd have posted the photo here, but I wasn't sure Laurie would appreciate me stealing her family photos... Also, I didn't think I could do it justice in my own words. Go visit - it is both heartwarming and amusing!

In other news, my friend Jodie, who I mentioned had been in labor for 36 hours already in last Tuesday's post, has still not had the baby. Little Cooper does not want to be born yet, and after 2 days (yep, 2 whole days) of labor with no progress towards birth, the hospital sent her home to rest. She gets to go through the whole inducement process again tomorrow. Poor Jodie!! So, again, I am wishing her luck, and a never-ending supply of pain killers... And I'm also hoping that Cooper is born strong and stubborn (no people, not because I wish a difficult child on Jodie, but rather so that he is in good shape for the surgery he will need to correct his diaphragmatic hernia). Cooper will be in the hospital for a while after his birth, and I think that Jodie and her husband would appreciate all of your prayers and support.

She's Crafty...

Okay, so even though I've given up buying anything craft related until after Lent is over, I think I can manage to keep myself busy. Since finishing the blanket for Jodie, I've picked up the the cable purse again. After hearing back from the designer about the pattern correction, I completed a few more rows and then realized that I'd been increasing by 1 stitch per row somehow, and ended up ripping it almost completely out again. But I think I'm back on track now... I am definitely determined though!

In addition to that, I've volunteered to help Kristy sew up extra squares from the Knit a Square for Grandmother Purl project. (See the first finished blanket here, which will be delivered to Laurie this coming Saturday.) I should be receiving a package of loose squares soon and will get cracking on the sewing up.

I am glad to help and to offer some support to Kristy, who organized the whole thing out of the goodness of her generous heart, and sadly had some pretty traumatic events happen in her life over the past few months, which set the project back a bit. There have been some pretty nasty comments on the Knit-a-long site about how disappointed people are that the blanket hasn't been delivered yet. I was pretty upset to read them myself, as I know that Kristy has not had an easy time of it since we got together to sew squares the first time. I feel for her and think people need to realize that this she is an individual, not a corporation or a large charity, and life happens. She, as an individual, does not have the resources and support systems to complete a project of this size while grieving, traveling to funerals, and recovering from multiple surgeries. (Not to mention working full time when physically able to do so.)

Luckily, there have also been some very supportive comments to back her up as well. I'm hoping she has more supporters that simply haven't spoken up. (Sadly, people are more likely to speak out when they have a negative comment than a positive one.)

Shower Season

Shower season has begun - only this year it will be baby showers instead of wedding... I have 3 friends that are expecting. And they're due in March, May and June. Perhaps my lenten sacrifice (no more buying for crafts until Easter) wasn't timed well.

Luckily, I had already purchased the materials for the first afghan of the season. I made the Diagonal Baby Blanket pattern offered on the Lion Brand Website. I really like how it will stripe diagonally with a variegated yarn (I used Homespun in Delft). Here's a shot of the finished blanket:
And amazingly, I finished it in time. I ended up ripping out the first half, since my guage was too tight and it was going to end up way too small, even for an infant. (Which is why I should have done a guage swatch.) I ended up using a hook 3 sizes larger to get the size right. I then ended up ripping out half of the second half, since I read the pattern wrong and wasn't decreasing enough per row. But, I still had time to try a nifty technique I stole from someone else's blog, and I made a label for it, of which I am inordinately proud. Here's a picture of the tag on the blanket.
The shower was Saturday, when I presented the blanket to expectant mother Jodie. She seemed pleased with the gift. So, I am too. Even though I'm not impressed by how I attached that label. Oh well. :) The shower was fun, and so was the food (always an important part of a party). It was mostly Jodie's neighbors (most of whom are pregnant) and a couple of friends. Her sister and step-mother were the hosts, and I'd say we were a pretty lively group. I'm so used to being one of the organizer/hostesses that it's almost weird to just be a guest! I did stay and help a little with the clean up. And possibly overstayed my welcome (I hope not though).

So, to close, here's a shot of me and the expectant mother. Let's all wish her a healthy delivery of her little baby boy!

Accountability

Okay - last week I decided what I would be giving up for Lent this year. I am putting it out here to get a sense of accountability, so I am less likely to give in to temptation. And my sacrifice? I am not allowed to make any craft purchases until after Easter.

Don't laugh - this is going to be difficult! I've made 25 trips to craft stores over the past 14 months. (Yes, I'm a freak, and I checked my online banking account to check - now, those 25 trips I mention are only the ones in which I purchased stuff using a check or my debit card. Any cash purchases or non-purchasing trips aren't included.) Anyway...in those 25 trips, I managed to spend a total of $743.00 on miscellaneous craft related items.

Holy Crap!! That's way more than I thought I spent. Granted...a great deal of that was for gift purposes...but not all of it. The madness must end! (No wonder I always feel poor...)

So, I'm giving it up for lent. Wish me luck. All of my fellow crafters will understand how hard this is. (The buying is just as much fun as the actual crafting!)

Because Pancho Asked...

Well, this past weekend was a good one. I went out to lunch with Kristin Saturday afternoon and then helped her shop for upholstery fabrics. She is re-covering the seats of her kitchen chairs. She may be inspiring me to do the same - if I can get my hands on a staple gun! (Beware!) My kitchen chairs are in the same fabric that my grandmother covered them with, who knows how long ago. I know it's not the original fabric... But, I digress... We went to Joann and she didn't let me check out the yarn. :( Okay, truth be told, I never even saw it in there - the location we were in was a superstore and HUGE. I could've spent hours in there with no problem. After that, we hit WalMart to see what they had in the way of fabrics. She ended up with some swatches to show her husband, who liked the one she expected him to.

We drove back up to her house and hung out a little while with her husband before we all headed out to Berkeley for dinner with a bunch of friends. We met up at Fondue Fred and stuffed ourselves silly with various fondues. We had all gone to this place about 2 years ago, and I think it was better that time. Maybe it was what we ordered, but all the cheese fondues we got tasted the same. Last time, the head waiter dude (or whatever he is) singled me out and was rather obnoxiously flirty. This time, he singled me out again, only it was just obnoxious. Kristin, her husband and me were the last ones to arrive, and the party ended up being 10 people instead of 9 (which the others had told them, but they wouldn't set the 10th place until we'd all arrived). So, because I let Kristin sit next to her husband at the 2 available chairs, and stood there waiting for him to bring another one, he decided I was the "extra" guest. Whatever.

After dinner (3 hours later!), a few of us went to Dan's in Walnut Creek. The band was okay - I liked the songs they were covering, but their actually singing didn't impress me much.

Now, what you've all been waiting for...and because Pancho dared to actually ask during dinner... Here's the news on the crochet purse. I have not received a response from the magazine editor (no great surprise there). I ripped out the whole thing (well, down to the first 2 rows) and tried the next row again. Then I realized that I had an extra stitch on one side. So...I ripped all the stitches out, back down to the 1st row, and re-did it, making sure to count my stitches carefully. I think I'm back on track now, and it's looking pretty good so far. I haven't hit row 6 again yet though, so we'll see if I end up with the same issues again.

Happy now, Pancho?

Random Thursday Ramblings

Okay, so I hit a bit of a snag in my purse progress...not an actual snag (nope, try as she might, the cat has not yet managed to snag this particular project - though she was sitting on me stalking it with her eyes). I got to round 6 of the project, at which point the pattern ceases to make all sense. I actually wrote to the editor (email) to see if there are any mistakes in the pattern or corrections available. If I don't hear from her, I'll rip it out a few rows and try again. If I have the same problem after that, I'll just attempt to do it the way that would make sense to me. And hope that doesn't waste a nice amount of merino wool.

Anyway, anyone else out there watch Grey's Anatomy tonight? Holy Crap - could they get any more dramatic? Talk about a cliffhanger. Now, I know they're not offing Grey (it's "Grey's" Anatomy, after all), but dang! And the little girl (no doubt in shock after all she had witnessed) was just a bit creepy at the end.

Remember how I mentioned that I'd finally completed traffic school to clear my ticket (from APRIL!)? Well, when I got my new insurance policy, it charged me approximately $480 for a "minor violation." They had renewed the policy before the date I completed the class, so I called them and had them re-run the MVR. It's still on my report. So, I called NTSA to reissue the certificate of completion to the court, who is supposed to forward it to the DMV to remove the violation from my record. Well, I certainly don't trust the courts system at this point, so I need to call them tomorrow to make sure they've received the cert and sent it to the DMV.

In addition to that, my credit union STILL doesn't seem to think my car is adequately insured. Even though the complete policy declarations were faxed to them from their own branch (I had taken it in myself). They apparently don't know how to read, as the collision and comprehension coverage, with their prescribed deductibles, are clearly listed within the decs, one appearing directly above the other. How annoying. So, when I was on the phone with my insurance agent about the MVR thing, I requested that he fax the policy to the lienholder. He stated he was doing it right then...I am hoping that he did.

Blah. Tomorrow is Friday. Yay! And Saturday, I go out to a fondue place in Berkeley with Kristin and a group of friends. We did that about 2 years ago, and it was great. We won't have as many people in the group this time, but I think we'll still have plenty of fun.