packing my bags

Well, I've gone off and bought tickets. Next week, I'm going to LA to visit Ebony and Amy and then in May I'm going with Sweetie to Italy. That's right Italy! The sad part is the tickets to Italy are only about $70 more than my tickets to LA.

sock-o-rama

So, I have finished 3 pairs of socks since the middle of January and have started on my 4th pair. I don't know what burr is up my butt, but at least I feel productive in this cold, snowy (crappy) winter. What I really need to do is finish up this pair, rip out part of the red SOS socks and finish those and then really work on a baby blanket for baby Landyn. At the rate I'm going, this child will be graduated from high school before the blanket is half done.

In livestock news, Miss Pig is surviving well. I think that she is plumping up nicely and maybe she won't go back to the auction quite yet.

Having an Epiphany on Epiphany

Ok, maybe not. I am working on Gma Ferguson's big girl red socks, but I should really be working on Baby Landyn's baby blanket. That poor child is probably very cold right now. I'm the bad auntie for sure!!!!

Luckily, with the snow today, I plan to hibernate until it stops being being so ugly outside. I just wish my boss would agree with that and let me stay at home in my flannel jammies.

of all things I've lost...

... I miss my funnel the most. As most Decembers, my house looks like Chaos, Foolishness and Disaster came to an all-night kegger at my place and left before I got up. I think I see 4 square inches of my kitchen table, at the other end, where I can't reach it. I don't want it to feel left out, so I might just shove something over there.

It has also been duley informed that I have not keep my faithful, or even unfaithful, reader apprized of the happenings of Chez Bideshigirl. Here now are the highlights:

• I have turned into a hermit. Who knew this could happen in modern day America, but low and behold, it has. I only know this since I have become unhermited and everyone has said to me, "Bideshigirl, I haven't seen you in months!" and that is the literal truth.
• I've been knitting, but you can hardly tell. I have been becoming more and more focused on making my knits better, thus I have ripped out and re-knit just about every item multiple times. If this doesn't make me a better knitter, nothing will.
• I bought a new car. A 2009 Ford Focus in sterling grey. Isn't it pretty?
  
  

• Then, less than 12 hours later, I hit my first deer. He was a 4-point buck. Did I mention that I was on my way to Michigan and that I was 4 hours away from home when this occurred? I wasn't too happy.

However, I survived unscathed and the car, which is still currently unnamed, was fixed. I still ended up having a delightful time picking apples and making applebutter with Sweetie and Megan. Also, if you are in dire need of applebutter, please give me a call. I can give you the hook-up.

Lastly, I have a new roommate named Buttercup. She is a guinea pig that Cousin Jamie's two oldest girls gave me for Christmas.

Now, I'm off (yes, I know I've been off for years) to find my funnel to pour the big bottle of homemade vanilla into smaller bottles. Then, maybe, Christmas postcards... but I wouldn't hold your breath too long on that. It's cold out and my flannel jammies are making suggestions about going to bed. It is hard to deny the luring call of the fannel jammies on bitterly cold nights.

harriet is no more

So, the friendly hamster named Harriet has gone to the big wheel in the sky.

Thus, leaving me alone in the flat I let.

*sigh*

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, so I am ready for the ham loaf. Bring on the ham loaf and the other fixings. Aunt Carolyn , Uncle Bob and Cousin Daniel are up from Florida to visit and partake in the joys of ham loaf.

Sweetie is home also, to partake of turkey with Stella and Berkley. Yeah for home!!!

The Cousin Jamie socks are still a work in progress, but I look forward for them to be done by Feb of '09.

That isn't so bad, since Sweetie just got his pair of socks that I promised him Christmas '07 literally last night. What is 11 months between friends? A stitch in time, my friends.

delusions of gauge

I am not the best knitter in the world. This is a known fact and one not up for dispute. I knit to make myself happy and to perserve what passes for my sanity. This is also a known fact and one, also, not up for dispute. Currently, I am in the midsts of a sock-mania. I knit socks of various types, such as big boy boot socks, fingerling-wear-with-loafers socks and just about everything inbetween. This July, I joined a Knit-A-Long (KAL) for socks. The basic recipe starts as such: sock yarn + size 1 needles (glorified toothpicks) and 63 stitches. I, being in the midsts of said sock-mania, thought to myself, "This sounds great! It doesn't matter that I have 3 different pairs of socks currently in progress, this will be terrific! I have the needles (which I promptly went out and bought) and the yarn (which I had picked up the the previous month as souviner yarn from Florida) and plenty of time on my hands, so why not?"

Did I mention that I occassionally lie to myself?

Then I thought to myself, "Heck, I'm rockin' the socks, I can just follow the directions and these socks will turn out great!" (Was I the only one who heard Tony the Tiger in the last part of that sentance?) Thus, I followed the directions to a T. Without swatching. Without a care in my heart, and obviously, not a thought in my head of what could go wrong.

Did I forget to mention that I have exceptionally tight knitting? Stitches cry out in pain as they are bound to their brothern, row after row after tight row. I knew that I was a little short in yarn, so I didn't make the leg as long as I normally do. I knit both socks at the same time, so as to avoid SSS ( Second Sock Syndrom). I turned the heels on both socks and became concerned that the amount of wool left in the ball was looking a little thin, but I knit on. Just after turning the heel, I tried to put the sock on and found out that my foot was too large. Heck, my ankle was too large for the leg, but that did not deter me, the all-mighty sock knitter. No! This would just become a Cinderella Sock (a sock that everyone tries on until it fits someone to go home with). Luckily, Cousin Jamie fit the bill (barely), so I have a goal of finishing the socks for Cousin Jamie.

I knit and knit and knit until I am about halfway down the actual foot of the sock, when I run out of wool. Literally. I panic. A sock is not a sock if it stops at the arch and does not cover toes. I think its a rule. Like a big rule. Of course, this happens in September, months after I have started the socks and months after I have taken the wrapper off of the wool and I can't remember what I did with the label that has the name of the maker, colorway, country of origin or anything that would be remotely helpful. I believe I cursed and drank the night away when I finally figured this out.

The blinders have come off... I am an idiot and I don't dare reproduce at this point, since I can't hardly be responsible for a lousy pair of wool socks, how on earth will I keep track of a small human? This is horrid! I have made promises of socks and she has tried them on for pity sakes!!!! One cannot tease another with promises of handknit socks and not produce them forthwith. That is cruel.

I then find the label for the wool and a prayer of thanksgiving goes out to the goddess of wool and foolish knitters. I google and lo and behold... I find the company. I order the yarn and it comes in. How lovely it is in it's wooly goodness.

Thus, I am now finishing this ill-begotten sock project without any drinking. That is, until I have to kitchner stitch. How I end up with an odd amount of stitches when I started with an even amount confuses even the knitting gurus.

I believe, at this current rate, Cousin Jamie will have a lovely, snug (just hugging her feet a little tighter) pair of red wool socks for Valentines Day. What is 6 months between a knitter and her socks?

is a clean desk

a sign of that the 4 horseman are around the corner? Everyday I take the time to tidy up my desks (yes, I have two) and I take an odd sense of pleasure in the fact that when I come in, it's tidy. (Isn't that just a horrible sentance structure for a person with a degree in English? I'm glad that you agree.) However, back to the subject at hand... 5 work days of clean desk syndrom (CDS). Who knew it could happen? Now, I just have to apply this logic to my single closet of my flat. It is currently the black hole of clothes and other sundry items.

Next week, the local school starts for another year and the following week is the ever popular Hardin Co Fair. Cousin Jamie's kids will be showing goats, rabbits, and chickens while living at the fair with their mom. That's right, Cousin Jamie will be staying in a pop-up camper with 4 children for the duration of the fair. Tuesday through Sunday. 6 days of fair. With 4 children ages 11 to 1.5 years of age. Of her own accord.

I knew insanity ran in the family - now there's proof!

I've got to say, Cousin Jamie has got bigger ovaries than I do to tackle such a thing. I'm pretty sure that I would never sign up for it without being on drugs. Yes, I did join Peace Corps, but I didn't have to lug the crap that kids need and there is no whining in PC. (Ok, that whole whining thing is a lie, but they are adults and can be told to suck it up, cupcake. grrrr...)

two days and counting

I have a clean desk two days running. I loved it when I came in this morning and had a clean desk and everything was in it's place. Who knew I was a closeted clean desker? Now, I have to tackle the drawers and then life will be good.

Just as long as Jilli doesn't find my chocolate stash. That child is the cutest mooch there is and no chocolate is safe from her. She is her mother's child!

Oh, and don't hold your breath about pics. Cause, I'm still holding out for the ones I took down in Mexico last year.

hahahaha.

unorganized organization

Organization is a major problem for me, along with keeping deadlines. As I sit here on my desk at work, there are 6 piles of papers/books/random things (the fly swatter is very important). This needs to change. I've been reading a new blog (which soon will makes it's appearance on the sidebar o' links) called Peace of Mind Organizing. Not only is she a knitter (which warms the cockles of my heart), but she is a professional organizer. Can you say, "Laura wants a new friend?" Seriously, she has her issues with deadlines and keeping her desk clean, but she actually does something about it, while (currently) I bellyache about it.

I bellyache no more.

Today is the day that things find a home, get tossed and I'm going to keep at it until it is done. For this, I believe that I am even going to get the camera out of the hiding place in my purse (yes, I carry it around and don't take pictures - I'm a dork and we've covered that already) and take a snap or two of the pre- and post- desk production.

mama has sole and leg!

The cursed socks are finished. Sweetie's Christmas/birthday from 2007 is finally finished and just in time for the fair. Can we say, "How country are you?" when the highlight of finishing a project is that they can compete at the county fair.

Now on for the SOS Knit-Along socks!!! I have a pretty red yarn from my Florida adventure that will be perfect for it. Know, all I need to do is print out the directions and cast on. Nothing but good times for a red pair of socks.