Knit and the City

Doesn't the title say it all? I'm a 30 something knitter on the West Coast. Expect to read about my life with the guy, two ex-racing greyhounds and a couple of crazy cats!

2/29/2004

Sometimes I wish that people could move in and out of their homes and apartments anytime. Not just the 15th and the 30th. Or in this case, the 28th and 29th. Working for the truck rental company is insane. We have been so busy and I'm tuckered out. I went in yesterday morning and helped out till about 11 and then I'll pop down today to help with the month end inventory for a couple hours. It never freaking ends. Then when I decide to take a day off to make up for the fact that I've worked 7 days this week I'm going to get flak from my staff. Ungrateful liitle whiners! I love 'em but sometimes I'd like to put my foot in their butts! Last night I went to see the Canucks play the St. Louis Blues! In the suite! With free food and free drinks! It's the one night where we get the transpotation coordinators that use our company together for a little thank you. It's always fun and some of those boys are gosh darn cute. So it's not a bad way to spend a Saturday night! Especially when we WIN! Yeah, Canucks! Fact: Last night was their 73rd consecutive sell out game. Hm, somebody's making money. I haven't picked up a stitch on the J Crew. I'll work on that today. I'm already thinking about my next project and I have no idea what it will be. Nice to have a chance to peruse all my knitting books again. With the Oscars on tonight I should be able to knock off a good chunk of knitting. Yipee! Well, here I go. Off to work again. Day 7. Thank goodness for this to come home to!

2/26/2004

Forget Wednesday! Thursday sucks! Another freaking mental day today. It seemed like just as I got the last rush put away and all the trucks parked that there were 5 more turning into the lot! One of my car wash boys called in sick, another is off for two weeks due to his high blood pressure, another office called and asked to take another one of my boys for half the day leaving just My Ty to deal with the chaos. My Ty sucked it up and dealt with it. I -love- him. We both think along the same lines. The "let's just get it done' line of thought. Man, I am tired. No progress on the J Crew. Well, some if you consider 2 rows progress! Survivor night! Woo Hoo-o-o-o....I can't believe it. I'm too tired to care. I need puppy hugs. With a little kitten on the side.

2/25/2004

Wednesdays suck! It's the one day of the week where we're shorthanded in the office and it seems like even though the reservations are few, it's stinking busy all day with a million walk ups and drop offs! Yippie-ki-yeah! I think there's a better way to spell that. Hm. My hamster is down. I cast on for the J Crew. I'm using a Red Heart yarn called Misty. I tried to search for it on their web site but it's not there. No link, sorry! Very nice to work with. Surprisingly as it's mostly acrylic. It's blended with 25 percent rayon and that's what gives it it's softness. The colourway is called Seaside Heather. Nice blue tones variegated through. I'll post a pic when I have enough done to give it credit! The guy brought me home boconccini. I see a tomato, basil salad in my immediate future. Yummy! In the pic I posted of the guy and Ella mugging on the couch I don't think anyone can see the face Ella making. So here's what she really looks like. Pea brain and all.

2/24/2004

I was told the owner was going to be coming by today. So I ran around and cleaned up and made things all neat. Then I got a call that said he wasn't coming. Then he showed up! It was still tidy. Niiiccee. And here's the moment you've all been waiting for! Ladies and Gentlemen! Let's hear it for the Little D Cardi!!!!!! I'm ready for my close up, of my fabulous increases! Last, but not least, the money shot. I'm positive that Little D will love it! Now I'm casting on for a sweater for her brother. Little J. Actually he's bigger than his big sister so I think I'm just gonna call the next project J Crew. No copyright infringement intended. His name starts with a J and I'm making him a crewneck. Simple, no? American Idol tonight. I'm taking a spoon with me into the living room so I have a way to put myself out of my misery if it's anywhere near as bad as last week. Egad! Finally a pic of my kid. Monk.

2/23/2004

Lookit what happened over the weekend! Sadie came along! My dear friends J and A welcome home their second child! I'll start on your sweater next week, sweetie! The Little D Cardi is so close to finished! I have a good reason why it's taking so long. See? I have to knit around this! Don't try to move the mom glommer Sarah. She's a master at becoming dead weight when it's deemed appropriate. Sigh. I do love the colourway of the Little D. Not for me but ever so pretty. I spent most of the weekend chasing around the furkids with the camera. Someone was suffering puppy picture withdrawl. So we're good for a while. No panic. Here's a pic for my dear Am-ers in Korea. I hope you laugh till you wet your pants! It's the guy and Ella mugging for the camera. Happy, Funny, Monday!

2/21/2004

Last night instead of getting one of my usual brands of wine, I decided to try something different. I picked an italian red that was a little more expensive than what I usually get. Note to self-More expensive does not always mean better quality. Yuck. I don't like it. I really like a full bodied red wine with lots of stuff going on. The one I got is kinda like a red white wine. Dry, very acidic and ew. I didn't like it so much that after one glass I decided to have a beer. If you know me, you know it had to be pretty bad. Had to go into work today for a couple hours. Can I just work a couple hours a day, 5 days a week? What a breeze! We went for brunch today at a new little coffee place that opened up in da hood. Very nice folks and great food. I'm stuffed. The latte's are high octane goodness. I had the shakes for a while after I drank mine. Whew! Little D Cardi is a quarter of a sleeve and buttonbands away from completion. I talked to the guy today about ripping apart his Black Acres and making something else. He gave me a little insight as to what he'd like in a sweater. If it's a hoodie it has to be BIG. Not a wool sweater because it's too hot. Cotton's okay but gets saggy quick. Who knew he paid attention to all those things? Maybe later this week I'll rip that out. It'll only be the second or third time that yarn has been knitted up and ripped back. Sigh. Off to complete the Little D Cardi!

2/20/2004

Today is one of those days that is just fabulous. The sun is shining, the office girls are happy, customers are happy. Makes the day go faster, and smoother. Little D Cardi is down to the last half an arm. I will take the camera home this weekend! After all I haven't posted a pooper pic in a long time. Survivor so totally rocks. I love this show. This time everyone seems a lot calmer. There's not a lot of scheming yet. Everyone knows what's going on and I think they're playing it close to the vest. Rupert is losing it I think. I think the sun has fried his brain. And Rob C., poor, little, nerdy guy, was ready to cry as he got voted off last night. Hee! Apprentice is interesting. I just get sucked in at the prospect of seeing The Donald and his hair! How does it stay like that? I've seen footage of him in gusty winds and it stays in place! Eeeek! Already anticipating the next project. I'm thinking of having a little froggy party with Black Acres. I don't think the guy's gonna wear it. So now I have to think about what to make him. Hm...

2/18/2004

I got a call from the employment insurance office today. It seems lil sis has applied for -medical- EI. Seems she had to leave her job due to stress. Excuse me? You never came to work and when you did you were late! Okay, I exaggerate, but puh-lease. I haven't called mom about this yet but the more I think about it, the more steamed I get that she is going to take advantage of the system. That she's not facing up to the responsibilities of being a grown up. I'm afraid she's going to be one of those ladies at the welfare office with the big hair that knows how to get every penny she's eligible for but won't use the same knowledge to get a job. Grrrrrrrr. We promoted the Small Strange One to my old job! Yahoo! That means I have no job to go back to....wait a minute...was that a good idea? Of course it was! I think. I finished the one sleeve on the Little D Cardi last night. Tonight, I try to conquer the other. I will finish by the weekend for sure. Next projects in the wings are kid and baby related. I like that they're so quick to do. I think I need to focus on myself after this. I doubt it though. I'm a giver. What can I say? I picked up the new Knit It. Ugh. Sucks. As I was suffering through American Idol (should be renamed American Awful after last night) I found out that one girl, Marisa Joy is from my hometown! WooHoo! Good thing is that she was one of the best of the worst last night. I say she'll be top 3 tonight. Will she make it through? Mmmmm. We'll have to see. Anyway, I gotta give props to the homegirl! Almost everyone else was horrific. I hate to think of the great talent that the judges passed up and didn't put through to the finals. To be left with the lot they had last night was embarrasing.

2/17/2004

Okay here's some grotty pics of my Little D Cardi from the weekend. I'm down to the ribbing on the one arm. Have a great day!

2/16/2004

Phew! What a monday! Just got home from an all day meeting. At least there was dinner at the end! It was good though. Managed to work out some direction for the future. Little D Cardi is about an arm and half with buttonbands, to go. I'll plod along more on it tonight. I requested virgin Ceasars at the restaurant but the way my eyes feel I think they weren't. Yawn. Time for bed!

2/15/2004

The guy is quite a catch. Friday he reminded me that I had said that I didn't need a present on Valentine's Day. He wanted to know if that was still the story. I could change my mind if I wanted to! So on Valentine's Day he spent the day with me knitting and watching PBS. Then this guy came on and he was hooked! Later that evening I was treated to this and it was amazing! I was speechless! I couldn't speak because I was devouring the whole plateful! Yummy! The Little D Cardi is at the bottom ribbing. I might be able to plow through an arm if I concentrate and don't get distracted by a Bottoms Up Bucket. I think it will be a quick knit. Maybe I'll reward myself with it after I finish the Little D Cardi. Hm...self bribery, isn't that a symptom of something?

2/13/2004

Hey! Check it out! 2003 Finished Objects! Not 2003 of them just the ones I made in 2003. You already knew that didn't you?

I'm still here! It's been a -week- at work. Interviewing, staff melting down, insurance companies being difficult, studio heads being demanding..and this morning at 4 am was the kicker. Break in at the office. As the person who lives closest, I get the honour of attending. So after spending 2 hours there cleaning up broken glass and strewn about computers, I came back home and went to bed. And I'm not going in later either. Yipee for me! I've knitted one row on the Little D Cardi. I'll make up for that later. I wonder if I can finish the body this weekend? We'll see. It's a beautiful sunny day today! Not a bad day to take off!

2/09/2004

Houston, we have a problem.

2/08/2004

The sun came out for a bit today! Yipee! We took the girls for a walk and started to see Spring everywhere. All the crocuses and tulips are starting to pop out of the ground. Buds are out on the trees. It's almost here! Little D Cardi plods along. This one is a bit slower than the crewneck because with the cardigan I have to work back and forth, knit one row, purl one row. On the crewneck it's just in the round, knit, knit, knit and you're done quick as a bunny. I'm almost to the underarms. A couple more decreases and I'm there. Went out to see the guy play last night. My brother came into town with some friends so we had some dinner and listened to the band. It was fun. Managed not to drink too much and get home by 1am. I finally slept in today! I've been having trouble sleeping in on the weekends for a while. I don't know why. Off to make some dinner. Mexican Chicken, Bean, and Corn soup. Actually it's more like a stew. Yummy, yummy, yummy!

2/07/2004

I'm searching for the perfect dill pickle brand. I'm crazy about pickles or anything pickled. No, I'm not expecting, I just love pickles. I'm looking for something crisp, tart, dilly, garlicky and maybe a bit of heat (chile). I'm looking for the kind my Grandma used to make. My Mom swears she has the recipe but mom's pickles don't taste like Grandmas. No knitting on the knitting front. I picked up there new VK and think I may have found the perfect poncho for my dear friend Am-ers in Korea! It's got cables and fringe and a lovely shape! She'll love it! I'll pick up the Little D Cardi and work on it for the most of the day. Here's the Little D Hoodie I made for her a couple years ago. I'm not sure if that expression is joy or pain. It was a tight fit over her head! I'm up early today for some reason. I guess I'll have a nap this afternoon. Happy Saturday!

2/05/2004

Deja vu. This afternoon the guy went to go to the store and I heard him calling me from the back door. The sense of urgency in his voice made me run. I heard him say that someone was dead. I thought he said "Buddy's dead!" I was in a panic. As I got to the door he said "Chico's dead." Chico is our neighbour's kitty. I stepped out onto the back porch and it was just like when Rainman was hit. Same kinda big orange kitty, same spot on the street, same type of injury. Took my breath away. Chico was a funny kitty with no street sense. Unfortunatley I always knew this was going to happen. He'd dart out into the street without looking all the time. He would get into our backyard and sit on the other side of the inner fence where the dogs couldn't get to him and just sit there. Drove the dogs crazy. He also used to sit on the other side of the gate and wait until Sarah would stick her nose out under it and then lay the smackdown on her. It was a quick trip to the Rainbow Bridge. Thank Goodness. Hug your pets.

2/03/2004

All right, it's public retraction time. Yesterday I wrote that it was Evil Jerri that Terri had the hate on for. I stand corrected! It's Jenna M. the winner of Survivor Amazon that she refuses to let contaminate the pixels of her TV screen! What do you think I thought when I received this in the mail yesterday? Ah Ha! She's caved! She's all set to watch the encore episode tonight! I knew it! Bwwaaaaahhhh! The sweaters worth of yarn has arrived! I won! Woo Hoo! Wait a moment... What's this? and this? It seems I am wrong. She hasn't caved like a crying, tiny baby. She's just a nice lady who's sent me some of her stash. Dammit!!! I do -love- the yarn and those funky patterns! The hat one is a riot! We've been snickering all morning over them here in the office. A giant thanks out to her! If she thinks I'm going to lay off the taunting, she's got another thing coming. Here's my process on the Little D cardi. I'm enjoying it. It's a Red Heart Super Saver yarn. The colour is called Monet. 100% acrylic. Yummy! Perfect for kids! Last pic. I've got alot today don't I? I'm sure some people wonder why we call the Fish, Fish. Seems a little derogatory for a girl, doesn't it. Here's part of the reason. That's the back of her neck with her new tattoo!

2/02/2004

oh-my-god! This is going to be the best Survivor ever! It's too bad that Terri has sworn off this one. All because of the Evil Jerri. I decided to make a wager with her for a sweaters worth of yarn from Elann that she would break down and watch the show. She swears she'll stay strong. I think it's a shame that we won't be able to enjoy the wisdom and insight of her post episode rants! I feel like she's denying her people. Tsk, tsk, tsk. I'd sure like to hear what she has to say about Richard Hatch shedding his clothes every chance he gets and how annoying Boston Rob is! And Evil Jerri has been quite contrite. Also why is she wearing the same swimsuit as last time? Circa 1983? Terri, can you shed some light? And now for something completely different... Sorry about the quality. But you get the idea. It's my new duvet cover. And I finished this! I love the way it turned out. I think the little guy will be very happy. I was so excited that I started Little D's sweater. I -love- this variegated yarn. It just has burps of colour along it. Not window rattling Coca-Cola burps but delicate hand to the face ladylike burps.

2/01/2004

Superbowl Sunday! It's my last holdover of my Americanism. I became a Canadian Citizen of my own accord in 1990. It's a day to lay on the couch and drink beer and eat chips and not feel guilty about it. It's a good day. Mine is to question 'Why?' Who takes all the deposit envelopes from the bank machine station? What do they do with them all? When do they accomplish this? Where did they stash them? Why do it at all? Any other day they're falling all over you except the day you have to make a deposit. Must remember to take two next time and put one away in my purse. It's been a productive sewing weekend for me. I made the duvet cover I've had planned since Christmas. Took about an hour. Basically a big pillow case. I closed up the one end with buttons. I took a pic on the Clie and I'll post it on Monday. I also patched up Ella's dog bed. She likes her bed just right and will spend a fair amount of time fluffing and fussing to get it right. The drawback is that she wears holes in the cover. So I fixed them again. Lat time I just gave it a quick fix. This time I actually patched it up with additional fabric. I finished the arm of the top down. I'll finish up the other arm during the game. Then it's on to the next kid. Little D. I showed the guy the yarn I picked and he got all gooey. "Awww, that's so cute and the colours are so perfect for her and she's going to be so pretty!" I'm crazy about him. He's perfect.