The Beach

What are these people doing?

Hunting for sea glass!

This is what Chris and I did this weekend. Chris insisted that I get out of the house. It was a great idea to go to the beach and hunt for sea glass. This is so meditating for me that while I'm hunting I forget I lost my job. It really does ease the stress that I'm going through.

Here are our treasures for the day

Calm

I'm feeling very calm today. It's a really weird feeling. I don't think I'm comfortable with this feeling, it make me think about the calm before the storm.

Anyways, I frogged the charity hat. It was way too big. So I'm starting over, which is fine because it's mindless knitting and for me right now that is the best kind of knitting.

So this......

became this.

Unemployed

Where have I been. Working for the most stressful company ever. I knew better than to take this job back in December, but I had been working from home and this was the same just a different center. I was let go just days ago. My ego is bruised. Most of all I'm scared to death. My friends say, take the time and rest a little. This would be fine but I'm not even sure that I qualify for unemployment benefits. I'll find out within 10 days, 10 longs days. This is really hard because I've worked from home for the last 5 years. Now I'm still home but not working. I walk around in circles. I have no idea what to do with myself. My boyfriend says I should take the dog on walks. Did that, now what do I do for the rest of the day. It was really weird to be outside in the morning. It was really peaceful. Then I walked in the door and reality sets in again. The anxiety is crazy. I'm also driving my boyfriend crazy, so much so that it's straining our relationship. He is so kind to me but with all the stress I've been really mean to him. I keep having to say I'm sorry. Since I'm having a hard time in the house I'm thinking that I should take my knitting outdoors. This may help keep me sane. Right now I'm knitting a hat for charity. The yarn is from the Purple Lady. I have bags and bags of her yarn. She no longer knits. The only thing is that about 99% of the yarn is acrylic and purple. So I thought knitting for charity would be a good use of the yarn.

I Say They Are Done

My boyfriend says I have finishing anxiety. Maybe I do. It seems that when I am ready to bind off I just put the project away for some time. I'm always afraid that I will mess up and that I can't redo. My bind offs just never match my cast on. I've tried going up a needle size or more, so that it will not be tight, but I'm still never happy with the result. The other thing I do when finished, is I don't weave in my ends. I just put the project away. I say I'm done, my boyfriend says no way, not until you weave in the ends. I'm thinking when did he become the finishing police.

Here a some examples of my finished dishcloths. I say they are done.

Now Where Was I...

Well....
I have been a bad blogger. Why? facebook! I'm so sorry little blog, I promise, I will be better and give you the attention that you deserve. I will make it up to you.

What I Have Learned

I finished the second sock. Go me! Haha the first sock was knitted back in 2006.
Here is the second sock on the left.














Things I learned this time around:
My gauge is tighter
I'm not afraid of DPNs. I way more comfortable with them now
I can follow instructions better
Practice makes you a better knitter

The first sock is really too small. I started the toe too soon. The second sock is also too small but that is because I ran out of yarn. I was left with about 18 inchs of yarn when I finished.

I enjoyed knitting the second sock. I will for sure be knitting more and more socks.

Marilyn

Stolen from Inky Knits

Wow, I would say that this is true!

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Marilyn!

You are a Marilyn -- "I am affectionate and skeptical."

Marilyns are responsible, trustworthy, and value loyalty to family, friends, groups, and causes. Their personalities range broadly from reserved and timid to outspoken and confrontative.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Be direct and clear



• * Listen to me carefully



• * Don't judge me for my anxiety



• * Work things through with me



• * Reassure me that everything is OK between us



• * Laugh and make jokes with me



• * Gently push me toward new experiences



• * Try not to overreact to my overreacting.

What I Like About Being a Marilyn

• * being committed and faithful to family and friends



• * being responsible and hardworking



• * being compassionate toward others



• * having intellect and wit



• * being a nonconformist



• * confronting danger bravely



• * being direct and assertive

What's Hard About Being a Marilyn

• * the constant push and pull involved in trying to make up my mind



• * procrastinating because of fear of failure; having little confidence in myself



• * fearing being abandoned or taken advantage of



• * exhausting myself by worrying and scanning for danger



• * wishing I had a rule book at work so I could do everything right



• * being too critical of myself when I haven't lived up to my expectations

Marilyns as Children Often

• * are friendly, likable, and dependable, and/or sarcastic, bossy, and stubborn



• * are anxious and hypervigilant; anticipate danger



• * form a team of "us against them" with a best friend or parent



• * look to groups or authorities to protect them and/or question authority and rebel



• * are neglected or abused, come from unpredictable or alcoholic families, and/or take on the fearfulness of an overly anxious parent

Marilyns as Parents

• * are often loving, nurturing, and have a strong sense of duty



• * are sometimes reluctant to give their children independence



• * worry more than most that their children will get hurt



• * sometimes have trouble saying no and setting boundaries

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at

Trouble With Tribbles

This is so cool and absolutely no trouble at all. Quick knit. I use mine everyday and love it. I can see how they seem to multiply.

Trouble with Tribbles , once you start you can't stop.

Scarfs

Here are a couple of scarfs that I knitted during the summer.

I love them both. The pattern for the white scarf is the Magic Scarf from Crazy Aunt Purl. The yarn I used is one of my thrift store finds, Lion Brand "Jiffy". I only had one ball so I went to Walmart to find another. The shades of white were so different but I was able to match perfectly. I really love the way it turned out. The pattern for the ruby scarf I found in the Knit Scarfs book. The scarf is called Chunky Monkey, it's just a mock rib stitch. The yarn is Lion Brand Chenille "Thick and Quick Prints" This one is really soft.

My yarn choice is not expensive but I think these scarfs feel good. They are going to be great for winter.

I'm Baaaaaaack!

If at first you don't succeed....

Well I tried, and tried again.

I'm on a quest to conquer "Magic Loop". The first time I discovered that I was knitted inside out. I fixed that problem which was not really a big deal. The cuff, easy. Heel flap no problem. Turn heel not bad. Then came picking up stitches. Could not get it, I need to visually see it. I know how to pick up stitches, it was just the way the pattern was worded. Well, problem solved. I found a really cool DVD. Watched it from start to finish and saw what I was doing wrong. I cast on again and this time, hopefully, I will be able to finish a pair of socks. HOPEFULLY!

BTW: The yarn and the circular needles are a great thrift store find.

For Me

Look what the mailman brought me. Just for me! Love you mailman.





Love you Jimmy Beans Wool. I placed my order on Friday and it was at my door on Monday!

Hats

For real next time.

The next time I knit a hat, it will be for someone and not just practice. I wanted to knit a couple of hats with some of the crappy acyclic yarn that I have. So I knitted two hats with different stitches. I thought that they looked pretty good, until I tried them on. The hats are mini hats. Well, the mock cable is really not that small if I don't cuff it. Anyways, I have the basic idea of how to knit a hat. Next time will be for real, with real yarn and for a real person.




To cuff or not to cuff.

Happy Birthday To Me

Today is my birthday. I took the day off as a gift to myself. Chris gave me a beautiful card and some nice gifts. Tomorrow my daughter is giving me a little party. She is making dinner and my grandson is making strawberry shortcake. He is making the shortcake by scratch. My daughter called me and asked if it was okay if we had shortcake instead of birthday cake, because G really wanted to make me shortcake. I thought that was so sweet. He is 8 years old and takes cooking at his school. He loves it.

Here is a pic of the gifts that I got from Chris.

These are the gifts I picked out. :) "Power Up" comes with three DVDs and a yoga strap. I wanted the yarn for a cute scarf I'm going to make and I love ladybugs.

My birthday turned out to be a great day!

Weekends

I always looks forward to the weekend. Weekends are for relaxing. The last two weekends, this did not happen. Easter weekend was not good at all. It starts on Friday, the day where I take a deep breath after work and say, finally. Well that Friday was normal and after work I had to take my little Cisco to the vet for shots. We are in the room and the vet assistant gets ahold of Cisco so that the vet can give his shots, except Cisco is not happy and starts fighting. Cisco is a very strong chihuahua and the assistant is having trouble, so the vet puts a muzzle on poor Cisco. Well, the assistant still can't hold him tight enough, so the vet says to her, I'll hold him while you give the shots. After giving the shots I hear the vet say to her did you get it? She says yes. I really did not give it any thought. So all is well and we go home. That night Cisco gets a bath and he is really happy. Later that evening we are relaxing on the couch watching TV. Around 8pm or so Cisco jumps into my arms like he is trying to get away from something that scared him. Right after this he will not let touch him, he did not seem to be in any pain but just wanted to be left alone. I thought that maybe he was just tired. We went to bed and again all seemed fine. He did not wake me during the night to take him out. So around 4 in the morning I take him out to pee. This is when I notice that something is not right. He is walking like he is drunk. At first I thought he was just sleepy, but still I knew something was not right. I put him back to bed and kept watch on him. In the mean time I had a bad feeling. I could hear him breathe and it did not sound right. I could not go back to sleep. At 6am Chris made coffee and I brought Cisco out to the couch to lay down. This is when my stomach sank. It was clear that something was so wrong. He did not want to move and he could not walk without looking like he would fall over. He did not seem to be in pain, so I thought I would wait until the vet open at 8am. I was there before they opened. The vet checked him and said he was ataxic and his temperature was low. The vet could not explain how it happened but at the time did not think it was caused by the shots. They needed to get him warm and give him fluids and maybe a steroid shot. They kept him all day. During this time we had no idea what was wrong with him or if they could even get him better. I spent all day crying and crying. My heart was broken and ached for little Cisco. He seemed so helpless. All lab tests were normal and the vet said later that Cisco may have had a reaction to the shots. I am happy to say that Cisco is better. It took about a week before he was back to his normal active self. He is now as active as ever. I really think that when the assistant gave him his shots she hit the muscle instead of giving it right under the skin.

The next weekend comes and I think, right on, it's Friday, I get to relax. NOT! Broken water heater and I have to wait until Saturday for a new one. I've lived in this house for about 12 years. The house was brand new when we bought it. This new water heater makes it the fourth water heater in 12 years. New water heater every three years is ridiculous. At least it is still under warranty. Whatever! It still cost $450 to replace.

Okay, so today is Tuesday my head hurts and once again, I'm looking forward to the weekend.

Mock Cable

Mock cable is kinda cool. It's really a simple stitch and makes for fast knitting. I like the way it looks and can't wait until the hat is complete.

My Helper

This is my office assistant. Every day Cisco sleeps on my lap while I work. I work from home. He does have a bed in the office but some how manages to worm his way to my lap. Yes, those are pajamas .

Surfs Up Dude

Pismo Beach get pounded by high surf and high swells. It was so bad that Pismo Beach PD evacuated the pier. Police expected to keep the pier closed until at least today. Swells reached 17 to 19 feet. Crazy! The sad thing is that the elephant seal pups were being swept out to the sea by the high swells. An estimated 5 percent to 10 percent of pup seals are swept away. Pups are born not knowing how to swim, and until they get to a certain age they just float. Poor babies.

Some knitting news. I'm going to knit a hat. This is a first for me. I am going to attempt to knit a mock cable hat. So far, I have learned some things about gauge. What I learned is that not all worsted weight yarn is the same. I had no idea. The pattern says worsted weight yarn, size 8-9 needles, approximate gauge 4 sts/in. Okay, I have the worsted weight yarn, size 8 needles and I knit a gauge swatch. I get 5 sts/in. Well then I think, maybe I can just CO more to get the size hat I want. This just did not even make sense in my head. So, I get a different brand of yarn, still worsted weight and knit a gauge swatch, and yes I got 4 sts/in. But this is not the yarn I want to use. So just for kicks I get out size 9 straights and do a gauge swatch with the yarn I bought for the hat and you guessed it, 4 sts/in. Well the problem is I don't have any circs in size 9 and I really want to start this hat. I decided that I will use the really crappy yarn for now. This will be my practice hat. Wish me luck.

Happy Birthday Purple Lady!

Today is the Purple Lady's 85th birthday. She is the mother of the boyfriend. The Purple Lady is a kind of a local celebrity. She is everything purple. Her house, and everything in it, EVERYTHING! walls, carpet, kitchen, everything. Of course, as you can see ( you can't 'cuz stupid blogger is acting up and will not let me add a picture ) her hair, glasses, and clothes. The Purple Lady is purple all year except during Lent. During this time she wears any color but purple and she lets her hair grow out gray. The first time I saw her not purple I was very surprised at how different she looked, just like an ordinary old lady. Ordinary she is not.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Purple Lady, you are loved.



EDITED TO ADD: Here is the picture.

Rain and Walking

.......don't mix with me. I've been really good with the walking routine. Then the rain happened. Lots of rain! This is walking week four. I was a little discouraged at first, cuz I thought I would lose weight right away. Nope not me. I actually started to gain muscle weight. So I followed the advice of the walking book, I measured myself. So for the first two weeks nothing but weight gain and no inches lost, then week three I measured myself, and to my delight I lost one inch off my waist and one inch off my thighs and a half inch off my hips. This made me very happy, cuz it meant that all the walking was working. Walking has been pretty easy. My walking speed is about 4 miles an hour. I love my pedometer. It tracks steps, aerobic steps, aerobic walking time, calories burned, distance, and fat burned. I started using it on Jan 9th and so far I have a daily average of 4,196 of steps, 3,742 of aerobic steps, 31 minutes of aerobic walking time, 146 calories burned, 2.12 miles, and 9.7 fat grams burned. This an daily average, there are some days that I walk 4 -5 miles. I only wear my pedometer when I fitness walk, so the numbers may not look impressive. I have taken a few days off for different reasons. This week being the awful weather. We have had non stop rain since Tuesday, along with hail and a light dusting of snow, which is a big deal here on the central coast.

As far as knitting, I'm not feeling the love. That last scarf was really a downer for me. For now, I'm knitting a simple garter stitch scarf and a knit, purl shawl. Can't into trouble with that, or can I.

Yikes!

I have no idea how or when this happened. I am so upset about it. While knitting this scarf I knew it was going to be short and I had thought about just ripping it, but I started to like the look so I continued. Yes, the scarf would be short but it was kind of cute as a neck warmer.

Well, I was on the last knit row and then the bind off, but something looked kind of strange. The bind off looked nothing like the cast on, it was the total opposite. The cast on had a V shape to it while the bind off had an arrow shape at the end. This is when I really looked at the whole scarf. I laid it out and this is what I discovered.

Can you see it? At some point I missed a row and just kept knitting. I had no idea that this had happened. I was so disappointed and just really upset. I ended up doing this. To the frog pond!

I really do like the pattern and may knit it again, but for now I don't even want to look at it. :(