Secret Pal goodies!

I received my final package and reveal from my Secret Pal 9. She packed an amazing box of goodies for me:

• Cascade 220 in three sea-worthy colors as she called them
• A small scarf she knit out of Knitpicks Panache which is incredibly soft
• Some yummy looking cookies which I hid so G and I can enjoy them tonight (except I'm really stressed right NOW and I hope they make it until tonight)
  
• A candle which smells awesome- it's orange peel scented.
• Cozy slippers
  
• Some cucumber melon body wash and lotion

The three colors of Cascade go so well together. I'm already trying to figure out what to make but trying very hard to focus on finishing up my school projects due this weekend. But it is such temptation!!



The miniscarf is amazingly soft. I almost wish it would snow again so I can try this out! I need to figure out where to sew on the button she included. I was just thinking the other day I don't wear enough scarves... I always seem to give mine away. So this one will be very welcome next winter.

Thank you very much, Caitlin- what a fabulous package!

Happiness is...

Nearly done socks, and socks to be.

I took in my Sockret socks-in-progress to work today, with hopes of knitting a bit at lunch. As it turns out, we got 6" of snow and no electricity (thus, no computer, no phones, no light and no heat!). I did what I could do without a computer but since I work primarily through email and design programs/word processors, it was not easy. And my supervisors seemed to think if we just waited, everything would come back on. It killed me to lose a whole day of work.... and a whole day where I could have been working on my final projects due on Monday if work was not possible.

So I started working on my Sockret Pal socks- which was really strange to use size 1 needles and sock yarn after working with Lamb's Pride. I reached the next part of my pattern, which was sadly... online, so I had to put the socks away and just shiver and wait. Next time, I'll be sure to have an extra print out in my project bag. I finally left at 1:30- it took me two hours to drive home on the interstate for 18 miles. What a day! I'm completely wiped out and tired, but homework is done and I'm going to knit for a bit to unwind before bed.

Unfortunately, no picture of the awesome sockret pal sock since it will be a surprise later this month.


Trekking 107 and 159

Yarn diet. Schmarn diet.

I think I just did the yarn equivilant of eating my way through a whole box of Girl Scout cookies and THEN running out to buy another box!

Knit from Stash sounded like a great idea at the time, but sticking to it.... needs improvement.

I broke down, big time. I will try to blame it on stress from finals and finally receiving a belated birthday check from a family member (note: my b day is in October so this was a long time coming), but really, it just boiled down to me not wanting to miss an opportunity. Either way, I am really questioning if I should even be trying to knit from stash for the next 6+ months because I'm just unwilling to play by my own rules. I'm a knit-from-stash failure, but I'm going to try to stay on track. At least one more time.

I don't know why it is so soothing (and tempting) to go look at yarn pictures when I want to pull my hair out. They should not let stressed out people shop from home. I guess it should be said that I broke in the wee hours of the night and then this morning, I ADDED to my order before it shipped.

That being said, I was just tormented by a physical trainer for 75 minutes and forced to move in ways I don't think my body would normally go... plus I PAID them to make me hurt on top of my aching hips from rumba-ing last night. So maybe there are not-so-hidden consequences for my actions.

A little frustrated.

My Afghans for Afghans socks will not be done in time. I stayed up last night till 3 a.m. in a knitting frenzy and am halfway through the gusset, but I have 2 final projects due, one of which I swore to finish today to give myself a week to focus on the other one. And as much as I really want to finish these socks, I just can't let myself knit with that looming over me.

Plus I completely forgot I am starting a class in latin ballroom dancing tonight, which G just reminded me to be ready for tonight.

I feel badly about missing this deadline but I will finish them ASAP and send them in for the Afghans for Afghans' next shipment out, or I'll send them off with my Dulaan knits. I am proud that they have no mistakes and that I was able to make them from a fairly vague pattern (I'm still at the point where I need everything spelled out for me).

So while they won't count for the current project, at least they will find their way to someone who needs them, and the Lamb's Pride is making an incredibly warm, snuggly pair of socks.

I just wish I had more hours in the day, or that I knit faster.

Upcoming projects

I've come to the sad conclusion I am not making my deadline for the sock a month KAL for February (which was tonight). I'm pretty sure I could have finished my sockret pal socks if I had kept going (I'm nearly at my toe decreases on my first sock) but I stopped that and started some socks for Afghans for Afghans out of worsted weight Lamb's Pride. I'm on the second sock, about to start the heel flap. I'll update with pictures tomorrow.

But with two final projects and assorted other homework due before March 12 on top of organizing an event at work for March 18, I'm going to have limited time. So instead I will focus on finishing these socks to mail out by Monday so they can arrive by the March 7 deadline, and then switch back to my sockret pal socks to finish before March 31. I think I can do it! Sadly, they aren't blue, grey or white for Project Spectrum but they are colors my sockret pal will like, and in a good quality yarn.

I was looking at Project Spectrum's upcoming colors:

April / May
Green, Yellow, Pink

June / July
Red, Black, Metallics

August / September
Brown, Orange, Purple

and I think I have my next few socks mapped out. Starting in April, I am treating myself to the Socks That Rock Watermelon Tourmaline from my awesome Sockret Pal (I can't wait to get closer to starting this... I've been coveting this yarn bigtime!!)

I'm not sure what May's socks will be, but my June ones will most likely be my Foxy Lady SuperGlitz (red, black AND metallic- how cool is that?)

And much farther down the road... either August or September will be the Lorna's Laces my secret pal sent me (in Irving Park) which seems to match the orange/purple/brown theme pretty well!

So I still have some flexibility in the upcoming months, but some idea of what I'd like to make to match the Project Spectrum colors.