the yarNerd!

all of you who are helping me on my search for Noro Iro c. 26, thank you SO MUCH. you have no idea how much i appreciate this. for some reason, long island just isnt a big knitting-type-place. all of the lys's around here are either of the craft-store-carrying-lion-brand variety, or... they carry kureyon, silk garden, and other various high-price goods packed into a closet-sized space. i wish i had a WEBS, or a threadbear, or a knit happens... but alas, i dont!

i've started an identical shawl in another color of iro i had around. this one's all browns, not NEARLY as exciting as the pink/orange/green/purple color changes of c.26... but i'll get by for now. if i dont find the 26, i'll give this one to my aunt. if i DO, i get to keep this one for myself :)

so here's to hoping i (we?) find the 26! hehe.

i tried this on the RAOK mailing list, and unfortunatly (but not unexpectedly) i've gotten no response so far. so i figure i'll give it one last shot, and blog about it...

i started a shawl for my aunt, who has been the best possible thing for me through all this... well, read down, you'll see what i mean. she likes bright and bold colors, and funky patterns so i thought it would be REALLY neat to make her a falling leaves shawl... but out of noro iro. so far, it's coming out really beautiful, these big, chunky orange green and pink leaves! however... i've already used up one skein, and when i went searching for the other THREE i thought i had... turns out they were in the ONE bag that got destroyed when moving.

there was one, poor, garbage bag that got dropped, and ripped, in a puddle on the driveway. somehow, it got placed next to the heater when we came inside. my insanely hyperactive heater. i think the fact that water got in, combined with the rapid temperature changes, etc... FELTED!!! some of my yarn, while still in skein form. i these three felted blobs of noro iro... (this is the part where a single tear runs down my face... ::sniff::!)

so my plea, to all of you out there, does ANYONE have ANY skeins of noro iro, color 26? it's rather vivid colors, youd KNOW if you had it. i believe my dye lot is F, but at this point i dont really care, with such a variegated yarn, any lot would work.

i cant afford to pay you for it, unfortunatly. however, i'm more than willing to trade something from my rather substantial stash. or books. or, if you're local... a massage?

well, i'm sorry to follow that last post with this one. hell, i'd be sorry to follow ANY post with this one. but anyway.

this is just an advisory. dont expect too much from me in the way of blogging for the next few days. for one, i start my new job tomorrow, AND i'm working a shift at my old job, AND... its going to be crazy. for two... well, there's no better way to say this. my grandfather killed himself this morning. i kind of s uspected dsomething, but he was going to group therapy several times a week, and one on one twice a week, and things were looking up... but aparently not enough. no word yet on arrangements, but its only been a few hours now, so i'm sure that'll come in due time.

i was getting SO much better about posting more regularly for a while there. and with actual knitting content, too! but this last week, life's just run off without me, and i'm still trying desperatly to catch up. so a few quick updates.

a. being lonely still sucks, but my friends are all trying to hook me up with people. its kinda cute, heh.
b. my apartment is finally starting to look like some place i LIVE, not just where i sleep amongst a mess of boxes!
c. my mom's the best, and i love that i'm finally able to count on her as a FRIEND, too.
d. i start my NEW JOB tomorrow!! only a 2 hour shift, but it's sort of a 'warm-up'. i'll let you know more about the position monday, after my first 'real' shift. i have my first real-life job!!
e. money sucks, and so does my 'current' job for not paying me what they're supposed to. i'm out of there.
f. i'm currently making two of glampyre's boob-holders (actually mini-sweater, and sorry i'm too tired to look up the link right now...), one in noro kochoran and the other in red heart. what a world of difference! hehe
g. insomnia sucks. but i'm getting a LOT of knitting done these days. i may even have a FO to share one of these days!!
h. i am FINALLY starting to feel better... i dont get sick often, but when i do it hits me like a loaded dump-truck. then backs up and hits me again. i should buy stock in nyquil, my savior.

now in terms of thank you's. i've had a LOT of support in comments over the past week or so, regarding being sick, lonely, and nervous about job hunting. it means so much to me that people took time out of their day to jot me a note. again, it's... almost 4am, and i only slept a few hours last night, so i'm not in top form right now, but here's a few quick individualized thank you's.
Mrs. R, Danielle, and Jennifer (no link) thanks SO much for the job well-wishing. it's nice to have it over and done, and HAVE a job now, but it was quite the... interesting process. i got offers from two of the three places i interviewed, and turned down the third before they could even offer (it felt like a bad fit from the start), so in the end i frankly feel pretty good about myself, and this whole deal. though i dont want to do it again.
Kae, Kim and Mrs R again... if i had been feeling better at the time i would've most DEFINATLY taken you up on your offers of the online Rhinebeck-non-attendees. i hope you guys got to have some fun last weekend!
Kae, Delia, Gina, stacey and Ambriel (couldnt find your blog because i cant view your blogger profile), the single thing isnt getting any easier yet, but it IS nice knowing there are others out there... i just have to keep going, right?
and last but not least, Kae, Mrs R, Gina, Ambriel, Stacey, Katie O, Bethany and Delia, thank you ALL for your 'feel better' wishes. i have a long medical history, and i dont need to bore you with it, but suffice to say when you have bronchitis AND a strep infection, AND you cant afford much more than nyquil, tea tree oil and garlic to treat it due to my health insurance taking its sweet time kicking in... well, its just never good. and due to a particularly horrible bout with Mono about 2 years ago, i get sicker faster, and for a longer period of time than i used to, and my glands basically go "F*** this, we're swelling!"

adding insult to injury, this terrible, horrible, no good very bad illness combo struck me... the week of interviews, AND right when i was cycling into lonely again (from strong single girl. that phase never lasts too long). so i just kind of... cut my losses and holed up in my room with my knitting and my DVD collection for as much time as possible in the past week.

oh but the point, right... the point. the POINT is... your well-wishing meant SO much to me, and put a smile on my face when i hadnt smiled in a little while. i've been RAOK'd hardcore by the lovely people that read my blog, i cant tell you all enough how much i appreciate you.

i just finished watching john stewart's apperance on crossfire... AGAIN. and i have an idea. what if we could get ALL the knitbloggers against bush to write in john stewart's name on the ballot? quite frankly, i think he would put the most thought into actually running this COUNTRY, not just... the 'presidency' as a job like that... i'm making no sense

a knitting post later, i promise!

but i'm miserable. in like a thousand ways. but i'll just name the two most prominent.

a. i'm sick. like everything aches, coughing, cant breathe, even my eyes hurt kind of sick. i thought it was just a cold until today, when my body decided otherwise. and as if to add insult to injury, i have my period too. that... blows.

b. i'm lonely. i'm not made for being single. i want to love someone, and be loved. i want to take care of someone, and be taken care of when i'm feeling down. i want someone to be excited for me when i get a new job, someone to make me tea and watch a movie with me when my day just sucks... i'm a whole person, and i love me as i am. but i'm made to have another by my side. i hate being lonely.

how does this relate to knitting? i dont know, i dont care. i am NOT knitting tonight. friends dont let friends knit nyquil'd.

oh, and i wont be able to make it to Rhinebeck... quel dissapointment, when it seems like EVERY other knit-blogger in the universe is going. take pictures for me, kay? ::sniff::

you know, i promised a winner before midnight last night, and i didnt deliver! sorry, sorry. i'm just a bit freaked about the interview, and NOW i'm ALSO freaked about the fact that i have to go to this interview... SICK. thanks to a weekend with 6 cousins all under the age of 7. silly cold-carrying monkeys.

BUT, i digress. i know, what's new here, right?

the winner is, TESS TEERAKUL of autumnsnowdust. tess, i'll also be emailing you independantly, and i'll mail your package by thursday at the latest. it would've been earlier, but you know... work and crap! oy.

the other place i was interested in just called back, and now i have an interview with THEM, too, next TUESDAY! however, luckily this one is just an interview, not an interview and a 1 hour practical "audition". deep cleansing breaths, deep cleansing breaths...

next thursday, i have my first... REAL life, applies-to-the-degree-i-paid-for job interview. pardon my french, but HOLY SHIT.

i mean, i can so totaly do this, i've done job interviews a thousand times before (ok so 4). but this time it's not just a "job", i'm trying to get hired in my chosen field. so i take this much more personally...!

a little backround. last may i graduated from the Swedish Institute with a massage therapy associate degree. in august i took the licensing exam. it's now... OCTOBER and i still havent heard back about my license. but i decided enough is enough. i cant stand my current job any more (mental healthcare, the clients are great, the red tape blows) and the few friends i DID enjoy working with have all recently moved onto other jobs. so it's my turn! i can be interviewed and trained without my license, and then i can either work as a receptionist, or "delay my start date" until i do finally get my results.

how does this apply to knitting, you say? how INDEED.

when i stress-knit, i knit like CRAZY. so expect, like 5 finished objects between now and next thursday... heh.

ACK! i'm not ready to be grown-up. since when do *i* have to be respectable and responsible? i didnt sign off on that memo.

tashabear from the knitting community i read on livejournal was called back to active duty recently. it's unfortunate, because she's a newlywed (and what a wedding it was! the pictures she posted were beautiful). however, she said something fantastic in a post to the knitting community today.

"I don't want to debate the pros and cons of this war, as honestly, it doesn't really matter if I agree or not. For me, it's about people, and my job as a transporter is getting people the things they need to stay alive."

whether or not i agree with the war, i think she has absolutely the right idea about it all. and whether or not i agree with the "powers that be", i support our soldiers 100%. i know tasha doesnt read this, but, i wish her best of luck.

now,
onto the contest!
i know it's thursday night, but i'm officially posting the first of my friday contests for the month of october. as previously stated, i'm giving away this:
and a novelty yarn that's to-be-determined.

now that you know the prize, it's time for the rules!
in order to enter, you need to send me an email (please do not leave your entry in the comments) containing an autumn recipe. it can be for a breakfast, lunch, dinner or desert. ANYTHING you please. only requirement is it has to be... well, fall-like. you know what i mean. hardy pasta dishes, squash, soups and stews, biscuits, pies... anything that feels like a warm blanket wrapping around your shoulders on a breezy night.

you can enter as many times as you want, just make sure you send separate entries in separate emails. the winner will be determined on monday, and will be posted before midnight and notified via email. a winner will be chosen at random, using my ULTRA scientific method of numbering the emails 1-# based on the order they come in, then drawing a number out of a hat.

good luck! and... enjoy your weekend :)

i only realized this morning that... my new template included comments, which my old one hadnt. however, the default setting was that only blogger members could comment, and now i've finally righted that. all you readers out there who dont have blogger, you can now feel free to comment toyour hearts content! just, leave me an email address, or webpage, or something :)

in terms of knitting, guess what! you're going to get a photo post tonight :) in fact, TWO. there will be one that you'll want to be sitting down for... i've got pics of all of my stash. and it's EATING my apartment. the second post will be a bit easier, i'm going to post pics of the WIP's i'm actually making progress on (there are many more hidden in the stash piles).

the reason for the delay? well, i found my cable last night, and uploaded like 100 pics that have been languishing on my camera... however i dont have any photo editing software to resize and clean up these suckers. so hopefully i'll be able to take care of that later.

and remember everyone, tomorrow's contest day! i'll even let you in on what the prize is, now.

1-S. Charles Collezione, spring/summer collection 2003 (think warm thoughts in cold weather, right?) full of hot tank tops, shells, and t-shirts.

2-one ball of novelty yarn, make and model as yet to be determined.

see you later tonight, with info on how to win!

for ages, i kept this blog just for myself. i didnt post often, but that was fine because there was no one to really notice. then... along came the RAOK program! kae and steph were kind enough to raise the cap, and i was able to sneak in ;) so now i'm part of this wonderful community of knitters who do wonderful things for eachother, and all of a sudden there are people reading, and COMMENTING! on my blog.

so that leads me to today's question.

what is the proper etiquite for replying to comments? is it more proper to reply in the comments, and hope said person returns, and reads your reply? or is it proper to email them separately and reply to them there? or is it more the "thing to do" to reply to them in the next post you make, as wendy sometimes does?

oh, and either late thursday night or early friday morning a weekend contest will be posted. for the month of october, i'll be giving away fun things in either a random-drawing format, or some kind of trivia deal. i'll figure it out. but anyway, there'll be contests every friday, and winners every monday (as long as i remember to keep this up).

at first, i hated butterfly. silly angles, to much, too much. i really couldnt understand why anyone would want to wear it. but then, one by one, people started posting all these BEAUTIFUL pictures of finished butterfly babes. and now, i want one. i even know what colorway i'll do it in (shh its a secret). but i need the book it's in.

same thing happened with klaralund. now i want one.

but first i need the books they're both in, and my lys doesnt have them, and they dont know when they'll be getting them! ugh.

oh, and, in further evil news, people keep posting finished products from rowan 36, and i havent even gotten off my butt to buy THAT yet either. ok so i cant afford it at the moment... but, ::shakes fist at sky:: SOME DAY!

wanting to eat:
does anyone have a really good recipe for spaghetti squash? hopefully involving garlic? it's about this time of year that i start craving squash. but only spaghetti squash. and i ALWAYS crave garlic.

i <3 ani difranco. i'm going to go scream along with her in the car while i drive to work :)

i'm not involved in any secret pal programs at the moment, but these are some GOOD questions. my family and friends read this blog every now and then, and i think this may help some of them out. so i'll be linking this on the side bar after posting!

knitting query:
1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer high-end/natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you? i'm not a fan of red heart, but i have nothing against lion brand. in fact, i'd love to try out their micro-spun, koolwool, and cotton blend stuff some time. i LOVE high-end fibers, but i'm realistic. lion brand suits me just fine :)

2. Do you spin? Crochet? i started out as a crochet girl, but... ever since i learned to knit, not so much. i just dont like the feel of it any more. i dont CURRENTLY spin... i'd love to learn though :)

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.) just some stupid weeds, nothing knitting-related

4. How long have you been knitting? wow, it feels so recent but it's been over a year now, since i picked up the needles to make my brother a harry potter scarf. oh, and guess what... i havent finished it yet. ::hides::

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? i do, indeed, have an extensive amazon wishlist. oh, and one at urban outfitters. i wonder if urban decay has a wishlist function... wish lists are available on email request, or i may post them here at some point.

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.) jasmine, and flowery stuff. sweet pea, fresia, lilac... on me. but in my house? i like wintery smells when it gets cold. i have what i refer to the trilogy, which i always burn at the same time. cinnamon, balsam fir (or any sort of pine) and apple. smells like christmas!

7. Do you have a sweet tooth? i have a salt-tooth! and a sweet tooth. one of the best things ever is a handful of pistachios and some really sweet raspberry iced tea or something. sweet and salty go every so well together.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? i have a ton of "ideas" but nothing active at the moment. i love collages (sp?), and have a STACK of magazines waiting to be cut up. i used to make jewelry out of wire, i used to do a lot of beading, i used to sew a lot, i used to paint, draw, sculpt... you name it. but, alas, knitting wins out for the sheer fact of portability and being able to do it at work.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? i'm a horrible person to ask that question. i tend to like little BITS of everything, but not everything. there are about 3 songs on top40 radio i dig right now. cant stand country but i love johnny cash. dig Long Island Hardcore stuff, but can only take so much at a time. at the moment, all i listen to is Coheed and Cambria, and some local bands. and elvis costello, squeeze, and nick lowe, the holy trio of new wave.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? pink, purple, green. i could live my life in those three colors. but really, anything rich, saturated, jewel-toned. or muted neutrals. but i HATE pastels.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? i live around the corner from my parents and two younger brothers. at the moment, it's just me and my crazy cat, Rowan. and funny thing is, she was named BEFORE i started knitting and descovered the magazine by the same name. but i love her anyway ;)

12. What are your life dreams? for all of my "alternative" leanings, i have very traditional dreams. just in slightly non-traditional ways. i want to be a massage therapist/farmer/midwife/lys owner. no big deal, right? oh, and i'm also going to have sheep, horses, and cows. and a hot husband, and a bunch of little ones.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? i'm so in love with cashmerino and silk garden right now, but that might just be because i love what i'm MAKING with them. i'd love to try out some kidsilk haze, lorna's laces, etc... the more expensive stuff i just cant swing yet. but, basically anything Noro has my heart.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? NOT a fan of cotton, unless it's a decent blend. it feels starch-y to me, and just doesnt agree with my favorite bamboo needles.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s? interesting, fitted sweaters. i have an oddly shaped body, and when i realized that i could customize sweaters to fit ME, not some idea of what my body SHOULD be, i was over-freekin joyed. oh, and i'm knitting like a million versions of Clapotis from the latest knitty.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? i love my sweaters, but there's nothing like an Instant Gratifaction Project to boost your spirits.

17. What are you knitting right now? audrey, a multi-directional scarf, and a boob-holder. oh, and like a thousand other things, but those are the only ones getting WORKED on.

18. What do you think about ponchos? i think i could fall in love if it were the RIGHT poncho. i saw someone had poncho-ized the charlotte's web shawl, and that might just be it...

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? addi natura's. i'd sell my soul to have a COMPLETE set. i never seem to have just the right needles for whatever projects i want to start.

20. How did you learn to knit? from some website that had some "learn to knit" step-by-step pics. my grandma taught me years ago, and it started to come back to me after that.

21. How old is your oldest UFO? the above-mentioned harry potter scarf, the first EVER knitted item i cast on for. that would make it just over a year old.

22. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird? pooh, invader zim, and the fairly odd parents. and stewie from family guy. animals... i love them all. but i LOOOVE big cats. i want my own tiger.

23. What is your favorite holiday? christmas! we get a HOUSE full of family, and there's truly nothing like knowing you've gotten someone JUST the right gift.

24. Is there anything that you collect? pictures of naturally occurring (or accidentally occurring, in the case of a paper bag once) hearts. movies. make-up. baskets. hans christien anderson and brothers grimm books. cat hair.

i'm thinking more and more about trying to find a way to get my butt to the Rheinbeck shindig going on soon.

funny story. my parents basically dragged me to the Rheinbeck air show a few weeks ago. it was, seriously, incredibly cheesy. but it was ALL worth it for the crazy stunts the "farmer" pulls at the end. his son even did a fly-by on his way home from a show in Rochester, how neat! so after the show we all head into town, and pass the county fairgrounds, where a hotrod and custom car show was just getting out (mmm prettttty...). we hit a lovely little restaurant in town, and while waiting for our table-for-7 to be ready, i spot a county fairgrounds schedule...

Dutchess County Sheep and Wool catches my eye...

and right then our table was called. so other than the fact that it exists, and i havent missed it yet, i know NOTHING about this. but i'm now determined to find a way to go! haha.

but... lets bring this back to the subject bar now. sheep and wool festivals are all well and good for knitters to show off their stuff. unfortunatly the only MAJOR knitted-garment i have to show off is my rowan 'reveal' sweater, which frankly isnt that impressive due to the fact that in finishing it, i pretty much finished it OFF (ug). silly YarnHarlots and their "new aran sweaters". i wont even have audrey done by then!

and i've gone and side-tracked again. my POINT was... i've always wanted to learn to spin, ply, dye, and then KNIT with my own start-to-finish yarns. and i think a sheep and wool festival is THE perfect place to kindle a new obsession, dontcha?

i'm thinking i might make this "frequent posting" thing a habbit... heh.

after painstakingly updating my page, re-doing the template, and making my earlier post, i decided to check my email. and i've been RAOK'd! already! lisa (http://plath.blogspot.com) sent me an online gift certificate for tea. i cant WAIT to browse the store, Adagio tea, later tonight and pick out something delish. one day on this list, and already someone figured out my weakness!!

tomorrow, i start sending out RAOK's. consider yourselves warned!

check out my new lay-out, i totaly dig it :) the whole olive-drab look just WASNT doing it for me, i needed a make-over.

however, that means that i lost ALL of the customizations i had made, and had to re-learn where to mess with things on this new one. i'm very much NOT a code-writing kind of person, so you can imagine how much fun that is.

basically, the reason i mention all of this is... well, if you would please direct your attention to my left-hand side bar. all of my web ring links look all WONKY. and, i'd love to figure out a way to make that side bar just a little bit narrower, too. if anyone here has the expertise to help me out i would be PROFOUNDLY grateful.

now, onto the personal stuff. i tend to keep my personal life and knitting life separate, that's why i have a livejournal, where i post all of my whiny problems. however, i forgot that... my personal life SO drastically effects my knitting life!

i was knitting socks for the boy, and had decided to rip them out after we broke up... but i realized, these are quite possibly the most perfect socks i've done so far. and that would be wasteful! so what i'll now be doing is ripping them down just a BIT, and giving them to my daddy for christmas. they're perfect for him :)

i also knit faster or slower based on emotions. and... in the past few weeks i have become a MARATHON knitter. it's still not quite real to me that we've broken up (said sock-boy), and i miss him constantly (see the LJ for more on that) but... if i keep my hands busy, it makes everything just a little bit easier.

so here's to winter weather, and the knitting of warm things!