Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Tuesday ramblings

Well, Nick didn't get his cast today.

Turns out the doctor he saw Saturday night was a wackjob hack. He shouldn't have manipulated Nick's arm at all. Protocol says that he should have sent him to Dubuque for treatment. With as bad as the break was, he should have had it set that night by an orthopedist. There was actually an orthopedist that was expecting to see Nick on Monday. We were not even told that this doctor was talked to. The doctor we saw today was not at all happy that the one on Saturday took it upon himself to straighten the kid's arm.

The orthopedist's office was not happy with the insurance issues either. We had to talk to a social worker from the hospital in order convince them that they would get paid. If the Hawk-I insurance doesn't come through, I'll apply for Title 19 again. Found out that my folk's home owner's insurance will only cover $1000. Not so sure that will cover everything or not. I actually had to give the office $300 before they would even see Nick.

Tomorrow, Nick has to go in for a mini physical to make sure that he is healthy enough to be sedated. Thursday morning he has to go into the hospital to have his arm set and casted. They have to put him under so they can fix the mess that the other doctor created. The arm is pretty straight, but not as straight as it needs to be in order for a cast to be put on. The doctor today didn't realize just how badly broken Nick's arm was I guess. Basically, it came within millimeters of having the bone come through the skin. That would have meant immediate surgery. Not to mention and totally hysterical mother. hehe

On the bright side, Nick is not in any real pain. Occasionally he complains about a headache. No he didn't hit his head. I think it is just the strain on his body. He has winced a few times moving around and when we have to adjust his sling he gets uncomfortable. But sheesh the kid is strong and brave on that front. The only time in the whole ordeal that he has cried or anything was when the ER doctor was stretching his arm to straighten it. He is much braver than I am. hehe

In knitting news, I'm up to about row 26 on the new mystery shawl. No pictures yet. Once I get the whole clue done I'll take a picture. I'm up to row 235 on the mystery stole. I've got a long long way to go before clue 4 is done for me. I will be doing at least one increase in length. Once I get that done, I'll decide if I want to go for another increase. I just haven't been able to concentrate on the knitting for very long. But I think I deserve a pass on that one. hehe

Ok, I'm gonna go watch Singing Bee and drool all over Joey. He so reminds me of a guy I had a crush on about 15 years ago.

Monday, July 30, 2007

Kidlet Update



Mr. Nick is doing pretty good today. He hasn't much complained about too much pain. He slept really well last night. He got about 8 hours. Loads more than he got the night before. He doesn't have much of an appetite though. I'm thinking that the Lortab is leaving a nasty taste in his mouth. He has complained that the food I've given him doesn't taste right.



It's been hard keeping the lil fart sitting in the recliner. I keep telling him to keep his arm up on a pillow. As you can see, he isn't listening too well. hehe I had just given him a pain pill about a half hour before taking these pictures. I do believe he was just a lil high. hehe



He looks adorable in this picture though. I might have to have my mom print it off on her photo printer for me. He loves having his picture taken.

We go and see the orthopedist tomorrow afternoon. Due to the insurance issues, I will have to pay for the visit right away. Once the insurance is all settled, they will reimburse me, but it will be at least 10 working days before the insurance is even looked at. Cross your fingers that he doesn't need surgery cause I am not sure I'll be able to swing that.

I'm just glad he is being such a trooper. Hardly any complaints out of him. He was a bit testy last night before we left my folk's house. But I think he was just tired. And pissed that I wouldn't let him play on the computer any more. He doesn't need to be messing with a computer mouse with a broken right arm.

Ok, I'm off to work on the MS3 and the new mystery shawl. I've got the first 14 or so rows done on the new shawl. I'm liking the Zephyr so far. It is kind of splitty though. Oh well. More updates tomorrow night.

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Someone wake me from this nightmare

It's never good when your father walks into your workplace and tells you not to freak out.

At about 5:45 tonight my darling son fell off of his scooter and broke his right arm. After dropping Mom and Nick off at the emergency room, Dad came and told me at work what happened. We work for the same place, so he knew right were I was in the building.

What killed me was that I had a half hour before I could punch out. I was in hell waiting to leave so I could go be with him.

He broke both bones in his right forearm. They put a temporary splint on his arm for now. On Monday I'll have to call his pediatrician and find out where they want me to take him for a real cast. They will have to put him out while they straighten his arm the rest of the way.

Being the independent little shit that he is, he insisted that his grandparents take him to their place. He is going to spend the night on the recliner at their place. I guess that saves me from having to wake him up at 5am and draggin him over there. He absolutely refused to come home anyway. I guess he really just takes after me real bad. When I was 4 or 5 I cut my head open real bad and had to have loads of stitches. I refused to go home with my mom that night because I was supposed to be staying over at my grandparents house (which is where I got hurt). I totally insisted on staying with them over night instead of with Mom. Hell when we left the hospital, he wouldn't even let me hold his other arm to make sure he wouldn't fall cause they drugged him up real good. The boy is a shit.

Anyways, just cross your fingers and toes that they don't have to do surgery on him Monday. And give your own lil turdlets a hug if you have any. I'm gonna hit the sack and try to get some sleep.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

OMG I'm tired

I stayed up until 1:30 this morning reading. Finished HP in a day and a half or so. I will read it again later. I'm going to go back and buy each of the other books first and re-read them. The first time I read them, I had borrowed the books. I really do want to have the whole set in my little library. Yeah, stick Harry Potter between The Shining and The Vampire Lestate. hahaha

I will not discuss specifics about the book for awhile though. Not going to say who died or who didn't. I will say that I did cry a couple times. I was surprised by a few of the deaths or lack of a death or two that I had expected. I am looking forward to how they will bring this book to the screen. And I'm going to have to get all the movies on DVD. The kid is totally wearing out the VHS tapes. hehe Ok, so maybe I have played a bit of a part in that too.

I've started clue 4 of the MS3. I've got about 8 rows done with approximately 1,000,000,000 to go. hehe I'm going to do a double lengthening. I'm a big gal with a big chest. And so far, my stole is just not looking very long. And I think it is supposed to be about 1/3 of the way done already. Ummm yeah. I don't need a headscarf. I just made one of those inadvertently. hehe

The newest mystery shawl from GoddessKnits.com is starting this weekend I believe. I, of course, will not be starting until Monday. Damn job. hehe I do love those pay checks though.

The house is still mostly clean. I'm thinking that Nick has his own personal Peeves following him around. He comes in and POOF there is a mess. It's like a mini explosion going on. I haven't really worked on cleaning up my room yet. I was too busy with the whole reading thing. I just need an extra room added on to this place. Nothing big. It could just be a large closet with lots of shelves and I would be happy. hehe

Ok, I'm off to knit. I've got a long ways to go.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Clue 3 finished



I actually finished it yesterday and got the new charts printed out. But I had to run in to town. I went to the bank and hit the dollar store and Border's.

I managed to pick up a copy of HP at Border's. Wal-Mart appeared to be out. I'm about halfway done reading it already. And that is with taking breaks to do other stuff. Not knitting just yet. Not until I finish the book, because I'm having trouble concentrating on anything else. hehe

I did pick up some yarn at the dollar store. I was going to look for picture frames, but I totally forgot when I saw the display of Lion Brand Incredible. I had always wanted to give this yarn a try but no way was I going to pay $6 a ball for it. Instead, I picked up 18 skeins of it for $18. hehe

Six balls of Autumn Leaves.

Six balls of Blue Shades.

And six balls of Accent on Black.

And here they are together. I may try and make some sort of top for myself. Either stripes or mitered squares. But that project will be some time in the future. I've got too much on my plate right now to mess with anything else.

I'll continue on with the mystery stole as soon as I'm done with HP. I do believe I'm going to add 2 repeats on for length. I have to look back in the archives, to make sure, but I'm pretty sure that when you finish with clue 3 it is supposed to be about 1/3 of the total length. At this point, if that is true, this stole won't even end up long enough to use as a scarf for me. I've got a second ball of yarn, so I am in no way worried about running out of it.

And the newest mystery shawl from GoddessKnits.com is due to start real soon. End of next week I think. I'm quite looking forward to using the Zephyr. I got a whole bunch of information from Sarah's when I got my yarn. It is real nice to have an actual color swatch card. If I enjoy knitting with the Zephyr as much as everyone else seems to, I'm sure I'll be ordering more from her.

Ok, I'm off to read some more. I haven't gotten to terribly upset with the book so far. Although there were a few times where I let out a little yell. There was one certain character that got hurt that kind of miffed me. But that is just cause I have a bit of an affinity for him. Sue will know who I mean. But don't worry, I will not hand out any spoilers. I don't really intend to discuss any details of the book for at least a month or more on here. I know I would be crushed to find out any details before reading them myself. I've deliberately stayed off of many sites for fear of reading anything. I do know a lady on one crochet group had found out something in an IRC chat room dedicated to crochet and it had her near tears. Of course some had to ridicule her for getting upset about it. They obviously are not into the whole HP thing. Not to mention jerks for being cruel. lol Anyways, I'm off.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

shocker

Oh man, I came home today and my first thought was that I had been robbed.

When I came in the front door, I could actually see my kitchen floor. My dishwasher was no longer in the middle of the kitchen. The pile of shoes in the entrance was gone. The pile of clothes on the couch was gone. I could even see the living room floor.

First thing out of my mouth was "Oh shit" Nick looked around and says, "Well I didn't see that one coming" hehehehe

It would seem that there was a visit from the M.O.M Super Duper Cleaning service today. As soon as I grabbed myself a bottle of Pepsi, I went and gave the owner of M.O.M. a call. I do believe I called her a brat before thanking her. Told here that I appreciated it cause it meant I could spend more time reading Harry Potter this week. roflmao She reminded me that I still needed to clean my room and dust the living room. hehehe

My mom is a total clean freak. She can not stand having a messy house. I, on the other hand, am not a big fan of housework. When I get far enough behind in the housework, Mom comes over and does a mass cleaning. She averages a visit like that maybe every 8 months or so.

I seriously did intend to work on cleaning up this week in between reading and knitting. I will try and make a dent in my room. It's never going to be perfect. I seriously need a spare bedroom for the computer and yarn. If I had that, I would be able to have a clean room. Seriously if I had a bigger place, the master bedroom would be for the pc and yarn. I would take the smallest bedroom for me and Nick could have the middle sized room for himself. I would love to have a room just big enough for my bed and dresser and that is it. Well of course, that is if I had another room for the rest of my stuff. Unfortunately, I live in a 2 bedroom place and it is small. The only place the pc will fit is in my room. I have no other place to put the yarn stash. That is why my bed is way up off the floor. hehe

I swear though, if I'm still at this job next year, I'm looking for a house to rent in the next town over. That way we will have more room to spread out in. I would love to have a basement where Nick could have a playroom and I could stash the stash. hehe

Anyways, I'm gettin pretty damn sleepy here. I do believe I'm gonna hit the sack. No knitting progress to report seeing as I didn't knit this weekend. I'm way too tired after work to even think about trying to knit. It would be disastrous. hehe But, tomorrow is another day.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Well shoot

I had hoped to show y'all a finished clue 3 tonight. Unfortunately, I've still got 5 rows to go. I was just too tired when we got back from Mom's to knit. I started to knit a row and found that for over a half hour, I sat with the knitting in my hands while I stared at the computer. So I sucked it up, finished the row I was on and put it down. I would rather wait until Monday to finish it than risk errors.

There were other reasons why I was feeling tired. Today is Mom's birthday. We had to head to Wal-Mart for a card and gift because I spaced on it Tuesday. At the last moment I decided to get my hair cut. Maybe I'll show it to ya next week after I fix the color. We are talking major root growth here. lmao We had to wait almost 2 hours for Mom to get back from her little shopping spree. Turns out about 45 mins after I got my hair cut, she showed up to the same place for her haircut. lol

Had to call my brother to remind him to call for Mom's bday. She though he forgot because she didn't get a card. Turns out he was waiting to bring it to her next weekend when they visit. Sheesh, pay the 41 cents for a dang stamp. Found out he got a tattoo, but I have no clue what it is. Am just shocked his wife allowed it. She did poo poo the idea of a skull though.

Also found out that Dad is full of kidney stones. He had been peeing blood for a couple weeks before telling Mom about it. He is such a dolt. Anyways they are going to do some sort of sonic treatments in water to break them up. They also found that he had a spot on his lung. Mom doesn't ever tell us about health issues until they know results. Turns out it is a scar from some bout with pneumonia or something. Mom thinks it is from a bout Dad had a couple weeks ago. But anyway, it is nothing.

Drives me nuts that she doesn't share until they find out results. A few months ago, I came to visit and had to wait for her to come home. She walks in crying and hugs me. You have to understand, the woman doesn't cry. And she doesn't give me hugs. I get hugs when someone dies or she is drunk. She hasn't been drunk in over 20 years. Turns out she had just got results from a mammogram. She had felt a lump and went for tests. Turned out to be some fluid. Well, she had been going nuts for over a week but didn't say a word until it was over. I wanted to wring her neck.

On the lighter side, the kid once again proved that he is a neurotic bundle of crazy. We went to the McDonald's a few towns over after leaving Mom's tonight. The only thing he will eat there meat wise is a plain hamburger. I ordered him a hamburger happy meal and got myself some supper too. Well a few miles down the road while I'm driving 65 miles an hour on the interstate, he starts freaking out like someone is trying to kill him. I tell him to calm down and pulled over on a nearby road. Turns out they put a regular hamburger in his happy meal. He was holding it like it was going to kill him. I told him to just try a bite but he started shaking like I told him to eat his own shit. I ended up giving him the rest of my fries and I ate his dang burger.

He was still upset when we got home. I showed him the receipt that proved I ordered him a plain burger and he admitted that he heard me order it plain. He forgave me for the great injustice of him not getting his plain burger. There was a phone number on the receipt, so I called and talked to the manager. I relayed our little drama on the interstate and asked her to remind her workers that when someone asks for a plain burger, there is probably a real good reason. She offered to send me some coupons, but I declined. I just told her to remind people to check the receipts. I think she was kind of shocked I turned her down. But hey, it got eaten. The kid was still full. He just didn't get any protein. lol

Anyways, I'm gonna go drag my butt to bed. I really am pooped. The storms the last few nights have been keeping me up. I don't think it is supposed to storm tonight though. Cross your fingers. Don't all have a great weekend without me now. I'll catch up with everyone on Monday. *waves*

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

harrumphhhh

Have you ever watched a talk show and just so wished you could smack the shit out of one of the hosts???? The more I watch this one woman, the more I would love to just smack her. It's like she is a member of some sort of cult and the shit that comes out of her mouth is just insane. She acts all high and mighty but is living in some alternate universe.

I was going to just post in huge letters saying, " I HATE SO AND SO!!! " But I don't need any of her fellow cult members flaming me.

In knitting news, I'm about half way through clue 3. Maybe a lil less than halfway, but close enough. I did some major surgery on the Galveston shawl yesterday before the movie. Somehow about 5 rows before the pattern got way off in one area. I've got it on some of the KnitPicks Option needles. I put the end caps on my working needles and dropped back the offending stitches. I used the tips on my other cable and picked up the stitches and worked them back up in the right darn configuration. This wasn't the first mistake that I had found, but man oh man was it the worst. And of course, I haven't got the ability to just let a mistake be. Even if it isn't real noticeable, I have to fix it. Cause I would KNOW. hehe

We went to Michael's yesterday before the movie and the child has put in an order for a new hat. He saw some Wool-Ease on clearance and said it was pretty. It's color 223 Autumn. I picked up 2 skeins and I figure I can make us some matching hats out of it. Or maybe I'll just make him a hat and scarf. I really don't do hats. My dang head is too big.

Anyways, I'm off to eat lunch and do some knitting. Cross your fingers that I don't snap and try and hurt any other tv hosts. hehehe

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

What is wrong with little boys???

Are they all stinky little pigs????

I just sent the kid to go take a shower. It has been at least 2 or 3 days since he has had one at my house. No clue if he took one at my folk's house when he stayed over Friday, but I know he took one on Thursday.

Anyways, he comes out the shower and his hair is bone dry when I go to check to see if he got all the soap out. Even though he always has fairly short hair, he has troubles getting the soap out. I think it has to do with his fear of getting soap in his eyes. He has to wipe his eyes constantly while he is washing his hair. So anyway, I do the sniff test. He has strong smelling shampoo. It's a blueberry scented Suave for kids type shampoo. (too lazy to go look it up right now) Well, his hair did NOT smell like his shampoo at all. Obviously, he didn't wash it at all.

So, I take him back in to wash his dang hair. And I find his washcloth on the side of the tub and it is still dry. Which means, he didn't wash at all. He just stood in the shower and rubbed off the temporary tattoos that he got at a church fair on Sunday.

I said to hell with it and pretty much washed his hair for him. The whole time he complained cause I wanted him right under the water so ALL of his hair would get rinsed. Made him use some conditioner too, even though his is a 2-in-1 type. Then I put the soap on his washcloth and told him to get washing while I rinsed my hands in the sink. Well I swear all he did was rinse the rag out and stand there. So I freakin washed him off the right way. He protested the whole time. I made him wash his own butt though. He has a problem with wiping and well I'm sorry but I'm past wiping his lil butt. lmao

Safe to say, he isn't happy with me now. It's not like he is modest or anything. He thinks nothing of running around the house naked after a shower instead of just going and getting his damn underwear on. And my mother wonders why I keep the blinds closed. hehehe Oh, and just in case ya wondered, NO he didn't learn the running around naked from ME!!! roflmao I make sure I have at least my jammies on when I come out of the bathroom. He is just a lil streaker.

Anyways, enough about my twisted lil man child. hehe I've gotten 18 rows of clue 3 done on the mystery stole. It's a very easy knit and only 99 stitches wide, but I keep getting distracted. I've also worked a little bit on the never ending purple Galveston shawl. I know I keep yapping about it being a big purple monster, but that isn't a comment on the shawl itself. It's a great pattern and very easy. I only say that because it is soooo big. lol But that is my fault because I chose to do the large square. There are 3 sizes of the square and 3 sizes of a triangle version. Yup, I chose to do the largest version of all. Plus, I knit at least one other full shawl during it and now the stole. So, it hasn't gotten as much attention as it should have. I'm getting close to the end though. I'm really looking forward to actually using this one.

Ok, I'm gonna go knit for awhile. We have to wait another hour an a half for the next showing of the new Harry Potter movie. If someone hadn't needed to retake his shower, we might have made it to the 1pm showing. Not taking any knitting with me as I really want to pay attention to the movie. Just cross your fingers that I don't fall asleep like my dad always does. hehehe

Monday, July 16, 2007

I'm alive!

Just barely. Well ok, it's not that bad. I'm pretty damn sore though.

The limbs are a little rubbery. I woke up last night at about 1:30 and decided to head to the potty. All was fine when I sat up and put my right foot on the floor. All was fine when I swung my left foot onto the floor. The trouble came when I tried to stand up. My left leg was having none of that. No way was it going to hold my big ole butt up. Thankfully, I still had my right hand on the bed when I went to stand up. So I didn't fall. Just came damn close. Once I got my balance, the leg got with the program and I was able to walk to the potty. But for half a second there I was going, "WTF???"

Another thing that is pretty sore is the left arm. Went to pull my right leg up on my chair and used my left hand cause well the legs are a lil tired. Well, let me tell you, the cry of outrage that came out of my arm was none too friendly. I think lifting all that pipe yesterday made my arm think it was going to get a vacation today. hehe

I'm just a big ole pile of whiny bones and muscles today. I think about the only part of me that isn't in pain is the nose. And that lil booger is itchy right now. lmao I suppose that if I had gone in to work this morning, my body would have loosened up and stopped aching so much. But, it's my day off and I slept in. Didn't get up until 10 til 6. Felt like heaven. lol I swear that sounds so sick that sleeping in means gettin up near 6am. I have to be up at 4:30 on weekends so that I'm presentable for work. I do NOT wake up quickly or gently.

Ok enough of the work related whining. I really do like my job. The days are long and I average only 3 hours of awake time after work, if I'm lucky, but it isn't really that horribly dirty or hard. It's not real taxing on the brain. I won't go in to detail about what I do, but I work with pipe all day. I bend it. I drill it. Some of it is quite thin and some looks as thick as a leg. Some is quite long and some are relatively short. It's a very laid back work place. In the area I work in, on the weekends, there are only 4 of us. There are usually 4 other people on the other side of the building, but we rarely see them. Fridays have a bit more activity as there are people that work more of a normal 5 day work week that overlaps our 3 day weekend.

On the knitting front: no progress.

Ok, I did just knit 4 rows of clue 3 on the mystery stole. I'm having a bit of trouble concentrating on it. Plus, the needles are so damn small that it feels weird. I got used to large diameter pipes and here I'm knitting on size 3 circs. Can we say toothpicks? lol I did do some knitting on another project that is on either size 5 or 6 needles and the yarn is way the hell thicker than the stole yarn. But I only did maybe 10 rows on that.

I've signed up for Renee's next mystery shawl. How could I not?? I even ordered myself some JaggerSpun Zephyr for this one. I went searching for the best price and OMG can we say surprising?? (It's a vocabulary building day here at the house of Frod. :OP) I saw a couple places that were charging $60 for a one pound cone. UMMMMMMMM Not ready to spend that much on yarn right now. I have paid a good price for yarn before but daaaaaaamnnnn. I had already heard about Sarahsyarns.com before though. Probably through the mystery shawl group. Anyways, I picked up a cone of Zephyr in Apricot. I had been leaning towards the Lady Slipper, but when I finally went to order it, the color was no longer in the drop down menu. Guess someone else ordered it before I got up the nerve. And hey, how can you pass it up when she only charges $37 for one pound. Yeah, over $20 cheaper than some places. If I like this stuff as much as others seem to, I'll be buying all my Zephyer from her. I'm sure after I've been working a while, I'll be checking out the rest of her store.

I've finally given up on my Addi supplier. He obviously has dropped off the face of the earth. Frankly only a severe illness or death in the family can explain his total lack of contact with anyone. I emailed him over 2 weeks ago, I believe, letting him know that it had been a month since I had paid for the 2 sets of circs that I needed for the last KAL and I still hadn't received them. No response. So, I left bad feedback for him last week and opened a dispute on PayPal. After a week, still no response. So I filed a claim. I have bought from this guy for over a year. I have never had any problems with him. Well ok, last time he had to send a replacement because my needles didn't come. But it only took another week to get the needles all the way from Hong Kong. He has the best prices out there for Addis on eBay, but the last 13 feedbacks have all said that they didn't get their needles and he won't respond to emails. He seems to have dropped out of sight in the middle of June.

Looks like I'll be switching over to KnitPicks needles from now on. That is what I'm using on the mystery stole. They are quite nice. I did get one pair of cables and 2 pairs of tips. So far so good. I just love the flexible cables. Very comparable to Addi Turbos. Ya can't beat the price either. It's much easier for me to pay $6 or so for tips than pay $18 for one needle.

Oh well, I'm gonna go see what the kid is doing. There are some nasty storms heading through eastern Iowa, so I gotta keep an eye on the weather too. Supposed to rain all week and stay in the 80s. Oh Joy!! I'll post pics of the stole when I get clue 3 done. And I'll re give the specs on the yarn since someone asked about it. Otherwise, just go to YarnTreehouse.com and look for Bloom.

BTW go listen to some Flyleaf so you can have the same song going through your head as I do. lmao

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Clue 2 done

I knew I would get it finished at some point today. It was just a matter of concentrating. Which is kind of hard to do with the kid bouncing around singing at the top of his lungs half the day. Plus, I'm supposed to be cleaning. lol

This shot shows the stitches a little bit better.

This one is a bit closer on the colors though. I'm just moving into the brown again. I guess I'm getting about 40 rows of each color maybe.

Ok, I'm off to go put more dirty clothes in the washer. Maybe I'll even put some of the clean ones away. hehe

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Knitting progress

I just finished row 137 a lil while ago. Figured I would take some progress pictures for y'all. I've got about 13 rows left of clue 2. I should be able to finish it tomorrow with no problems.

Almost lost this picture. Uploaded it, typed and poof. It was gone. Shoot, the first time I tried to upload it, I couldn't understand why the hell I kept lagging out. I've stopped naming my pictures cause I take so many anymore and turns out the picture that I was uploading was one of the kid sitting on my bed. It's about 580k. Yeah no wonder I kept going poof. 28.2k is not a good connection speed for uploading pictures.

It's hard to tell in the picture, but the tip of the stole is more blue than brown. I guess the orange t-shirt wasn't the right one to use as a background this time. I couldn't find the red one though. Must be in the laundry. Or on the floor. hehe

Here you can see the main motif in the pointed area. I'm torn between thinking it looks like a dragon or a goat of some sort. It really does look like there is a face there looking back at me. hehe

And here is a close up of some of the beads. Here you can really tell that they are different colors. They range from a flat silver to black and bronze. Some even have a blue tint to them.

I forgot to measure before I started unpinning, but I think it's about 20" wide. Right about what it is supposed to be according to the pattern. Total shocker. LOL I knit nothing to gauge. Ever! I always just fudge along. Shawls and stoles don't mater much when it comes to gauge.

Well, ok, the last shawl was a little disappointing. I suppose if I had used larger needles it might have been larger. But I didn't like the looser stitches. I will make this shawl again in a thicker yarn. I've even looked at a few yarns, but well, I haven't even been paid yet. lol I need to pay bills first and I've got lots of yarn in the stash already.

Anyways, I'm going to go finish up with mail and get my butt to bed. No use getting used to staying up late when I know I'll need to be in bed by at least 9:30 tomorrow so I'll be awake Friday morning. I'll post new pics tomorrow if I get the 2nd clue done. I'll use the white sheet instead of messing with colors next time too. hehe

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

I give

No knitting content to speak of right now. So, if you are here for that, sorry. Maybe next time.

Right now, I am just feeling icky. As soon as my insurance kicks in and the kid gets back in school, I'm getting checked out again for diabetes. God I hate even thinking that it has come to that.

I've been tested before and while my sugars were in the normal range, they were on the high side. Never anything that needed any serious attention. I've always been able to tell when things were a little off and adjusted what I was eating or doing to feel better.

I tried to blame it on being tired from working this weekend, but I really can't. I was in bed by 10:30 last night and got up at 7am. Granted I didn't fall asleep right away or sleep all the way through but I shouldn't be tired.

I had some pizza for lunch and got sleepy. Not at all unusual for me. I usually get sleepy after eating pizza but I love pizza.

Then I had some pasta salad earlier. And again, I got sleepy. About half an hour ago, I got dizzy. I have been having little dizzy spells since.

Granted, it could be the old inner ear thing happening again. I first got dizzy today when I looked up kind of fast. Turning my head is doing it too. The one doc said I had calcium build up in my ear canals or some such BS. I have some exercises that help. I look like a freaking moron swinging my head around and shaking, but they do work.

Right now, I'm afraid that if I try doing it, I'll puke. lol I may decide to lay down for just a bit.

I will be looking into the diabetic recipes that I have stored on my pc. I'm going to cut back on the Pepsi a little bit. A little. I love the Pepsi. Can't live without the Pepsi. Don't tell me to drink the diet shit. Cause it is just that.... SHIT!! I don't want to get used to it. I don't like it. At all.

Ok, I'm gonna go lay down and watch my gossip shows. Gotta see what the twits in Hollyweird are doing. Makes me feel more normal. (Hush up back there you two!)

Monday, July 09, 2007

Monday??

Oh thank the good lord it isn't the weekend any more. Man that sounds insane. HA!

I got to sleep in this morning. Slept until my head started to hurt. Finally drug myself out of bed at 6am. Yes, that is sick! I slept in a hour and a half and I was still up at SIX A freaking M.

But man is my butt dragging. Since about 11 I've been real drowsy. Tried to take a nap but some furry lil beast kept jumping on me and calling for his mom. After about a half hour I was near tears and got back out of bed. I am not a happy camper. I still want a nap.

The pinkie is doing a lil better. It is still being a little lazy but I don't have to work too hard to hit the right keys. The thumb is still sore but I've been able to figure out how to type without yelling ouch every time I hit the space bar. LOL The thing is, I broke my thumb nail sometime last week. No biggy. I used a nail file to smooth it out and it didn't bother me to much that it wasn't straight. Well, sometime before Saturday, my nail kind of pulled away from the skin on the side. By Saturday night it was very painful. I put peroxide on it and antibacterial stuff. Wore a bandaid to keep the metal gunk out of it at work yesterday. The area along the side of the nail is very pink and sore though. Hopefully, it will settle down.

Haven't knitted yet today. I'm just too tired and the hands are sore. I don't want to push it. Tried doing a little gaming, but my brain won't focus. hehe Too bad I don't have any nyquil I can drug the kid with. hehe Just kidding, I would drink it myself and snooze away unawares of his bugging the shit out of me. hehehe

Sunday, July 08, 2007

whimper

Ummmm I'm in pain.

A lot of pain.

I pinched a nerve in my left arm somewhere. My pinky is still very weak. I'm having an easier time of hitting the A key today though. I also have a sore of the side of my right thumb. Right where I hit the space key. LOL So I have to hold my hand different, which hurts my hand.

So of course, there will be no knitting tonight. Maybe not tomorrow either. whhhhaaaaaa

There will be SC though. At least 1 shot. Possibly 2 or 3 or more. lol Ok probably only one.

Now I'm gonna go whimper in the corner. Jess knows why. giggle

Friday, July 06, 2007

Holy FSM Batman!!!!

I am soooooo tired and sooooooo sore it ain't funny.

This chicky is not used to standing for 12 hours. I'm gonna go soak my tootsies and probably hit the sack by 9. lol

The funkiest thing is the way my left hand is twitching. When I hold my hand flat, my index finger and pinky pulse outward. My palm was pulsing like mad earlier. Was quite disturbing. So long as my hand is moving, my fingers do as they are told. If I hold my hand flat and still, my fingers do the mombo. I think it is because I pinched a nerve in my hand from leaning on it. I'm gonna work on not leaning on my hand, but man my feet are not wanting me to put all my weight on them.

Ok, time to soak da feat. Please cross yer fingers that I survive tomorrow. Not to mention Sunday. lol

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Anticipation

Part of me is excited to start a new job tomorrow. I have to get up at like 4:30. I am not a morning person and I need time to wake all the way up in the morning.

But, I'm in the middle of a blue spell. I've been real tired lately. I've also been kind of short with Nick. Not that he hasn't deserved it. Tonight he so deserved a spanking, but I just yelled and sent him to his room. Time out in his room really sucks now. He no longer has a tv in his room so he can't sneak and turn it on. I'm very close to just taking everything out of his room and make him earn it all back.

I'm also a lil down that I can't start on the next mystery clue until sometime Monday. I know I'll be too tired to knit anything complicated. The Galveston shawl is pretty repetitive, I think I'll be able to knit on it without too many worries.

I'm thankfully kind of tired right now. I think I'm gonna go take a shower and get ready for bed. Cross your fingers that I'm able to stay awake all day at work. hehe Knit at ya laters.

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

News

Well it would seem that as of this afternoon, I will be gainfully employed once more.

I'm excited, but worried about the long hours. I'm going to have to start getting ready by going to bed early. No more staying up until 1am yapping with Ally and Sue. lol I'll have to be getting up at like 5am on the weekends from now on. The job starts at 6am and I have to drop the kid off at my folk's house first. I won't be getting off until 6:30pm. It's going to make for a looooong day. But the pay is good and I hear the benifits are great. In fact Mom told me that if I make my 90 days and am around at Christmas time, I'll get a good sized bonus. That would be so sweet.

Anyways, I'm going to go get the kid cleaned up and get ready. I've got to go fill out paperwork and sign away my life. LOL

Monday, July 02, 2007

Mystery Shawl 3 Done


It's a mystery no more. Well except for the name. lol Please excuse the state of the pictures. My batteries are trying to die on me. I so need to hit the store tomorrow.



Recap: The yarn is Henry's Attic Pony 2-ply, 100% merino fingering weight from Wool2Dye4.com. I used Rit dye in the shades of Navy Blue, Denim Blue and Wine. I had wound off half of the cone of yarn which would be about 2,250 yards. I think I might have used 1,000 yards of it. I think I might like to knit this one again and modify it to be bigger.



Finished measurements were about 55" across the top and a little over 30" down to the point. Way too small for me to use as a shawl. When I put it on, the sides don't even go down to my elbows. I think I'll be able to use it as a head scarf in the winter with my big black coat.



It was a very easy knit and I really love the patterning. If I do knit this again, I will just add extra repeats to make it bigger.

Here you can see the beads I used. I did it different than Renee's directions. I used a crochet hook to put a bead on every other stitch as I bound it off. I alternated a solid burgundy bead and a transparent lilac bead. Next time, I'll use larger beads.

And here you can see what happens when you don't rinse enough after you dye yarn. hehehe My sheet now has purple dots all over it in the shape of the shawl.

I'm quite happy that I was actually able to knit this in just about a month. Normally it takes me much much longer to knit anything. I have no idea when Renee is planning on starting another mystery shawl. As it is I've still got the Galveston shawl going and the mystery stole. Well not to mention the 3 sweaters and numerous scarves. hehe

I think I hear some yarn calling me over. Laters!

Sunday, July 01, 2007

A day late

I really had hoped to get clue 1 done yesterday. But there was an impromptu party at the park. A cousin of mine was home for the holidays and it was my great-aunt's birthday. So my aunt through a party at Eagle Point Park in Dubuque.

Here are a couple pictures from the bluff. If you click on them, they will get bigger.





A gratuitous picture of my lil monkey.


There are eagles nest on the bluff where the park is. Yeah, there was a reason that they called it Eagle Point. hehe Anyways, I tried like hell to actually get a picture of one of them. Mostly, they turned out like lil dots.





I've got more pictures from the park, but I don't want to bore you too much. hehe I'm going to be using them as the desktop on the computer I think. It was a lovely day. It was nice to finally get to see my cousin's baby. I even got to see pictures of her wearing the hats that I made her. Twas a tad big too warm for her to wear them at the park. hehe

After the park I was just too warm to knit. Had to put peroxide on the kids elbow as it was looking a bit yellow. Didn't hurt the fart one bit. I put some ointment on it and it is looking much better today.

We then spent the evening at my folk's house. We stayed to see the fireworks set off by the fire department. We didn't get home until midnight. I can't knit on the mystery stole unless I'm sitting at my desk thanks to the beads. So, I finished the knitting of the mystery shawl. No pictures yet as I'm in the middle of the bind off. I didn't have my beads with me last night in order to bind off, so I did 2 rounds on the big purple shawl.

But today, I got busy with the mystery stole and finally knocked out the first clue.

You can really see the color variations in this picture. The last picture made the point seem tan but here you can see it is more blue. I took the pictures on top of my red t-shirt to show off the blue.


Here you can see that the beads are different colors. They rang from a dark silver, to blue, to copper and almost black. All are metallic though.

Next clue will be started out in blue. I had a little trouble pulling the yarn out of the ball. It took me an hour yesterday to untangle it. Which is why it didn't get knit on while we were home. hehe Next time, I swear I'll knit from the outside of this sort of yarn ball.

Now I'm off to finish binding off the dark purple mystery stole. I'm about 1/5 of the way done. Pictures will be posted tomorrow I'm sure. Don't want to be blocking a shawl on my bed at this hour. hehehe