New Glasses

So, you might remember that I can't wear contacts anymore. I'm still sad about that, but honestly, when my eyes feel the way they do today, I'm glad to not have anything extra in there!

I swear the eye doc said my prescription "didn't hardly change" several months ago when I last saw her. But I didn't look at the Rx, so I was surprised when I finally did a few weeks ago -- my right eye is .75 worse. Now I agree that's not a HUGE change, but if I had realized it was that much, I'd probably have gotten new glasses sooner!

Anyway. I selected them on Friday, and they should be ready at the end of this week.

These will be my regular glasses:


And these will have tinted lenses for sunglasses:


I can't hardly believe I picked out regular everyday glasses that are lime green! But the ones I have now are held together in one place with thread, and the bow/earpiece thingy is coming unwelded. They're basically junk, so I'm looking forward to being able to see better AND not having to worry about the lens falling out while walking through the grocery store. (Yes, that actually happened one day...)

Cute Overload

You've been warned :)

The San Diego Zoo has a Panda Cam. Well, actually, it's a BUNCH of Panda Cams that make up one totally sweet and adorable feed of real live pandas. There were (ice) birthday cakes earlier for the birthday celebrations... but the Panda Cam is a regular thing, so you can go watch anytime you need a little happy in your life. Enjoy!

Happy birthday to me!

I drove through a thunderstorm to get here, although you might be guessing that from the rain :) There's quite a line -- it's a new enough Sonic that there are still cops directing traffic! But mmmmmm fresh lemon slush...
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A veritable bounty of goodies!

OK. I'm not going to lie... it's been a long week. I am soooo happy it's Friday!

First, I got my long-awaited special order of Malabrigo Sock yarn... 2200 yards of this deliciousness is now mine, all mine.



Second, you'll remember that I totally lucked into winning the amazing blogaversary giveaway at Twist Your Stitches. The package must have arrived on Wednesday... but I couldn't get it until now. That made me cranky, but believe you me, I was excited to get this box!

This picture is pretty much crap, but it'll have to do for the moment:



Peeps, this is one amazing pile o' goodies! Many, many thanks to Rachel for it (go there and show her some love!)... I don't think I'll stop petting this yarn for a good long time.

What's in there? The cutest book (Sheep in a Shop), a pattern for a polka-dotted hat and mittens (mmm... polka spots!), chocolate, soap, lip blam! (not a typo -- reminds me of my childhood friend Linda who always said that, too), hand cream, an awesome button that looks like a stone, a BSA notebook with graph paper (love), a pocket full of posies (go here for the pattern), a pretty cheap project bag... and, um, YARNY GOODNESS.

Yes, I'm shouting. Yes, this yarn is amazing. I want to snuggle it. BSA Suri Merino in Dusk and Fog. Oh yeah... it's delightful. And maybe someday I'll be brave enough to knit with it!

I know, I've been neglecting you...

Maybe I'll be better about posting... things have been more than a little nuts in the last while! I just enjoyed a mini-vacation with my mom and sister, and am looking forward to these half-day Fridays at work :) Now, if it weren't 90* today... and raining AGAIN.

In important news: I followed someone's Twitter link to Twist Your Stitches, and totally won an awesome blogaversary prize including Blue Sky Alpacas Suri Merino yarn and other goodies. Go visit -- you'll like it there! Rachel got added to my blogroll right away :)

And now, since it's 10 a.m. and I'm supposed to be working, I guess I'd better... I was already late to work this morning and the CEO opened the door for me, so my slacker ways are no longer a secret!

Giving people the finger...

My middle finger on my left hand triggered again yesterday. It continually surprises me -- when that finger doesn't work right, it really makes life more complicated!

I found out on Monday that I'm most likely not going to be able to wear contact lenses anymore. Prior to that, I last saw the eye doc three weeks ago, when we decided to order sample lenses of the daily disposables, since my eyes are hard to fit. (I have a difficult prescription due to the weird amount of astigmatism that needs to be corrected, and apparently an uncommonly shaped eye surface. Yeah, I knew you wanted to know that -- you're welcome!) So I scheduled a fit appointment, which was Monday at (gasp) 7:30a. The right lens is lovely, the left one hurts.

Turns out the bumps either haven't gone away or have come back. (Oh -- it's called giant papilloma conjunctivitis... I won't show you the pictures; if you're crazy enough to google it, you can live with the results. But don't say you weren't forewarned!) Since the primary cause of the bumps is wearing lenses, well, lenses are probably out. Minimum time before another attempt is 6 months, which probably means more than a year for me.

So, I'll have a full exam in three weeks (when she'll check the bumps again for progress!), and get new glasses... sigh.

Finished Neck Warmer

Here's my Faberge Neck Warmer thingy, modeled by my Eddie Bauer bear. (Funny, he might be the only stuffed animal I've ever had that doesn't really have a name!) Anyway, made of Malabrigo worsted in cinnabar, with beads and vintage buttons. This is basically a short scarf that buttons around the neck...

And yes, that's my as-yet-unfinished quilt from Carol Taylor's class in the background...

Ruffles and Flourishes - Finished!

Just Enough Ruffles, pattern by Laura Chau, modified with 230 stitches cast on
Malabrigo Worsted Merino, in color Burgundy
Button Basket from Longeberger (thanks, mom!)
Fabric is Moda, I think, from my stash :)

Ruffles and Flourishes... I've always loved that phrase. It's actually a military bugle call, played immediately prior to Hail to the Chief. Chances are good you've heard it without knowing that's what it was called!

- - - - -
I decided to give the pink ruffly scarf a soak and block, too, since it's scratchy and the tub is clean. Fingers crossed... it's lounging on the ironing board now.

Trying something new

I'm going to stop apologizing for the lack of posts... 'cause you don't really care if I cleaned my bathtub or got stuck in traffic or whatever. I'd rather talk when there's something to talk about, even if it's sometimes only interesting to me ;)

I've been working on another ruffly scarf, this time in pretty Burgundy Malabrigo Merino Worsted wool... MMMmmmmmmmmmmmm.... yummy! I finally finished binding it off last night; I made it a little longer than the first, so there were almost 700 stitches on the needles. I tried a stretchier bind off, too, which works beautifully but I did not like doing it at all. K2, slip both back on left needle, then K2togTBL. K1, slip both back on left needle, then K2togTBL. Repeat until you're ready for the padded room, then do some more. I learned I don't generally like knitting through the back loop. Good to know, I guess.

So, the problem most people, including me, have with this beautiful scarf is that the garter edge (which you couldn't see when George modeled it the other day) really folds over to the right side. The only sure-fire way to stop it seems to be a full wet block. EEP! Since the folding drives me nuts on the first ruffled scarf, though, it seemed necessary.

I started by cleaning the tub. In theory, I might have been able to do this in the sink, but the tub needed cleaning anyway ;) I ran a tepid little bath, and doused the scarf, making sure to soak it thoroughly. Malabrigo felts if you look at it crosseyed, so I had to remember NOT to swish it around or anything in my desire to have it be fully soaked. "They" say it takes 20 minutes, but George was rather intrigued by this, so I'm pretty sure I didn't get past 15 at the most.

Carefully squeeze out the water, roll in a bath towel a couple of times to soak out as much excess as possible, and now it's on a sheet on the ironing board to dry. The idea is to make sure the garter edge (the non-ruffled one) is nice and flat. I also wanted to stretch it a little width wise -- it seems slightly too skinny this time around. My guage was definitely tighter, so that's part of the problem, I think. We'll see... this could take a while to dry. On the plus side, the tub is nice and clean ;)

Ruffles and Flourishes

I have absolutely no idea why George-the-cat allowed me to do this :) Since I was sure he'd bite me instead of just sit nicely with the scarf around his neck, I didn't bother to turn it around so the right side was out...

Pattern is "Just Enough Ruffles" by Laura Chau, knit in Burgundy Malabrigo Worsted Merino. Yummy! (This is the same pattern as the pink scarf from a few days ago, by the way, but in much nicer-to-knit yarn.)

I gotta post more often!

My sister has started sending me "bump" messages to blog :) [As an aside, dear one, you *could* start your own blog...]

Nevertheless, I'm here, and watching Iron Chef. Cat Cora is making something with deep fried frozen ketchup canelles. I'm intrigued...

Here's what I've been working on:

It's Faberge Neck Warmer (pattern by Nina Machlin Dayon, published on Ravelry), which uses a beaded trellis stitch. Yarn is Malabrigo worsted merino, in color Cinnabar (yum!).

I also started another ruffle-y scarf in a non-pink color, but it's only eight rows in, so it's not really anything to show off yet.

Enjoy...

A scarf and a quilt block

This is my Just Enough Ruffles scarf, which I made in the last week or so. It's Sheep Shop 1 yarn, in a watermelon shade. It's knit sideways, with 200 stitches cast on, then a triple increase (!) giving one 600 stitches to bind off at the end. That said, it *is* just enough ruffles... it needs blocking, then who knows what will happen after that :)


And here's my late block for Helen, Miss January. She asked for real African fabrics and applique. Luckily, we met a lovely vendor of African fabrics (and baskets) at the Harrisburg show, so I had these two to play with, as well as another that I ended up not using. This is an African drum; it's not as fancy as the work some of the other girls have done, but I think it looks OK. The beading took forever -- I had to use a small needle, as it was the only one without a bulgy eye, and my hands do not like those little needles at all!

Anyway: I'm caught up on my deadlines again. Whew. (Yes, I know I'm late with January, but I promised Helen I'd mail this block today -- not realizing it was a holiday at the time -- so I *do* feel good about finishing it yesterday.

Maybe, just maybe...

I think I might have fixed my internet connection. Of course, I hope I did, but boy, those were fairly obvious mistakes if that's the case :) Ah well... I got a LOT of knitting done and a little sewing while without, so that's not all bad. Now, I need to do a few things, including photographing said knitting and sewing; I'll be back later to share.

Technology

... Has got me down! In trying to fix my wireless, I broke it completely. I'm sure it'll be better after I uninstall and reinstall the router -- as a password-protected connection now that I have lots of neighbors -- but that's a drag. And a long process! Have just spent some time reading blogs on my 'berry... Functional, but tedious, I'm afraid. Guess I'll just knit more tonight; the router will have to wait for the weekend :)
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Weird things that have happened as of 6:27 p.m. today

• The bumps on my eyelids are still there... not getting worse, but not significantly better. That's not really weird, but it's important to the next point.
  
• I went to the pharmacy to pick up two Rx for my eyes, the steroid drops I've been using (as a sample) and an antihistamine drop to try to calm them down some more. They're out of the antihistamine, but I can get it tomorrow. OK -- a hassle, but not a huge deal. I literally drive past the pharmacy every day on the way home from work. More importantly, after waiting and waiting and waiting for the steroid (which comes pre-packaged!), they tell me it's going to be $105. WHAT? I have insurance for these things. The (dippy) clerk says "Well, they paid $75..." Yeah, forget it. I'll call the doc tomorrow and find out if there are other options for that price!
• So I come home, to find out they painted the concrete floor in the laundry room today, so I can't do a load of wash as I had hoped.
  
• Even more odd, George-the-cat DOESN'T meet me at the door. Um, what? I come in, put dowm my stuff, and start talking to him, thinking he must have been sleeping pretty hard, and still no cat. Finally he wanders out the bedroom, takes one look at me and runs back in there, under the desk chair. Now, George loves to be under this chair (it's slipcovered, so it's a nice hideaway), but he usually loves me more. I figure I'll give him a few minutes to get his act together before I panic too much...
  
• In the meantime, I'm wondering if the steroid drops need pre-authorization (my allergy pills do)... I look online, and nope, they're a standard tier 3 drug, for which I should be charged $35. I call the pharmacy back, and speak to a pharmacist, who says the insurance company gave them the price, so I have to call Oxford to resolve this. They, of course, closed at 6 p.m.
• George is now sitting by the door, staring at the cedar chest. Dork.
  

Knitting... a sweater?!

I don't know why, but knitting has really enchanted me this fall and winter. One reason is probably that there's a wonderful LYS nearby, and the LQS I like is 45 minutes away! I've been knitting pieces to make kids sweaters for charity, and I made a few Christmas gifts... so I thought I ought to make myself something nice. I'll tell you, making a nice quilt would take far less prep work.

I picked a pattern, and went off to the store. I knew I'd have to swatch -- knit a 6" square to check knitting gauge -- but I didn't anticipate that would lead to three trips to the LYS in five days! It's good -- the LYSO still smiles at me when I come in the door -- but sheesh. We pick a yarn to try, and I get needles in the recommended size. Cast on 30 stitches, and knit for a while. Gauge is close, but not quite right; let's try the lace pattern from the sweater. Good, I can knit that without going crazy. Hmmm... let's try another needle size to nail the gauge. Oops... went the wrong way -- now I have too many stitches per inch. SIGH. Back to the LYS, where she says I have to block my swatch. Huh? She explains what to do, and I go home to try. This is the result:Cool. It's like a completely different object -- the character of the fabric is so different from the fabric right off the needles. But now the gauge is different, and I really don't know what to do -- other than go to the LYS again! We pick the correct needle size, talk about fitting, and I (ahem) changed my mind about the color. It's beautiful, but it's really blue, and kind of stripey in all the finished pieces I could find on Ravelry. Not a fan of the stripey... so I got this instead:

It's Dream in Color Classy (what a dumb name for a lovely yarn!) in Chinatown Apple. I think it looks kind of like dried apples, as I'm starting to knit it up. Slow going on this one... it's a cardigan knit with no side seams, so there are a LOT of stitches in every row! I'd show you the pattern, but I can't find it off Ravelry. If you're a knitter and on Rav, it's called Summer's End.

So, wish me luck. This could be a good or a bad adventure!

And the sun shone down

Yes, the sun shone today, but more importantly, I finished this block for Terri! (Miss December in the birthday block swap.) It's late, to be sure, but it doesn't look half bad, if I do say so myself.

Terri supplied the yellow fabric to all the swappers, and asked us to use only blue and yellow in her blocks. All of hers so far are gorgeous... I hope mine plays well with them. I got the blue batik in a bundle at a quilt show, and the print at home in Michigan over Christmas. It's so pretty... but so directional, which made things more complicated that I really wanted! I'll give it a good pressing, then mail it Monday. That's a very good thing.

It's a mystery

I had to go on Tuesday for my routine bloodletting. (I say that to be dramatic -- it's just a tube of blood every three months or so to check my thyroid function.) Since I have an awesome vein in my left arm, and I'm not afraid of needles, it's not really a big deal. The only pain or discomfort comes from ripping off the bandage later :)

Anyway, I talked with the doctor today about the results, which are unusual. She's been increasing my dose of Synthroid fairly consistently, trying to get me to a "good" TSH number. Three months ago, my TSH was 4. She upped my meds a little, and this week, my TSH is 8. Lower is better. More drugs should lead to a LOWER number. What the heck is going on?! (Two years ago, when I was diagnosed, my TSH was 11. The lowest dose of meds brought me down to 7 or 8, and I've been working my way down ever since. This is annoying!)

The doctor can't really answer the "why" question right now, although it does explain why I've been so exhaused. For now, I'll be increasing my dosage again and having more blood drawn in 10-12 weeks. And I want to do some more independent reading on managing TSH and hypothyroid. I have a great book, but there's definitely more to learn.

OK. Whining over. In the grand scheme of things, this is not that important. It just, well, IS.

Hmmm....

I think my life is boring. I don't have much of anything to say :) Judy asked today how that could be possible -- and I don't really have an answer.

1. I'm working on my (very late) birthday block for Miss December... but there's a lot of precision rotary cutting at this point, and I need to do that during daylight hours. (*See #3 for why.) Pictures when it's done, I promise!
   
2. I'm swatching for a new knitting project. Not very interesting at this point -- a +/- 6" square of navy blue stockinette... now I have to figure out how to count/measure what I've knit!
   
3. I'm anxious to go back to the eye doctor on Monday. Oh, maybe I didn't tell you this...I have some kind of irritation or inflammation or something on the insides of my eyelids. (I had this once before, about 15 months ago.) It makes wearing contacts utterly impossible -- there's a reason contact lenses are so thin! With lumps and bumps in there, too, well, it hurts. Luckily, I recognized it quickly this time, and made an ophthalmology appointment right away. Treatment is basically steroid eyedrops until it goes away. (And yes, once you get this condition, whatever it's called, you get it with some regularity, so it's going to be part of my life now. Yuk.) Anyway: my glasses are scratched and I have a real problem with glare from lights and my glasses and stuff... careful rotary cutting in less-than-ideal lighting would surely lead to unfortunate consequences!
   

And now, I'm sure you'll want to run over and thank Judy for prompting me to share these fascinating tidbits with you. ::snarfle::

Obsession

OK, my brain is going to explode. I've been looking a images (stock photography and illustrations) for about a week now, for a work-related project. Yes, it's fun, but it's also strangely exhausting. Choosing the perfect keywords to capture an idea can be a challenge, and sometimes I can almost see what I want to find, but it's just not out there in a way I can find it.

So, I need help. One of the concepts is "OBSESSION." Without being a Calvin Klein ad, what kinds of images say "obsession" to you? I'm not necessarily looking for the answer to "what are you obsessed with" (I love fiber, for example, but my target audience is probably reasonably less obsessed with that than I am!). It's more the abstract concept of being or becoming obsessed with something or someone, especially if it's unattainable. Am I making *any* sense at all? Photos, illustrations, art -- just has to be in the public domain or stock imagery (unless you own the copyright and are willing to license it for literally peanuts!) -- give me some ideas and/or some links!

Thank you!