unpacking!

Ok, I was going to put more pictures in here, but I can't find my camera amid the mess (that I took pictures of!!) so you'll have to do with out-of-date shots or this post will never go up. I will put up a shot of the finished needle case I made before I left. I was thinking of putting up a tutorial on how I made it, but am not sure if anyone would be interested - let me know.

My life is mimicking my house at the moment - in a bit of disarray, but I think I know where everything is... it's just a matter of it falling into place or my finding a place for it to be.

Mike and I flew to Chicago, packed up and drove back to Charleston. When we got to Chicago, we brought the warm weather with us and all the snow melted, which made packing the truck much easier. We had everything in the truck by Friday around 3pm. My MIL kept calling to check on us, and I couldn't really figure out why. She was concerned about the weather, but Chicago had blue skies and mild weather and we were headed south, so we weren't concerned. Plus, we really couldn't leave until the house was empty and the truck packed. Small unimportant detail.

We realized her concerns when we reached the north side or Indy and the snow started. By half way through the city, we were following the tracks of the car/truck in front of us, as the large snowflakes had rendered the windshield wipers pretty useless. There were blizzard warnings for those headed east of Indy, and we saw 3 snowplows in the 6+ hr drive from Chicago to Louisville. By the time we reached the 'ville around midnight, we were pretty exhausted, and fell into bed without even unpacking our bags due to the heavily falling snow.
We awoke early the next morning to a white wonderland - of which I'll show pic's when I find my camera...and we watched the snow fall for a few hours until the snow plows came through the neighborhood. The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful, and I managed to almost finish a Calorimetry in the meantime. Here's a picture of the finished product:

I'm also working on another pair of fetchings out of some cherry tree possum paints and am almost done with the Quant headband I was working on before I left. Ok, I'm actually almost done with the icord that finishes it, but you get the point....

I was very happy to have Mike's parents to help us unload, they were a great help and we ended up only having a few causalities from the move. We had a small desk loose some front feet because of too much weight on top, and my old Victrola lost a leg. We did figure out that the leg had been repaired once before and just couldn't take it's own weight, but I'm not sure if it'll be worth it to fix it. It's a pretty common model, and the cost of repairs might be more than the price of the piece itself. Right now it's not a priority to fix, but something to keep in mind.

Now it's a matter of unpacking and deciding where everything needs to go. If I can find a good solid place for things, I will be more likely to put them back in their place. It's when I don't know exactly where something fits that it ends up on a counter or tabletop or sitting out instead of being put away - because I can't figure out where it goes, it goes nowhere. So my goal is to get it all put away - properly - by the end of March, and hopefully everything will pull together for April.

Because there are still a few things that need to be settled this month. The house didn't close like it was supposed to the Friday we left. The buyer's buyer was out of town and didn't have their side settled, so we moved up a week. The week has passed and now it's been pushed to the end of the month. We have faith that it will go through, it's just when.

I'm also hoping for my job to pull through by then as well. All signs point to yes, but it's like the house - I'll believe it when the papers are signed and the deal is done. So the goal is, by April 1st to have everything settled - the house, the job and our place - taken care of and 'in it's place'.
So keep your fingers crossed and we'll see where you find me next.

find ... me an umbrella

because when it rains it pours!

The good luck fairies have sprinkled their fairy dust on me or maybe mom and dad have put in a good word for me, because I've definitely been counting my blessings lately.

Why? You might ask? well...

I just got a job!!!! Whoo-hoo! Well, a temp-to-hire job, but it's a job nonetheless. I start on Monday with a company not to far away (Mt. Pleasant). It’s such a relief to have something. Now I know this might not be it, but at least it can get me on my way. Work begets work in my mind. And if it doesn’t work out, then it’s one more thing I can cross off my list of things I thought I wanted to do.

A few hours after I got the message about this position, I got a call about another one - this one just a temp job for a couple of weeks. And the next day, guess what happend? You got it - another offer for a third job! Yeah for me! Now the other two weren't really what I was looking for, but still. it feels nice to be wanted sometimes.

The thing was, earlier this week, I had just talked to my friend Rachel who always is so supportive, and she said – "I just know something is going to come along for you." And she was right. Sometimes you just need to hear it from someone else.

On another note, I just have to say, I married a nerd. In a good way. Mike got his grades, and found out he got a 4.0 for his first semester at school. I guess all the toiling and work while I was in Chicago paid off. I hope now that I'm here I won't be a distraction for him.

Lately, I’ve been reconnecting with a lot of friends and it’s been really nice. Some of these folks I haven't talked with in a few years, and others just since I left Chicago. While talking to two different friends, the topic of "if I could start my own company, it would be..." came up. Now this is an idea I talk with Mike about every now and then, and he always says go for it, but it never really seems feasible. While talking to my friend Abby, she gave me an assignment - to write out a mission statement - just one page, of what the company would be like. I like that idea. Putting it down on paper makes it more real and possible. Now isn’t the time to start a new company, but there's no harm in putting ideas down. So I'm going to try to get that out to her this week.

I thought pictures were going to have to wait again because my iPhoto is acting up and won’t load any pictures on my computer. It'll open, but it sits loading for hours and won't do anything else. Not sure what’s up with that, but I’m going to try rebuilding it as soon as Mike shows me how to backup the pictures I have. They’re there. They're on my computer, iPhoto just won’t read them. But I was able to find and upload them so here's a few pictures of my FO's of late, and I'll do another post all about the whole bunny process later.

Here's the Hannah hat I was working on. Although I thought I had gage, it came out a bit shorter than the picture looked, so I added some extra rows around the opening. The color matches more of what's on my head than the other picture.

The lone fetching is on it's way, and the foliage hat is going to be bound off and it's done. It's nice to be finishing things up and clearing the way for new projects.

Cross one off the list

One of the troubles I've been having with finding a job is narrowing down my list - with a whole world of opportunities open to me, it's hard to choose one thing. It's like that book I could do anything if I only knew what it was. That's part of the reason I've signed up with these staffing agencies. It'll give me the opportunity to try out some positions to see how they 'fit' with me. This weekend, I got to 'try out' a new job, and I've found I can definitely cross this one off the list.

I got hired by the temp agency to do a 'cater-waiter' job. You know - you go to a corporate dinner in one of those fancy hotels, or a wedding or fancy party and they have a sit-down dinner served to you at your table. Well, I was one of those people serving you. It opened my eyes to the strength and dexterity this job takes ... both of which I seem to lack. I had two 10-tops, and between the appetizer, salad, entree and dessert, I will say - I didn't drop one dish. .... now silverware, that's another story.

Mike warned me that I probably wouldn't be able to carry a tray with 10 dinners on it, and he was right. I did manage 9 of the salad plates, but only because they weren't double-plated. The hotel matched us up with the regulars, and the woman I was working with set up a system that worked out pretty well. I was in awe watching her. She was small, but strong and so quick! I'd have half of one table cleared, and she'd be half way through her second.
I did alright - no major disasters (except that my lack of speed caused me to get the shaft when they ran out of beef dinners - my table was definitely not happy about that.) We got it all settled, and I made it out of there without too much embarrassment. I just felt weak, and super slow. I was really impressed with the other servers and have a new found respect for the job. But I can also now cross it off my list of employment opportunities to pursue.

On the fiber side, I've finished the 1st fetching and am almost finished with the 2nd. The first one is a bit short around the knuckles, and I'm thinking of lengthening it a few rows. I'm not sure if it's the picot edging that's the problem or what, but I figured I'd deal with that after I finished the second.

Problem is, when I finished the first, I could tell I didn't have enough yarn for a second. I had guessed this might be the case when I started, and I had a backup plan. I had the remainder of a beautiful green hank of Malabrigo that I'd had been thinking of using as an accent, and decided I would just knit one blue out of the Lambs Pride, and one green one from the Malabrigo. Then I could just use what was left over for the picot edging and if I had enough, at the base and around the thumb.

So, as I said, I'm almost done with the 2nd, and although I thought they were a pretty similar weight, but the Malabrigo is bigger than the lambs pride! Not like, 'I knit these with a bigger size needle', but a little thicker and just ... I don't know - longer. I actually like how the Malabrigo fits better, it comes up further on my hand. But I don't have enough of it to make a second either. This is what I get from trying to be thrifty. I may have to visit Knit K before I go. They knit up pretty quickly, and I can probably get a pair done on the 10 hr. ride to KY or the flight to CA but I was hoping to have them done before I left. Not to mention that my left wrist is starting to hurt a bit. I don't know if it's from the cables, or the DPNs or all the work I've been doing on small needles. But perhaps it has nothing to do with knitting at all. Perhaps it's from trying to lift too many dishes on one tray. Perhaps. No matter, I've at least learned on thing I don't want to do - and isn't that one step closer to what I do want to do?

bragging about nothing

While I'm job searching, I have signed up with a few 'staffing agencies' here in Charleston. I figure it's a good way to get to know some of the companies out there, and perhaps do some work in a position I might not have otherwise considered.

So yesterday, I went to one of these agencies and took their assessment test on a number of their programs - you know, QuickBooks, PowerPoint, Word etc. etc. I am proud to say I am in the 90% ranking on them! whoo-hooo. I'm special. I also noticed my typing skills have greatly improved since the last time I took one of these tests. Yeah for me! I know this is not that big of a deal, but it makes me feel more confident in my skill level. Some of these programs I haven't worked with in years - but I've still got it!

to knit or knit again

I've been in Charleston for a week now, and I've been much busier than expected - in a good way.

Last Thursday I went with Mike to a fundraiser for his school and it was really great fun and very neat. All the different trades had set up areas where you could see examples of their work and talk to the different students and professors about their trade. They had music and food and dancing, all with a French theme. Everyone was dressed up and I got to meet a lot of Mike's classmates, which was fun. I even made a couple of contacts too!

There is an area around the schools workshop area that has some artists studios and shops. While at the event I met one of the owners of a jewelry store called Terra Bijoux. Kelly was wearing this delicate necklace from her shop made of 3 leaves in 3 different metals that was just beautiful. The shops were all closed, but I did get a sneak peak and noted all the great pieces that I liked.

I've also been working on my job search and getting signed up with various agencies. It's amazing how much you forget you did when you look back on a resume. I'm really excited about all the possibility that lies ahead with this job search.

Knitting wise, I've been working on the Foliage hat from knitty. It was not starting well, but I finally got the lace under control, and only worked on it when I could really concentrate. I guess I was concentrating so hard I forgot to check my gage, and now I think the hat is just waay too big. I'm trying to decide - rip it out entirely or just add some ribbing and hope it'll fit someone with a bigger head than mine, and the lace will just be a bit.. baggy. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it, but for now, I'm going to put it down and work on something else. Sometimes you just need to step back from a project.

I really need to finish working on the ******* project for Christmas. I'm not going to talk a lot about how it's going on here, because I think the recipient might have gotten wind of my blog from another family member, and although I'm not sure how often they read it.. I don't want to spoil any more of the surprise. Let's just say it's harder to work on without any table space...or a table. I'll be happy when we finally get our furniture up here, not only to have the hassle of selling the house over with, but to have a place for all my things and to actually do work - both job hunting and crafty stuff.

I love my husband

But I've missed him.

I finally got to see my hubby this past weekend, and it was sooo nice.

It didn't start out so well, with a 2-hr delay in Chicago, (because of bad weather in Atlanta) and then another 2-hr delay Atlanta (because of more bad weather in Atlanta), so I arrive in Charleston at... 3am. But other than that (and the fact it made me miss him even more) it ended well, and really was a wonderful, perfect weekend so I can't complain too much.

Saturday we went to the beach, played a little bocce, and went out for a great crab dinner. That's something I'm really looking forward to in Charleston - eating more seafood!!!

On Sunday we took it pretty easy. Mike wanted to use his grill, so we planned a steak and asparagus dinner, and headed to the grocery store to pick up what we needed - it's amazing how much more you spend with 2 people - we got cheese, and salami, and crackers, and...lots more. I kept having to remind Mike that although I do have a hollow leg, and I know I eat more than my fare share of food, there's only so much I can possibly eat in the next 2 days! Then we hit church and on the way home realized we had forgotten a few things in our first trip. As we were checking out of the grocery store, the lady behind us couldn't keep from laughing as she looked at our loot ... a red onion, a wine opener, a stick of chap stick and a pint of ice cream.

"I don't think I want to know what you guys are having for dinner - that's the oddest assortment of things I've ever seen!"

We weren't sure if was worth explaining the meat back at the house or the fact that I have our wine opener back in Chicago - so we just smiled and let her guess :)