Where's the time gone?

Geez, the last post was over two months ago!  I've been busy though, so no wonder it went so fast.

I have a second job now.  I'm currently training to be a horse-drawn carriage driver at Greenfield Village at The Henry Ford.  I'm having a blast.  I was a bit apprehensive at first, I must admit; I've never worked with horses before and, though I always wanted to work at Greenfield Village, I always pictured just working at one of the homes.  But I am really enjoying it.  I'm learning so much.  Right now I'm working a lot on three-point turns because they just haven't clicked yet; it's the backing part, backing in general is still iffy for me.  I have to practice that a lot.

I've still been knitting too, of course. :)

I participated in a knit-a-long through Celtic Cast-On for the Business Casual Socks:

I also made a basic pair of socks for Josh.  The pair is done, I just never took a final photo:

I made a sweater for myself (the Cybelle Cardigan), but don't have any finished photos of that yet.  It's completely knit, but needs to block and needs the buttons sewn on.  It's really lovely though.  I can't wait till it's actually wearable. ;)

The other day I went to a local knitting/needlepoint shop and picked up a few skeins of yarns.  I immediately cast on for these Vinnland Socks in this amazing variegated green.  It's Knit One Crochet Too's Crock-O-Dye and I think it may be my new favorite yarn (lucky for me because I bought another skein of it in a green-blue-purple colorway).  Anyhoo, I'm past the heel now (so tired of short rows...) on the first sock and I'm just loving them:

I also have another pair of socks on needles that I started back in January, but I'm not really enjoying them so they've stalled.  They will be finished, but...  Blah.  I like how they look I just don't like knitting them.

So that's about it for now.  Work's been keeping me busy and when I'm not at either JoAnn or The Henry Ford I'm reading or knitting and watching tv it seems.  I'm not terribly exciting but I enjoy it. :)

Rav links: Business Casual Socks, Socks for Josh, Cardi for Me, Vinnland Socks.

"We are rich."

Pardon the self-reflective post...

I've been in something of a rut lately.  After all the holiday knitting I've stalled.  I have 3/4 of a sock knit and half a head for the last elephant I'll be making for a while, but that's it.  Josh's sweater is basically done, just needing the zipper sewn in (but I'm without an operable sewing machine).  I have so much yarn - and got more for Christmas, along with other knitty supplies - and so many things I do want to make, I just... don't want to knit right now.  I want to cross stitch, but I don't have supplies for that currently so that's not an option.

I've been reading a lot lately though.  I've finished three books already this year, and am nearly done with the fourth.  I have a few piles just waiting to be worked through, not to mention all the others on the shelves that just want to be read.  I want to read them all *right now* but obviously can't.  But I'm plugging away and enjoying it again.

I'm also in a rut life-wise lately, not just with hobbies.  I was at the DIA on January 2 to see a Faberge show (which was amazing - and of course I picked up a book on Faberge) and in the gift shop they had a book by someone I graduated high school with.  This just depressed me.  I knew she had it out there, but as long as it was just briefly mentioned on Facebook and her blog, safely at a distance through the computer screen, I could ignore it.  But there it was, sitting there.  One more thing looming over me, making me feel like a failure.  I haven't written anything since I graduated last May, though I have ideas, and seeing her book was like a punch to the gut.  I need to write again.  Work on something again.

Additionally, my sister is heading to California in the near future to do work at some sort of farm... I'm not exactly sure.  And she's applied for a Fulbright to go to Iceland.  And she just seems so much... better? than me that it stings.

Josh keeps reminding me that I have things she doesn't have.  And that I can write something out of some of the ideas I have, I just need to do it.  He's helping me keep perspective on things a bit.  Whenever I get down about what I've done or how to manage bills and necessities, he's there to keep me from going crazy with "what ifs" and worries.

There's a scene in the Anne of Green Gables movie/mini from the 80s, after Anne has performed at the concert at White Sands, where she and Diana are looking out over the water at sunset.

Diana: I wish I were rich, and I could spend the whole summer at a hotel, eating ice cream and chicken salad.
Anne: You know something, Diana? We are rich. We have sixteen years to our credit, and we both have wonderful imaginations. We should be as happy as queens.
[gestures to the setting sun]
Anne: Look at that. You couldn't enjoy its loveliness more if you had ropes of diamonds.
Diana: I don't know about that.

I need to listen to Anne.  I am rich.  I have a wonderful husband and a crazy little cat.  We have a home.  I have a job, which in this economy is something to be grateful for.  I have time and means for my hobbies and passions.  I could drive myself crazy thinking about what I could have or could be, not appreciating what I do have.  I'm incredibly lucky.  "We are rich."  We really are.

Plugging Along

I've just cast on with this yarn for Ornamental Socks.  I love this color (it's a bit lighter in person) and I've been wanting to do the pattern since it came out.

I made this last night from the free skein of Knit Picks Biggo I got.  Just a basic seed stitch cowl (the Luxus Cowl), it knit up really fast, though I did run out of yarn so it's a bit shorter than the pattern called for.

The yarn is gorgeous and squishy and soft.  I'll definitely get some again the next time I need a bulky yarn.

My mom's Christmas gift is done. :)  I'm afraid they're a bit small for her, but I hope it'll be okay.  Mine are a bit small length-wise and fit well, so I'm hoping that'll be the case for mom's too.

I'm still working on my dad's hat.  I just... don't care for it so it's hard to want to do.  But it will get done.  But no more hats...  I don't really care for them.  I'm still sewing in ends on Josh's sweater, and it's taking a while and is tedious...  I have a lot of socks in the pipeline (I have a bit of a sock yarn problem...  I need to actually make some of them!), and another cowl, so I want to finish some things up before starting more.  Luckily most of the knitting's been going really fast, so I should get a few pair out before the end of the year.

Getting There

I've been working on Christmas gifts lately, but also a few other things.  Pardon all the phone photos!

A bag for my grandma:

Mitts for my sister:

A scarf for my aunt:

I'm also working on a hat for my dad, but I don't have any photos of it yet.  It's the same pattern as the next one, but in black and red to match a scarf I made him a few years ago.  There will also be socks for my mom, but those haven't even been started yet.

My friend requested a hat.  It's a bit big, but he likes it.  He also is a great hat model, lol:

I'm also nearly done (finally!) with Josh's sweater.  Since these two pictures, I've done the collar and have started sewing in all the ends.  The sleeve cuffs are a bit big and might get ripped out and decreased more; Josh isn't sure yet though.  I still have the zipper band and will have to sew in a zipper.

I've also been making little things for a gift exchange online.  I'm using these wonderful little Lion Brand Bonbons.  They're really great to work with and the colors are great.  They have a few other packs, but I like these colors the best:

 

I've been reading a lot lately too, which I've missed.  I've been reading all year, but sometimes it's harder than others and I'm finally enjoying it again.  I read three books last week alone and am blowing through the current one. :)

I also won a giveaway on Dull-Roar for the "Ghosts" ebook and I can't wait to read it and make some things from it. :)

 Projects on Ravelry: Cat Bag, Mitts, Scarf, Hat, Josh's sweater.

Fall!

I went to the Michigan Renaissance Festival with my mom and sister on Sunday.  It was a really nice day, cool but comfortable, slightly overcast with patches of sun, crisp air, wonderful colors around.  It was lovely.  We were able to get in free thanks to the kindness of a stranger outside the gate with extra tickets, and really only paid for food.  We walked around a lot, looked in some of the shops, and caught a couple shows from Flight of the Raptor.

We also watched a street performer... ;)

 visited the petting zoo...

 watched children ride a camel!...

pretended we were royalty... ;)

 and saw a seahorse.

We had to park in the overflow parking, but had a really nice little walk through a little grassy, wooded area.

It was a really nice day. :)  And a wonderful start to fall.

Elephants and Socks

So, it's been a while.  I finished working at the archives I was at, we moved out of our apartment, we were kinda homeless and so were living with Josh's parents for a few weeks, and moved into a house we're renting in the Detroit area.  We've been moved in for a month now, and so far so good.  Josh has started school again and that's going well.  I'm looking for work and have had a few interviews, but nothing's panned out yet.  It's getting very frustrating so I've been reading, watching tv, and knitting a lot to relax.

This one I actually made back in June, for my boss at the archives.  I didn't know when I'd be leaving (if I'd found a job we would have moved sooner than we did), so I wanted to give her a little something when I could.  She does circus research so I thought the elephant was appropriate. :)

These next ones are three baby gifts I made.  I made one for my friend's new baby, and two for my mom's co-workers (both have had their babies now; a boy and a girl).

I've been working pretty well on Josh's sweater and am more than halfway done with the first sleeve, but it got too hot to continue.  I also wanted some quick projects that I've been wanting to do so I've made some socks (I started these last Tuesday, the 4th).  Monkey:

Kalajoki (the right sock; the left isn't done yet, but I'm halfway through with the foot):

I will probably keep up with the socks for awhile.  I love making socks and I love quick projects and I need to feel productive right now.  I think next will be Riff, but I also have Sinusoida, Paraphernalia, Harold and Maude, Maeva, and a couple others wanting to be made.  I also have a couple hat prototypes in progress that are just okay, and I told my friend I'd make him a beanie for winter, so those will probably get done soon too.  I just love socks. :)

Ravelry links: purple elephant, rainbow elephants, Flying Monkey socks, Laxá/Kalajoki socks.

Pattern for Anne-Girl Socks

I finally got around to editing my Anne-Girl Socks pattern and converting it and it should be ready to go!  So, without further ado here is the pattern: Anne-Girl Socks!

The gauge is 21 stitches and 30 rows over 2 inches in stockinette.  Any size can be made from the pattern, mine are a woman's size 9.