I'm back! (Whoo-hoo!)

Actually, I really didn't go anywhere, but was just busy. Busy cleaning up, having parties at my house, knitting, and resting up (and reading a little bit). So, this is what I am working on.


I had to frog the back, because (silly me) I hate doing gauge swatches (you think I'd know by now...) and didn't do a good job of figuring out the gauge...and wound up with a back that was big enough for a person who's like, 6'5" or maybe about LeBron James' height. So I decided to just knit the fronts first. I tell ya, it feels like it takes forever because you not only knit the sleeve, but you knit the sleeve and the front at the same time. So it feels like you've not accomplished much...but you actually have.

I'm almost done with the left front and left sleeve. Hopefully I'll finish that tomorrow, and can get started on the right side (which will feel like it's taking just as long, if not longer, as I probably will start working a little more this week). Then the dreaded back (again!). Oh, by the way, I figured out the gauge this time. Sigh. Just had to go down a needle size.

As far as other yarn/knitting content goes: I went to the Great Lakes Fiber Festival in Wooster, which I think was a blast. I only took about 3 pictures there, I think I had a brain burp, and though i said I was going to take pictures of the barn interiors, I forgot to do that, except in several cases. But there was lots of lovely yarn and the crazy buffalo lady (did you know you could spin yarn from buffalo coats? I sure didn't. Not till I was looking at some lovely alpaca yarn, and wandered to the next booth, where the lady cornered my poor boyfriend and told him stuff like, how buffalo wool is so durable, that she had a pair of socks made from buffalo wool, and all her lambswool/sheep/alpaca/angora/etc. fell apart in less than 5 years, but her buffalo wool socks have stayed in good shape for years and years. And that she cried when she learned how many buffalo were killed back then (enough to feed and clothe the entire western hemisphere). Poor boyfriend. He wanted so badly to get away from the buffalo lady, but couldnt' quite figure out how to end the conversation, but as soon as he saw some potential customers enter the buffalo lady's booth, he was off like a bat out of hell. Hee-hee.

Ok, some of my acquisitions included some very pretty yarn (some as gifts, which i will not post here in case anyone stumbles upon pictures of upcoming gifts), but also some beautiful roving, which is more temptation for me to become proficient at spinning.

Speaking of spinning, there was this absolutely cranky lady who taught me how to use a spindle; she wasn't exactly the most patient person in the world, but I now know how to use a drop-spindle. The boyfriend tried it too, but couldnt' quite get it, and she wasn't very patient with him. You can see how much he loves spindling:

(Hint: He never wants to do it again.)

However, he did enjoy going to the festival, which is a good thing. Plus, he saw some things he almost--I mean it!--almost bought--but his common sense prevailed.

What was it, you ask...

A very cute, very fluffy angora rabbit named Ashley! I'm not even kidding. He was seriously contemplating buying a rabbit!

(Not that I'd mind...hehe. Especially when I can get angora from it). But he thought about it, and was like...well...I'd have to buy all kinds of stuff, like a cage, food, etc., etc....before I can get myself a rabbit. But he did get the lady's phone number, and I would not be surprised, if sometime this year (or next year) he got a rabbit for himself. I think Harvey would be a good name. (Right? ;))

And I got these at the festival:

I will take pictures of the roving later. I'll share those tomorrow or the day after, and think of fun projects for some of these (the last yarn that I showed a picture of--the woman gave me a scarf pattern for it, so I'll try it out.)

And there was sheep judging. The boyfriend was disappointed that it was not a shearing contest.

Ahhhh!

You know, it's so nice to finally not have to study my poor head off, write inane things about different psychological theories that I don't quite understand (but what little I knew got me an A in the class, anyway, so I am very pleased). It's nice to be done cleaning (save for some minor floor-sweeping/window polishing, etc., before a party on Sunday (surprise party for my mom's friend; her husband is borrowing our house under the guise that my brother will be visiting and wants to see my mom's friend before she leaves for a vacation)...

And since I did not have much to do...(plus, I finished off this great book, The Know-It All by A.J. Jacobs, which is hilarious and informative, and makes me want to read the entire Encyclopaedia Brittanica...so I knitted and watched TV (Home Improvement can be quite fun), as well as watching a couple DVDs (Big Lots: $2! Sadly, I think Big Lots has sold out of all the good stuff) -- Advertising Rules was funny (it had the girl who played Lena in Goodbye Lenin! and the woman who played the daughter in Rosenstrasse)...and I'm with Lucy was cute, even if not stellar. I'd like Henry Thomas, please.

At the same time...I knitted. I'm being all ambitious and am determined to knit down as much of my stash as I can during my holiday...so I've taken that turquoise blue yarn and am making Kate Gilbert's Sunrise Circle Jacket.

So far, this is what I have (I'm working on the back). Not bad for a day's work. The color is a lot better in real life.












I will admit that I am slightly terrified of the front, but I will be brave.

And for the moments when I need to pay more attention to what I'm doing (i.e., SnB knitting, or frenzied Ugly Betty watching (by the way, did any of you watch it????!!! So not fair that I have to wait till next season to find out what will happen. Great way to leave us all hanging, LOL!)











I will admit I'm not super thrilled with the way this looks, but it's okay. Maybe I'll end up giving this to my mom or something. It goes along with my goal to stash-bust as much as I can. After this (and the sweater), I'll start another sweater or vest, and finish up my red Noro scarf. And the super-secret double-knit scarf (it's a secret--i want to fiddle with it a bit more...if all goes well, there will be a pattern!)

I'll post the rest of my works in progress as the weekend (or week) goes on...I've got a few more projects that are on needles (whether or not I like them). Well, I've got another hour before I must sleep (party tomorrow, party Sunday! I am a busy girl! LOL!) so I am going to work in a few more rows on the Sunrise Circle Jacket!

Two more days...

Two more days of test-taking (and test-giving). I am officially down to the last 16 students that I'll need to test this week! Yippee! So glad that it's almost over. I think I'll be okay with the law exam; I'm surprised at how much I actually remember from the book and notes--just need to brush up on a few specifics. And I aim high: I'll be happy with...a B.

Now the psychology...sigh...it still continues to whip my butt from one end of the room and back again...but I am sure at Friday night at 9 PM, I will feel a lot better. Because I'll be done (minus the grading, which I will do this weekend)...and I plan on buying myself a pint of peanut butter brittle ice cream from Handel's, which I have not yet tried. And it sounds delicious.

Now, to the knitting content (skipping SnB tonight, of course)...and my SP10 Hostess is asking us: what do we do when we knit? Where do we knit?

Well, I knit in front of the TV. It's a big comfy couch...sometimes I'll watch a Lifetime movie as I knit...or a cooking show...well, anything. I'll even watch it during Ugly Betty. Unless I'm doing something complex (I've learned my lesson now). I tend to sit near the armrest on the left side...prop my feet up on my dad's footstool and knit away! Nothing fancy or spectacular, but it's relaxing and I look forward to doing that again--to a lifetime movie that I taped ("My First Wedding" with Rachel Leigh Cook...)

Two more days.

Oh, and happy birthday to Elisabeth.

What I really wish...

Is that I could learn through osmosis.

I am stuck on ANOVAs. I really don't get it (does anyone know? I'm trying to write my research proposal--rather, a fake one, for my class), and study for my exam on Monday. And everytime I think I have that glimmer of understanding, it blinks out. Augh. The worst part is that I have to take advanced quantitiative in the fall, so I better know this stuff, baby! (Not to mention that I'm not a fan of the professor, who is the only one who teaches the advanced level course. Ugh. 15 more weeks of torture with this guy. Too bad he's cute; his personality does not match his looks--but maybe that's how they get the female PhD students in his class? Relatively young, good looking guy? Then he grouches at you, once he knows you aren't going to drop the class--mostly because you need to graduate? And in order to do so, you better know how to do ANOVAs (all the different types).

Oh, another thing that drives me nuts about my professor. He loves to say, a priori. For weeks, I kept thinking, now what on earth does a priori mean--since I never took latin, and I'd always tell myself that I'd look it up when I get home, and of course, I would forget to do so. So the following week, he'd say something like, You would have to know this stuff a priori. And I'd be thinking, what the heck does that mean? Why can't he just use regular English? I'm sure I'm not the only one who would appreciate it--there are folks there who I am sure have not really heard the word before, and are guessing at its meaning. Or the students who are not from this country. I should have made a note of that on my course evaluation. It would have totally driven him nuts. There are also several other big words/ rare words that he bandies around, but I can't think of them off the tip of my head. Ugh.

I'd also like to put in a request for someone to write my take-home final for pscyhology, too. I am not used to thinking the way psychologists do. I'm much more linear in my field and there is too much theory in psychology for me. Give me facts any day. Although I like creative stuff, this really makes my brain hurt.

Does that sound fair--some osmosis learning for quantitative methods (or someone to explain all those stupid ANOVAs, research conditions, etc. to me), someone to take my written final for me, and I'll take the law one (even though i hate law, too?) Any takers?

On a lighter note: For those of you in this area (NE Ohio) who like Trollbeads or Chamilia, our store is having a trunk show this Saturday, May 5 (yes, Cinco de Mayo)...from 9 Am- 5 PM. Our website (ok, so it's our florist's website, but all the info is there) is at: www.valeegeflorist.com . And if you dont' remember what Trollbeads are, here is my bracelet (also makes things a bit more colorful. Maybe I'll see you there!