Monday, September 24, 2007

Still floating, but landing long enough for this...

...got my Ravelry invite today. Over there I'm known as 'chaosknitter'. No time now to set anything up...that's for next week when Honey leaves.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

On my way to Cloud 9...no layovers...

...direct flight.

Speaking of flights, The Honey is jetting his way here on the last of his flights. He's had a long day, so is probably exhausted. I've had a long day, and I am exhausted. Somehow I'm sure it won't matter as soon as we see each other down that long airport hallway.

Cue the sappy music as our eyes meet and we run towards each other in slow motion....and I promptly get wrestled to the ground by the TSA and hauled away for a strip search...heh....wadda ya mean I can't go past this little sign that says "Ticketed Passengers Only Beyond This Point"?

OK, so back to reality. All is ready except for a few last minute things. Time to get myself ready...and I'm burning up...guess it's the skirt...OOOH...and I've decided which shirt to wear.

I may or may not post during the next few weeks. I will if I finish the Honey Scarf, 'cause of course it will be gifted right away, so I'll be able to share with you guys.

Something tells me though, that I won't be knitting...just sayin'...

Friday, September 14, 2007

I'm not excited. Riiiiiight.

Well, the Honey is now en route to the airport....sent him off a sweet text message..... awwwwwww....

And here I sit wide awake and it's just about midnight. Argh. Knew this was going to happen though, so I'm going with it. Decided to post and maybe have a round of online Jigsaw puzzles.

The bedroom is all clean and ready. I told myself I wouldn't go to sleep tonight until it was...now if I could only fall asleep. Gah.

Some laundry still needs to be done, but I can do that tomorrow while I vacuum and clean the kitchen/dining/living area and of course the dreaded bathrooms. If nothing else, I'm one hell of a multi-tasker.

Lots of stuff to take out of the house. One load for Donation and at least two to the Annex.

And last but not least...the groceries. If I get up at a decent time, and don't dilly dally, I could even sneak in a nap before Antonella calls at 4pm and tells me to get my ass in gear and get ready.

The Honey's flight arrives at 7:30pm. I'm either going to be there at 6pm, or show up at 7:35pm. That's just how things work in the Chaos...

Oh...hair appointment went well. So great cut, no greys, eye back to normal now - same size as the other one...oh, and Cherry, I did consider a trenchcoat with high heel boots, but since I have neither, I'll just go with blindfolding myself, spinning myself around and bumbling into to the closet to pick what I'm going to wear. It's not like it's all that difficult either. The jeans and sandals are a gimme, I just need to pick a friggin' shirt! If I knew it wouldn't be chilly after the sun set, I'd wear a skirt. But still, all I'd have to do is pick out a friggin' shirt!

I'm hopeless...now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go set up flight tracking for the Honey's flights so I can obsessively watch 'him' as I try and multi-task tomorrow. Oh, and put together a few online Jigsaws.

One. Day. Left.

Then you guys won't be hearing from me for a bit...

As Honey makes his final preps for his trip over, I sit here obsessing about all the things I want to do before he gets here, should do before he gets here, but can't quite get myself up to do before he gets here. Guess I'll save that for about 2AM tomorrow when I can't sleep because I'm so excited and I'll bust if I don't do something, anything to take my mind off it all. And besides, I'm working. Riiiiight.

How about a few updates...

Let's see...oh, eye is 99% back to normal. Phew. What's the point in having a freshly styled 'do with no grey hair if you've got a red, puffy eye to distract from it all?!? I was trying to convince myself yesterday that it was a sexy one-eyed wink. Riiiiight.

Ooh...Honey Scarf! Six of eight stripe repeats completed as of last night. Two more stripe repeats and an extra bit of white at the end left...some blue fringe and it's done!! I'm sure I'll blow off everything else and work on this exclusively until it's done. Whuh...you don't get obsessive like that? Riiiiiight.

Ummm...what else...still packing up stuff to take to the Annex and for Donation. I'll either go after work today or sometime tomorrow. I think I've given up on the whole car care thing. OK...all the guys out there who read this can pick themselves up off the floor now. It's not a permanent thing...just can't get it done before tomorrow night.

Still need to do laundry...argh. Going to prioritize that as well. Stripping the bed and washing all that first. All the rest, well, who needs clothes anyway...

Oh yes...can't forget the grocery shopping. Guess I'll do that tomorrow after I make the rounds with the Annex and the Donation stuff.

Hopefully all this will keep me busy enough so I don't sit and stare and whine at my closet for umpteen hours tomorrow. Riiiiight.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

2 days...

...and I'm freaking out. Lots left to do in the Chaos here to prepare for the Honey's visit. What am I most worried about? Surviving having two men in my apartment. Kitty is already scoping out new places to hide. (now that most of the crap is gone or at the Annex, she's gotta find some new spots) I'm wondering how bad the teasing will get and how much they will eat. I can never keep enough food in the house for Spencer...and Honey is staying for two weeks this time and we're going to eat in as much as possible.

Oh, by the way, my cooking skills have improved a bit lately, so we should be OK as far as eating in goes...if all else fails, I can always make breakfast for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I make a killer breakfast.

What's left to do? Ummm...colored hair last night, so that's done...check! Haircut tomorrow at 1pm...oil change sometime between tonight and Saturday morning...mani/pedi done...check...grocery shopping...sometime Saturday (need to make sure Spencer is safely off to his Dad's so he doesn't eat it all before Honey can get here - teens!!!)....a few more trips to the Annex over the next few days...clean the apartment (need to make sure Spencer is safely off to his Dad's so he doesn't mess it up before Honey can get here - teens!! [hey, I see a pattern here])...laundry...gah! hate laundry!...should really get the car washed...work like a dog with work work (you know how it is before vacation)...ummm...

Oh is that all?!? Actually it's not as bad as it sounds. The hardest part will be getting myself cleaned up and dressed to get to the airport in time Saturday night. I have Antonella at the ready to call me and make sure I've stopped obsessing about what to wear and actually get dressed so I can meet Honey's flight on time. Hopefully this whole swollen eye thing will have worked itself out and I won't look like I paid a visit to the local Fight Club.

Oh, yeah...about 2 hours ago, my right eye started itching and tearing. Of course, like an idiot, I rubbed it. Next thing you know...irritation major. Redness, tearing, itchiness maximus, and the lovely swelling of the lower lid. Don't know what the hell caused it, but that was pretty darn annoying. Not so red anymore, no more itchies, keeping my hands away from it. After some rinsing out and a small bit of ice, the swelling has gone down. Still tearing up a bit though...

...but that could be from some sad news I got earlier from my bestest friend ever while I was growing up in Chicago. Her Dad passed away this past Monday after a long, and painful battle with cancer. He leaves behind a loving wife, 10 children, 22 grandchildren, and many, many other relatives and friends. He lived a full, and long life and will be greatly missed - he was 84. Rest in Peace Mr. K.

I can't help but tear up when I hear news like this...I am human...and it also brings back memories of when my own Dad passed away 9 years ago. That was a very sad time for us, so I know what her family is going through. Wish I could be there in person for her, but she's all the way in Chicago...thinking of you T.

Monday, September 10, 2007

Draw the curtains, lock the door...

...as promised...it's time for some knitty p0rn...

Ready?

This one has to be my favorite. Why? Because I still haven't been able to handle color work and I am awestruck when I see what others have done who can...






A lovely grey St st crew...





Another favorite...love the color blocking.





And last but not least, the Aran...





Can't say much...just letting the sweaters do the talking here. Going to definitely have to shake the hands of Honey's Mum and sneak a fondle of the knitting needle shafts that produced these beauties when I visit the UK. Maybe some of her knitty magic will rub off on me...

Many thanks to the Honey for photographing these works of art for us. Smooch.

Have Aran P0rn pix will post soon...

...I promise.


Honey read the post last week and pulled out the sweaters and shot lots of photos for us. I have been getting them ready for posting (and oooh-ing and aaaah-ing over them) for a few days now. Promise I'll post soon.


I had a lot of photos to choose from and a lot of work work and apartment therapy work to do.


Four sweaters...all very lovely.


I'll stop teasing you now and go back to bed...or am I actually just starting to tease...

Sunday, September 09, 2007

I did it! I did it!

I actually did something I said I would and had all planned out. Must be the end of the world or something...

Anyways...woke up early after another late night...argh...and immediately started photographing the things I had all packed and ready to go to the Annex. After some general farting around, chatting with the Honey and a bit of laziness (hey, I didn't get to bed until 2am), I met up with Antonella. We headed out to the Annex with a new load of boxes, took them up to the Annex using the handy dandy trolley and uber-sized elevator, and proceeded to photograph all the stuff already in there before adding the new stuff. Also picked out a few boxes of crafting stuff that Spencer and I will need when we start our Etsy crafting.

Antonella's reaction to the Annex? "Are you sure all this stuff came out of your apartment? Where the hell did you have it?" But wait my friend, there's even more stuff to bring! Anyway, after finishing up at the Annex, we headed off to Target where I bought the last two clearance storage bins. Wanted at least 4 more, but clearance is what it is...I'm lucky to have gotten any more period.

Another successful day of organizing ending with a trip to our favorite eat and chat place...In and Out.

Tonight, a bit o' knitting on the Honey Scarf, some online puzzle games, some more organizing...and then it's off to bed at a decent hour. I hope.

6 days.

Saturday, September 08, 2007

Hitting the Annex again tomorrow...really...I am

OK, so things didn't quite work out as planned today. Never made it to the Chaos Annex (storage unit for those of you not paying attention), never made it out for a walk this morning. blah blah blah...

Felt like I had been up all night drinking when I woke up this morning. Total. Creative. Hangover. Complete with pounding headache. But I've got a great list of ideas to work on. Whether I get to do them all, only time will tell. But if I don't do anything, I think the creative side of my brain will explode.

And then I'd be using all my nice shitty water-free towels to clean up nasty grey matter.

Yes, it's late...yes, I'm tired. I'll be off to bed in a minute or two or three. Takes a while to come down off a late night burst like last night's. My brain is still running full speed despite the fact that my body feels like it's been hit by a truck.

On to the latest then....picked up some blue see-thru type bins at Target for $5.68...on clearance. Just love clearance...would prefer free, but hey...clearance is the next best thing. Packed up some stuff as soon as I brought them home. Have so many boxes ready to go to the Annex, I just might need to make two trips tomorrow. And that makes me happy. I'm seeing a difference in the apartment now. Very happy indeed.

Very productive afternoon spent with my friend Antonella. We went running about doing some of my long overdue errands and stopped every so often to shop, or eat, or chat. Picked up a new denim skirt - above the knees no less...what's this world coming to...and a really cool pair of baggy jeans for Spencer at the thrift store. They'll fit his waist and I'm pretty sure they are long enough to survive another 3 inches of growing upwards. $12 for both. You sooo cannot beat that. And they both look brand new! Score!

OK, that's about it. Not much else going on. No knitting today, so no fondling of knitty balls either. Sigh. I thought about it though...does that count as actual fondling?

7 days

I knows how you feel dude...

....I feel like I've been up all night...

...dude...

Friday, September 07, 2007

Random thoughts...Decisive Actions...Maybe

Well, here I sit typing in the Chaos when I should be fast asleep. But I can't sleep. My brain is in creative overdrive. I love the ideas I get when I'm like this...but it usually comes at the cost of some much needed sleep. Oh well...

What have I been thinking of tonight? Thought you'd never ask...and it's not about who you think it is...but Honey is still in my mind tho...8 DAYS PEOPLE! 8 days...

If you click on my Etsy link over there ----->>, you'll notice my shop is almost empty. All of my listings have expired in the last few days. I've sold one item...and that was a few days after I officially opened on Jan 1st this year. Bummer? Yes. Discouraging? Not really. I haven't really put that much effort into doing anything to it or adding other categories of things like I thought I would. Good thing it doesn't cost an arm and a leg to have a shop. Anyway, shame on me! That, my friends, is about to change.

All my ideas tonight have been about my Etsy Shop and what Spence and I can make and sell. So it seems like the Creative Muses have made a stop over in Casa de Chaos this evening and beat me about the head and shoulders with their Creative Sticks. I'm a bit bruised and battered - those ladies have a killer backhand - but I now have a list of about 16 or so awesome ideas that Spencer and I can start work on in the next few weeks. The best part? We already have all the materials we need right here in the Casa...or in the Chaos Annex (the storage unit). I did some web research today and came up with some other resources we might use as well. I'm very excited about everything I came up with... all small, mostly useful, and some great gifts/items for the coming Holidays.

I'll definitely post here when Spencer and I get our craft on and start posting our stuff in the shop.

I'm very excited about this...oh! and found something else for me to do as well. Got an email today from a local yarn store...two Sundays a month, knitters go and work on Charity Knitting for local hospitals and clinics. Scroll down to where it says Community Knitters for more info. I know I won't actually go and knit...it's quite a haul from my place to there, but I can go every so often and drop stuff off, right?

Crafting for profit and Charity Knitting. A good combo that should keep me out of trouble for quite a while...

Oh! And I'm starting to think of Xmas presents for this year. All the other crafting and charity knitting stuff should keep you all distracted while I work in secret on those. Yay!

Good grief...who the hell slipped me caffeine while I wasn't looking tonight? What to do now? Can't knit on the Honey scarf. Don't do that right before bed...and I've already done my handcream thing tonight. TV? No. Stupid online games? OK...stupid online games it is. Even though I'm soooo wanting to make something tonight, I won't...because I'll NEVER get any sleep if I start any of that...and I want some sleep tonight...Ooooh! a Yawn! OK...just a few minutes of stupid online games and then I'm sneaking back to bed...hope the Muses have left...

Thursday, September 06, 2007

No film at 11...just photos..but not yet..

Work continues to be busy...spent some very long hours at it these last few days...and this time it was necessary...I'm beat.

Didn't think I was going to be able to do it, but actually picked up the needles last night and knit a bit on the Honey Scarf. After 3 starts, I think I got it right.

Those of you who have been reading here for a while know that I usually can't start something without re-starting and re-starting. (Um, do I really need to mention the whole recycled yarn thing?) Well, the Honey Scarf was no different. It's just a scarf, how difficult can it be to start a scarf?!?

Wait for it...

While I was waiting for the yarn, I started thinking of what stitch I was going to use. Had to be reversible and I didn't really know what weight the yarn was that I ordered - it was the right colors, and that's all that mattered. (that part of the description was missing, but taking a wild guess from the WPI, I figured worsted, and I was right) I had been looking at all sorts of different scarf patterns trying to find the right one. After all, this is a special scarf.

OOohh...lookie...a swatch, a ball, and a few skeins...



Couldn't find anything for worsted that was patterned to look good from both sides, so decided on St stitch. Plain. Dull. Boring. But it would look the same on both sides, right? Right.

Then the white yarn arrived. Cut off a small bit of the yarn to get a handle on the whole wool issue while testing out needle sizes and all that good stuff. Decided St St was way too boring so decided on basketweave stitch. That would look really cool, give the scarf some texture and all that crap, yada yada yada. Knit up a swatch, looked good. I had a winner.

Blue and Yellow yarn finally shows...I start up the scarf as planned...get to the color striping...and yuk. Didn't like how the color changes looked. Especially since I had decided that in order to switch things up a bit, I would do the colored stripes in St St. Bad idea. Color changes looked great on one side, really nasty on the other. Should have known that was going to happen, but you know I never pay attention to any of that stuff...

Ooohhh...lookie again...a swatch and more balls...oh, and some needles too...




Donna visits the frog pond...and casts on with another stitch that shall remain nameless and without a picture since Honey reads the blog. Gotta leave some bit of a surprise in it all don't I? Oh, but you know I had to rip out that one too because I can't count and cast on way too many stitches...

And there you have it..chaotic knitting at its best once again...I'll post some photos of the yarn and subsequent balls later...

Edited: Added pictures of the yarn/balls... Oh, and Cherry, seems I can knit with this wool for about an hour or so before I start to have any side effects. Then it all hits at once...itchy, watery eyes, itchy hands, and dry throat. Now that I know my limits though, I never work on the Honey Scarf longer than 45 minutes...which is how long I can knit on any one thing at any time anyway. Only issue I have is dry hands after I'm done. Been pampering them morning, night, and after every Honey Scarf session with some great cream, so no complaints.

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Woman fondles balls...film at 11?

Ooooooooooh....I've just pulled out Hugo, and have dug out the new bag of yarn out of the closet.

Ladies and Gentlemen...excuse me while I go make balls so I can then fondle and play with them.

After I've gotten my jollies, I'll cast on for the Honey Scarf.

Honey is excited to get it...even though his Mum knits, he's never had a hand-knit scarf. She's made him some wonderful Aran jumpers though. He has promised to pull them out and take photos so I can see them...'cause you know I want to see them NOW and totally cannot wait to see them in person until I go over for a visit. Once I get my mitts on the pix, I will of course, post them so we can all share in the English Aran p0rn...

No pressure...he's just never had a handknit scarf...ever...none at all. Can't tell you how many times I've already swatched for it, torn that apart and swatched again. Hopefully I've gotten that out of my system and can just cast on and rock it.

But first, Hugo and I have some balls to make...and I've got some fondling to do...a knitter's fun with balls is never-ending...

Must. Resist. Temptation.

The rest of the Honey Scarf yarn just arrived! I've put Hugo in a not-so-convenient-place so that I am not tempted to stop work and wind up the last two skeins of yarn...

'Cause I am soooooooooooo tempted to stop work right now...'cause it's been a hell-of-a-day...

Only two more hours left...as long as Hugo is out of sight, he's mostly out of mind. I've also moved the yarn into the back reaches of my closet.

Yes. I am that tempted to stop work and play with balls.

Two more hours or so....argh...

Monday, September 03, 2007

All Hail the Mighty Storage Unit...

Greetings my friends...Spencer and I just got back from taking a load of boxes to the storage unit. Yes...we finally got around to doing it. Loaded up the trunk and the back seat of the car and Spencer held a smaller box in the front seat with him.

Yay!

To be honest, I'd thought I'd feel so much better once I started moving stuff out of the apartment and into our little storage unit. Oddly enough, I don't. Maybe 'cause it still looks like we didn't take anything out - even though we took 12 boxes and a large rolling cooler! Yes folks, I have that. much. crap. I do feel some sort of accomplishment though, because we did take 12 boxes and a rolling cooler to the unit after all. I think it will take another load of boxes to start noticing a big difference. The big boxes we took today were all from the closets, so no, I guess you wouldn't really notice a change unless you went and looked in the closets...

Anyway, I'm still happy I did this, it was definitely a good decision. Wish I could have been in a mental place to do this earlier. It's not like I'm getting rid of it all right away, it's just moving out for a bit. Then I will slowly get rid of it. Yes, I admit it, I have attachment issues when it comes to my stuff. I've had it around me for so long, and when things were bad, my stuff was always there. I think I've finally reached a point where I don't need the stuff anymore, but it's still hard to give it up. But I'm working on it.

I think it'll be easier on my emotions to do this with the storage unit. Now, after I've sorted a bit there's so much of it to take away and so much of it still around. Sorting it bit by bit will be easier on me mentally. Go through just one or two boxes at a time, nothing else is laying about...only a bag or two goes away.

Going to start that in earnest once Honey's visit is over. I'm in too much of a panic mode now to deal with it. Getting it out is the first step and a big one for me, so that'll do for a few weeks.

Speaking of Honey...12 days until he arrives...