I know I know

I am horrible and awful and should post more often. You're right I should. SO since my last post, work remains work, where I spend way too much time and I miss out on SnB way too often :-(

I did get to go to Rhinebeck with kaydgirl, animalcopct and tezcatlipoca98!! Yeah for us!

That Big Obnoxious Hat helped us find her the whole weekend!! :-)


For three of us this was our first trip to the New York Sheep and Wool Festival and it was soooo much fun. We left kinda early on Saturday morning and made the 2 hour trek west to Rhinebeck, NY where the fairgrounds are located. There were so many people!! On our way into town we spotted this truck:

I mean really!! Who names a town Coxsackie, then gives a bunch of girls alcohol so we can laugh about it for hours on end even though it was only funny to us? Who does that? :-)

At lunch time we went to the Ravelry meetup and found the rest of our SnB from home which was awesome. Time to compare purchases already made and for the 4 of us to rub it in some more that we had one more day and every one else was going home :-)

After 4 or 5 hours of yarny, fibery, soft good stuff, we decided to make a quick trip to the hotel before the Ravelry Party. We couldn't wait to meet all the wonderful people we know from the site. when we got there we waited in line for the Rav gift bag we were dying for. In it we found a ball of yarn from Webs, a small bag from Della-Q and lots of coupons for all kinds of stuff. Totally worth the wait and then there were Bob cupcakes!!!

And Rav cupcakes and yumminess to keep us occupied while we waited in the longass line for ALCOHOL!!


Once we got drinks we found a place to sit where we made new yarn friends who were also from Ct!! DariaSen and KiwiSeymour were tons of fun and had a good laugh at us as MamaLadyMedic pulled out from her Mary Poppins bag o goodies: sandwich makings, cheez-its, pretzels, cups, plates, napkins, a corkscrew....and WINE!! :-) Such a good planner :-) As we sat down to eat and drink we smelled something burning... nah it had to be the huge bbq pit that had been lit.... Oh No!! It was the Famed Rav bag, set on fire by the lovely candles on the table by Kylie from Schaefer Yarns.


Now we got to meet the other end of the table and found that we were sitting with the Schaefer sponsors and made more yarny friends. (plus got to see what one of the designers is working on before its really a pattern!! So Cool)

After freezing to death for 2 hours it was time to return to the hotel where we continued the drinking fest and listened to Tezcatlipoca98 make excuses for her silly giggling and comments by constantly saying "But Ive been drinking!!" Soon to become the quote of the weekend! Right up there with Coxsackie and the invisible deer AnimalCopCt swears she saw. Maybe she did, she was the only sober one in the car :-) We finally crashed at about midnight and got up at about 8 to head back for more.

The first thing we run into as we come into the fairgrounds is sheep on leash. So funny to see these girls walking their sheep so we had to get pics.

No Kaydgirl you cant take it home...it wont fit in the car!! But thank you for wearing the Big Bright Obnoxious Hat again :-)

We had made plans for lunch with our new yarn friends and knew we had to hit the Rav meetup to find them. We found not only them but Casey, Jess and Mary Heather too!! They are like celebrities to us, we felt like such idiots but it was fun anyway. And Jess had the most amazing boots on!!

Mary Heather was runnin a bit behind so we got a pic with just her after the pic with Casey and Jess :-)

While at the Rav meetup the fabulous Creative let us know that there was NO LINE for the Yarn Harlot!!! Yet another celebrity and something I had reluctantly let go of as a fleeting dream. We figured the lines would be huge and we would never get up there. Creative was right no line, and I got to have my new book signed and the Harlot held my socks!!

Then she was kind enough to take a pic with all of us!! Yay us :-)

After the Harlot there was a tailgating lunch in the parking lot with our yarn friends and then more fabulous roving to buy. This came in huge balls of colorful awesomeness bigger than Kaydgirl and Tezcatlipoca's heads!! Isn't it yummy :-)

On the way out of town we couldn't resist a pic of the best name ever for an ice cream shop!! :-)

A wonderful weekend with friends that I hope to repeat next year. Next year we are goin on Friday tho and finding out where all the other yarny people are staying so we can party more!! :-)

Another Night

As another night drags in this place, I'm beginning to question how much I truly enjoy working nights. The company is usually good as I love the cops that work evenings and midnights and I deal with them exclusively. The overnight EMS crews work fast, clear quickly and don't take any bulls**t. However, tonight the supervisor is driving me a little nuts. I sincerely appreciate getting some help on a scene but I hate being micromanaged and I even more hate being told what to do by a medic with less experience not only in EMS in general but in my company as well. How does that saying go.....? God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change? I would love a little serenity tonight.

On the knitting front, I finished the test knit baby cardigan I was working on and I am very happy with it. The pattern was easy to follow and relatively well written. I will post pics as soon as the pattern is published and I am allowed. Its kinda neat being the first person to knit something. I have hibernated the Anniversary Shawl and am kicking a** on the Wallaby for the munchkin. I finished the body as far as the underarms and started the first sleeve. I have about 2more inches to knit on that and its done. Then the second sleeve, attach them and finish up the yoke and hood. Its coming along very quickly.

Today was my Lil Man's first day of school and I might as well not have even existed. I walked him into the second grade hallway, he put his things in his locker area, walked in to the classroom and never even turned to say goodbye. How do you like them apples!?!? Guess my baby is growing up. Hope he still needs his mommy for some things. :-)

I have done some spinning but not an insane amount, been really busy getting ready for a wedding and a trip to Rhinebeck over the next few months. Both of which should prove to be entertaining. I am the seamstress for the wedding and currently have 4 bridesmaids dresses and one flower girl dress in my living room. 3 of them are done and of the last 2 one doesn't require a lot of work but the very last one is gonna take quite a bit of creativity, which is why it is last :-)

All in all things are going OK, still single. Some days I love it others I hate it but every day I deal with it. I have learned that I will be OK and I am in charge of my own destiny. I will make my life what I want it to be regardless of the people around me. That makes me happy.

Rant

So I am a slacker that hasn't blogged in almost a month. Oops!

I am still chugging away at the Goddess Knits Anniversary Shawl. I am on row 12 of 96 of the final clue. Then edging.

Here is the Wallaby for my niece. Coming along well and should be done for Christmas.


I am also still chugging away on the sweater for my sister and a few other miscellaneous Christmas gifts. I signed up to start Mystery Stole 4 and will probably hibernate the Anniversary Shawl during that time.

On the work front, I currently have no regular partner which usually means a decent person who I like works with me. Tonight is an exception. Not a bad woman just a strain on me. She tries my patience and my love for my job. I have found in this career that the person you work with tends to rub off on you, in both positive and negative ways. I almost always mirror the attitude of my partner. Now I'm not sure whether that is a character flaw on my part or simply the nature of being human but the problems arise for me when I pick up negative habits. My partner tonight has a tendency to be irritable and snippy with patients, family and staff. I struggle most days to keep a smile on my face as I deal with people in the most difficult and at times scariest situations they have been in. It is my job to stay calm, collected and make order out of the chaos I have been sent to. This particular co-worker makes that difficult as she frequently professes how much she hates people and yet, here she is working with people. Her career choice boggles my mind. So far we have had only one patient so as long as the night continues in this fashion I should make it til tomorrow morning with no major mishaps! Hope I didn't jinx myself :-)

The shoulder is doing better, sore tonight for some reason. Maybe its a psychosomatic fear of PT in the am that is doing it. I keep reaching wrong too which isn't helping. I missed an appt with the surgeon last week that I am going to chalk up to a major brain fart during the mourning of my uncle. Hopefully they wont give me too much of a hassle and also in my defense they never called me to confirm the appt. Oh well, blame all around I suppose.

Time for a rest, maybe another round on the Anniversary Shawl. A funny time to try to sleep. I bet if I do a call comes in!

Yeah!!!!

I got my wheel today! I am so very excited, it has been a very good fiber week. Finished the round blanket, finished the mystery shawl which is blocking on my bedroom floor and now my wheel is here. What more can a girl ask for? :-)

I tried a bit of spinning with it this afternoon after having to put it together and I am a bit disgruntled as it was way more difficult to get a nice even yarn than I was expecting but I quickly got the hang of spinning with a drop spindle so I think I will master the wheel as well. Im gonna try to take it to SnB tomorrow morning for some spinning lessons with Jenny :-)

I have also joined a yahoo group that knits for charity. Got a lot going on and need the distraction of helping others. So far I have used up some left over bits to make a few squares. It mindless and distracting which is exactly what I was going for.

I have done a few more rows on the Anniversary Shawl and have about 10 left til I can go on to the next clue. There are 96 rows in that clue then on to the border so maybe another month or so. The rounds are over 500 stitches long so they take a bit. I loved doing the lace but the round stuff is killing me. I think Ill stick with end to end rectangles :-)

More Progress!!

I finished the Spring Mystery Shawl!!!! I am so happy. Cant wait to get home in the morning so I can block it. Hoping to bring it to SnB on Sat and to show mom. Ends woven in and everything :-)

I WANT MY WHEEL! Have I mentioned that I dont have it yet? Im getting very frustrated and not really sure what to do. Gonna email the seller and see if she has a tracking number if it doesnt arrive tomorrow. I suppose the upside to it not being here is that I have not had to forgo sleep to play with a new toy :-)

I did cast on the Wallaby for my niece and have done about 1 1/2" of the bottom ribbing. Im now going to focus on the other lace shawl and once its done its exclusively Christmas gifts til they are done. At least I promise to try :-)

Progress

I WANT MY WHEEL!!!!! :-) The woman I am buying it from got my money last Friday and said it would go out with UPS yesterday so Im really hoping it will be here tomorrow. That seems reasonable right?

So I am making progress in finishing things which is more than fabulous. I finished the pinwheel blanket tonight, ends woven in and everything. I ended up putting a crocheted edge on it and I took a pic but haven't loaded it to the puter yet. I really like how it came out and if in a few months I haven't needed it I may donate it to charity and start another one. It was easy although tedious at the end but I enjoyed it. :-)

I also got 3 sides completed on the edging for the Mystery Shawl. It looks good and hopefully even better once blocked. I'm about 1/4 of the way into the 4th side and hoping the next three nights at work will allow for completing it :-)

The Anniversary Shawl is coming along but I'm still on clue 3 and kinda stalled cause I really want to finish the first one.

I have been good and have not cast on anything so I'm feeling pretty good about finishing some stuff.

Work is work and always will be but its far less drama on overnights and I am loving seeing all the guys I missed while I was out. I start my three days for the week tomorrow, then off all weekend so maybe Ill make SnB on Sat.

Town Festival

So our town is having its yearly festival/July 4th spectacular this weekend and although it's alot of fun it is also a lot of work to keep all these people safe. Its unreal the number of drunk people that can be crammed onto one town green! Thank goodness for the wonderful emergency service providers I work with :-) but its gonna be a long weekend.

I am one round from finishing my pinwheel blanket and it looks great. A fun mindless little project. Now I just need someone to get pregnant so I can gift it :-)

I did a good bit on the edging of the Spring Mystery Shawl last night and I see the light in finishing the first long side this weekend. I caved and bought some yarn and pattern for a new sweater fo my self but have been good in not casting it on quite yet. I will finsh some other things first :-)

My yarn elf didnt get his movie today but only cause I was so exhausted I couldnt handle it. But I made a contract with him for one on Monday with no exceptions or excuses.

So far only one call tonight and Im hopin it stays that way. Off for some zzzz's.

Knitting, Drunks and Other Drama

Im getting a wheel!!!! I have been enable by divinebird and tezcatlipoca and I bought an older Babe wheel off the internet. I cant wait for it to get here! Pics will be posted as soon as it does. I am still cranking along on the 4 oz of handpainted I got from the quild meeting at the beginning of June (I think). My mom has apparently fallen in love with it and now I am in the process of finding something I can knit for her with it.

I have a major case of startitis. I want something new but I have made a pact with myself that there will be nothing new so I am still cruisin along on the Goddess Knits Anniversary Shawl. Im a bit behind, still on clue 3 and I think clue 5 comes out this Saturday. Oh well, Ill get it done. Im done with one short edge of border on the Spring Mystery Shawl and about 1/4 up one long side. Once this long side is done I may cast on the Wallaby I want to make for my niece for Christmas. I bought pink camo yarn and am psyched to do this for her.

The round/pinwheel blanket is almost done. I am putting a crocheted lace edging on it. Tomorrow is the big sale at Creative Fibers so I can get the rest of the yarn I need for it and hopefully some other yarny good stuff.

Im finally back to work and trying my hand at overnights. I did them about 5 years ago but none consistently since then. My little yarn elf was fabulous today, letting me sleep for almost 3 hours and doing chores without being asked! Who said bribery isnt a good way to raise kids? :-) He was promised a movie (WALL-E) if he was super-good this week and let me sleep. So far he has earned it.

My very first call back on the road was for a 21 year old drunk who told family "I want to die". Unsuccessful and in the purple pod at Hartford. Both of my shifts have been completely uneventful and I hope this one continues in that direction as it is now 1 am. I am trying hard to be a real overnight person who stays up all night and sleeps all day. Obviously difficult with the yarn elf running around. Not too bad tho.

Maybe this night thing will leave me with mroe time to blog :-)

Enablers

So I guess the karma that you get for being a yarn-y enabler is having the others around you also become enablers in my fiber demise :-) I have taken the plunge and am purchasing my first spinning wheel! I started spinning a few months ago with a drop spindle and I love it but its time to upgrade already. I will not give up on my beautiful turkish spindle but Im looking forward to learning more.

My latest handspun :-) About 250 yards here from 2 ozs of handpainted I got at Spinners Guild. I still have 2 oz left and hoping to make a camisole top when Im done :-)

A close up of my yarn. Isnt it pretty? :-)

And here is my beautiful turkish spindle I got at guild. I am spinning some beautiful silvery grey bamboo that is unbelievabley soft. Im not sure if Im gonna ply this or what.

And I have stuck to my guns. I have gotten yarny good stuff in the mail but havent cast on anything new! I finished the socks and am working on the border for the Spring Mystery Shawl. Im about a third into clue 3 of the Anniversay mystery shawl and the slippers went inot hibernation for a bit. The cardigan body is done and Im about a quarter down the first sleeve. Forgot about my round baby blanket ;-) I have less than half a skein left and when its gone the blankets done :-)

On the work front, I am cleared back to full duty and will be starting overnights as of Saturdat so should have some funny stories soon!

Forget Bridezilla it was more like Maid of Honor-zilla

So today was my friend's wedding. Best friends in high school that drifted apart and are now back together but in my mind a bit strained over before. Anyway, today was her wedding and it was a fabulous event save for the maid of honor. She is a sweet girl but is very young and has never been in a wedding before and had no idea the duties of being a maid of honor. And although she asked she rarely liked the answers. Made for a difficult few weeks in planning this event but all in all it was a beautiful day, my friend looked spectacular and it went off without a hitch.

On the knitting front I am attacking a few projects, which seems to be my trend. I would love to be a monogamous knitter but the satisfaction I get from finishing 6 projects in one week cant be ignored :-) Of course it takes 6 weeks or more to get there but I get there! I am finishing the Goddess Knits (check her stuff out) Spring Mystery Shawl and just started her Anniversary Shawl. Also finishing up a baby cardiagn (a for the heck of it one), a pair of fingerless mitts out of my first handspun, socks for my lil man and slippers for a girl at work. Oh and a sweater for my sister for Christmas, plus sachets for everyone else's Christmas presents. I dont think I have any sachets on the needles at this point but thats something I need to get crackin on :-)

Also working on my niece's bedroom set for her 2nd birthday present. She is getting sheets, shams, pillow cases and throw pillows in a pink John Deere print that is adorable. Her whole room is being done in this print. :-)

I think that is most of my overwhelming pile of projects. Most everything else is waiting for me to catch up with my self. Nothing else goes onn the needles until stuff is finished I swear!

Mystery Shawls and No Water

So Mr MicroManage was the supervisor again today but I succeeded in avoiding him most of the day and got my stuff done, including my socializing. :-) Works for me!

I came home to the unpleasantness of no water but it seems they fixed that and the karma gods have bestowed my mystery shawl clues upon me early in return. And yes I said clues. Almost done with the first KAL and the second starts now. Hopin I can keep up with both.

Plannin on knittin my weekend away, and maybe spinnin some too :-)

My First Blog

Hi all! I am somewhat new to bloggin although the idea has been kickin around in my head forever :-) Just to begin I am a single mom to one fabulous (most of the time) little boy who is the center of my world. My paying job is as a paramedic in a town in Northern CT. I love my job and more importantly the wonderful people I work with. Today the people I work for are leaving a bit to be desired. A little more background I am currently on light duty after shoulder surgery from a work related injury. I am going crazy!! I spend my day doing errands and ducking my supervisors who live to micromanage. Thats the issue today. I am well aware of the daily tasks that need to be performed in my light duty role as I have been doing them for three weeks now and still I was given a verbal list today from the on duty supervisor. A bit frustrating to say the least. Trying my best to not take it personally and just move on with my day but its tough I wont lie.