Eureka!

I have just had a stroke of brilliance! Ha! You know that peacoat I’ve been whingeing about for the last month or more? I’ve finally figured out how to make sure I get a coat without wasting all that yarn. I’ll simply knit it tight, and not felt it! It will still be nice and warm, although I won’t do it quite as long as I was originally planning to. I’ll use a woven stitch with small needles, and maybe even line it when I’m done, like I wanted to. It will make everything a hell of a lot easier, and still look great. And even though I’ll be using smaller needles, and therefore more yarn per square inch, I’ll be doing a smaller area, cause I wont have to worry about felted shrinkage.

Just though I’d get this written down before I forgot about it. Yay!

Roller Coaster

I’m not sure what it is, but my emotions have been on bit of a roller coaster lately. And not just this past week. I know that some of the downs are being away from Ty, living at home, summer doldrums (despite the job), and things of that nature. But also I will occasionally have really good times, when I’m happy for no reason. Although I’m definitely happiest when I’m near Ty, or at least forget that he’ll be gone soon. Another big part of it is just being alone. Which I think I’ve already mentioned, but I miss all of the random people at school. And it’s weird, because I’m alone, but not necessarily by myself. My parents are at home, there are people on the train, people at work, etc, but I don’t have much time to be completely by myself, to have any privacy. Not that I need to do something private, but every once and a while it’s nice to relax and not have to think about anyone or anything but yourself.

I have three weeks until I go back to school, and I’ll finish up work a few days before then. Ty’s coming this weekend, and then again in two weeks. Andrea is leaving this weekend, and Claire’s leaving next weekend. Eliza and Zara will both be gone for a week, then back for a few days before school. The summer’s definitely ending, but I feel less like it is than a week ago, which is odd. I definitely think I’m ready for change, but kind of scared of this upcoming semester. I signed up for all science classes, and way too many credits. Ty wont be here, two of my other friends will be gone for the semester. I really want to get my SnB going this year, and do more with tech, but I’m afraid that I’ll have little time, and no motivation.

In happier news, my Starburst Shrug is coming along nicely. I won’t put up any pictures yet because I might actually submit it to knitty for the spring issue, I’ll definitely finish in time for that deadline. I think my peacoat is a bust. I still haven’t felted that piece, and now I kinda don’t want to. Though I still really want a peacoat. I’ll probably just by a cheap one somewhere this fall, before it gets too cold.

I ordered the yarn for my Working Diamonds sweater, and I also bought some more sock yarn, and managed to come up with a color chart for it too! I’m actually really excited to work with color, because I haven’t done anything more exciting than stripes so far. This next weekend I’m hoping to make my homemade umbrella swift, which seems much nicer than my knees. Although I’ll still be winding by hand, but I’ll save up for a ball winder someday. I just hate spending money on stuff like that when I can spend it on yarn.

Done!

I finally finished my peacock socks!! Yay! Here are some lovely pictures:

I gave them to my friend Eliza, who actually seemed excited to have them. She even paid me for the yarn. So now I know that if I make more socks, I have someone to give them to. Pattern will be up soon, as soon as I’m not lazy.

I started a new project. A little sweater top. With short sleeves and some buttons, ending right below the bust. I think it will work out alright, but I’m not sure what the front shaping will be like. I’ll definitely be buying some knitpicks soon, now that it’s officially August.

It’s weird to think that I’ll be back at school soon. Especially since Ty found out that he’ll probably be going to South Africa as soon as September 1st. I think being at school will be better than home and work. A better schedule, and more people. I miss all the people, even the ones I don’t know. I’m not sure how all of my yarn is going to fit in my dorm…

I still haven’t felted my peacoat piece, maybe today. I’m very apprehensive thought. Maybe I’ll just work on my new project. I like new projects.

August? Really?

Ok, so I still have a few days, but it’s coming! I’m both excited and shocked at its early arrival, despite the fact that it’s right on time. My presentation for work is on Thursday, and I think it’s actually coming along nicely. The slides at least. I’m sure that once I stand up there in front of all those people, I’ll blank. Hopefully no one will laugh at me if I bring a little note card up to help me if I need it. Friday, the first day of August, is the company summer outing. It sounds fun, mostly, but I’m not sure if I’m going. Being stuck at some place all day with few people I know, and lots of people I don’t doesn’t exactly sound like the most exciting thing.

This week’s big news, though, is Ty finally receiving some more concrete information on working in South Africa. Since they had started to talk about it, he found out that he would probably be sent down before Christmas, for two years. Now he knows that he’ll be going down in about two months (still for about two years). And no, I am not happy about this. So far, the only good thing to come out of this is him getting in one more visit to Boston in August. We’ve also been discussing me going down there for spring break, and possibly studying there for the summer, or finding an internship. He doesn’t know how much time he’ll have off, and therefore how often he can come back to the States.

Strangely enough, one of the things that’s been on my mind the most, is getting engaged. Because in my eyes, we both have to be in the States for that, it can’t happen in South Africa, simply because then it would be me going back to my parents and telling them alone. And we both know that we can’t wait until the two years are over. Of course one of the things he mentioned is that one of South Africa’s biggest exports is diamonds, and therefore they would be much cheaper down there, which I completely agree with. I’ve had fantasies of him surprising me with a ring on Labor Day when I’m moving back to school with my parents, but I’m almost 100% sure that that’s not going to happen, especially with the comment about diamonds. He also mentioned that he could just announce it when he’s up in Vermont with me and my parents, in two weeks. And as much as I would love that, the bottom line is that I don’t want to know about it. Because I won’t be able to handle worrying about it until then, or any other time. So even though I really want to get engaged before he goes (making him being gone a little easier), I need to have in my mind that it’s not going to happen, whether or not that’s true.

On a more light-hearted and knitting note, I’ve finally finished the first peacock sock!!! After multiple attempts and many weeks, it is done. And I’ve even started the second one, and I’m practically at the heel! Pictures and the pattern will be up soon. I’ve been so antsy to start new projects recently, which is why I want to finish this one so much. I finished another front panel for my peacoat, but am very apprehensive about felting it. Perhaps I will be up to the task tonight. I’ve pretty much decided that this is a definite no for submission to knitty, but maybe I’ll get something else done in time? September’s coming fast.

Another Bad Day in the Land of Dana

Go figure that everything that would make me a little less happy ganged up on me for one day of miserableness. Hormones, work, bad weather, my book, and probably something I’m forgetting. I won’t completely vent, cause one, I did that already, two, it’s useless, and three, I’m too lazy. But I’ll just quickly explain all of them. Hormones – I’m a girl, it’s pretty self explanatory. Work – nothing to do, except worry over my presentation next week. Bad weather – I empathize with it a lot; it’s stormy outside, I’m stormy inside. My book – the main character was being lied to and betrayed by the woman he loves while running from the foreign government, and, I don’t know why, but I empathized with him. And of course the obvious ones, like that I miss Ty terrible, and that I’m rediculously tired.

But fortunately there were some ups to my day. These included looking at wedding dresses and looking at engagement rings. And I know, it might seem a bit early, but it’s not premature. Ty and I are there, have been for a while, but unfortunately feel the need to wait, because of not only the suddeness of it all and the shock it would bring to most people around us, but because of our (my) age as well. And the fact that I’m still in college. So we were looking at engagement rings last night, and of course there’s the funny yet horrible situation that Ty has got himself in. He knows that it would be easiest if I basically choose it on my own. Because then not only am I assured to like it, but he doesn’t have to do anything. But the funny/horrible part is, that being the hopeless romantic that he is, he can’t let himself do that, he wants it to be a surprise. So I figure that it’s a good thing that we can look together now (despite being in different states, the internet is awesome). I can show him what I like, and what I don’t like. Although I’m sure a lot of that will change when I actually see the rings on my finger. I’m really simplistic when it comes to jewelery. I hate all the gawdy rings that stick a half inch off the finger. Although I’m not sure that I’d want just a band with one diamond. I was just randomly searching the internet for them, whereas Ty was going to specific jeweler websites (and no, not Jared’s, hell no). And he was the one to jokingly mention Cartier. So he looked, then I looked. There was one ring that was absolutely gorgeous, and of course the price was “available upon request”. Ahh, a girl can dream. Well, not really, cause I’d kill Ty if he spent that much money on me.

Anyways, I haven’t been knitting too much, cause of my book. Whenever I start a book, I don’t do anything except read it until I’m done. Every minute that I can spare, I read. I think it took me about a week to read a 850 page book. Up Country by Nelson Demille. If your interested in the Vietnam War, or you like spy/suspense novels I’d definitely suggest it. I finished it last night (at about 12:30) and now can hopefully get back to a slightly more sane life style, and my knitting.

I was on the T yesterday, and when I walked in I saw that the woman next to me, on the seat, was knitting. It alwasy makes me happy when I see people knitting in public , but I also get a bit nervous, cause I don’t know what to do. But I grabbed some courage and ask this woman what she was making. A cardigan for her little niece. I told her that I’d be so bored on the commute if I didn’t have my knitting. I always feel like I have to tell other knitters that I’m a knitter, because I know that if some random person asked me what I was making, I wouldn’t be to elaborate with my answer unless I knew they were a knitter as well. I started working on the second front panel for my peacoat, despite the first one not working out. But hopefully this one will. And if it doesn’t I’ll only have wasted a couple of weeks and five bucks on this peacoat. Although I will be really bummed, and definitely looking to buy a winter coat before I get back to school.

I’ve really been looking forward to school recently. I think I miss all the people, and the constant change of tasks, and the city atmosphere. I like walking places, or taking public transport. And I definitely like not living at home. A lot of this might be the whole grass is greener on the other side thing, with work and the commute making it a long day, but I don’t think all of my wishing for school is because of that. But I do know that a lot of it has to do with the fact that it will be easier for me to visit Ty, and for him to visit me.