On se parle pas du desparation

Pinky the Sweater is almost done. The tension sucks and the seaming looks like hell but it was a choice between hellacious seaming or a knitting basket full of badly knit sweater pieces languishing for eternity. There is no way I would actually reuse this yarn ever ever ever again ever, so frogging was not an option. I probably won't wear it to any knitting related events due to the embarrassing sewing job(the reason I am so disappointed with the seaming is that this is the sort of thing I should be able to do effortlessy due to my background in millinary. Me and the mattress stitch are best buds, or so I thought).

It's actually blocking at the moment and I still need to figure out how to close it. The pattern calls for a zipper, but I couldn't find one even close to the colour and I want to have the option to wear the sweater open. I could dye a zipper, but that involves more work, and I am so over this sweater. So I will either put two gianormous buttons at the neck with an elastic loop, or do 2 ties with big pompoms...although I'm not really feeling the i-cord love, or maybe some subtle hooks. I think the gianormous buttons are going to win. The gianormous buttons always win.



I've been unenthused about my other knitting projects (a whole bunch of dead purple socks of despair, the burgundy mohair sweater of tedium) So I cast on the 2 tone ribbed shrug from Fitted Knits, in Classic Elite- Waterspun. This is yarn from my ex-roommate's ex-stash. I have another hank in grey so I am debating whether or not to do it 2-tone, since I'm sure I don't have enough grey to do the entire ribbing. We'll see. In any case I am trying to use up the stash yarn and the stash is diminishing since I keep giving yarn to my mother.




This will probably make my rack look huge....if I ever finish it.

In other news, I am very depressed. I am in a big freaking rut. Une grosse trou de la desparation. I would go into more detail but I think the "higher ups" at work are having their minions stalk me on the internets. In other more or less unrelated but maybe a bit related news, I had to write an impromtu french test yesterday and pretty much tanked it. I haven't conjugated a verb on paper in 16 years or so. It was a real confidence crusher. I am therefore, trying to brush up on, refresh, ameliorate etc... my french and so have changed my morning routine of watching Maury, Montel and the O.C. to Radio Canada (french CBC). I like "Pyramid" its a game show, oh and there is this cooking show that I also like. There was this woman on today talking about cookies/snack cookies and rating some of the "low fat" ones, and she was saying that it "feels good" to eat small things out of a tiny bag. I concur. C'est interessant, non?

In other news, I went out this morning to get a doughnut and when I came back I noticed that the "8" key on my laptop had detached. I tried to fix it, but one of the little plastic things has snapped, so I've had to use tape. Man, I wish it was 2009.

and the rain it raineth everyday...

I am feeling unenthused and uninspired. Perhaps I'll (in the words of those poets of our time- Milli Vanilli) blame it on the rain, although perhaps I should actually blame it on my job.... or my non-relaxing non-weekend. At least we had a very short shift on Sunday and I got Victoria day off. It was nice to have the day off because I still get stat pay and it shortens my excrutiating and endless work week. I used the day "wisely" getting my music geek on; researching, downloading and uploading "uplifting" music onto my I-pod. (is the Damned uplifting? How about the Adolescents? Ladytron?) I also watched a French film and worked on Pinky, AKA the sweater that would never be finished. It's getting there. I will never be happy with the sleeve seams, then again there is nothing that can be done to make them look better- as they will insist on doing this very annoying chevron-y thing due to the increases- but there is also a line of purled rib flocking things up. I'll just keep my arms down when I wear it and no one will ever know.

Speaking of the knitting that would never end....



Exhibit A- the Leyburn socks

I have gotten to the heel on the second sock (not pictured). I got to it a while ago. Umm yeah.




Exhibit B- the Sugar Maple socks I keep knitting and knitting and knitting and nothing is happening. They will never be finished. Because I am doing these 2-at-a-time, I have BSS (which stands for Both Sock Syndrome as opposed to Broken Social Scene) Perhaps I'm feeling unenthused about all of these socks because they are all in the "dead purple" colour spectrum. I still like the way this yarn is working up, especially on the linen stitch heel but the pattern is just too damn boring for me.


Speaking of boring, we aren't even going to talk about the sock I'm designing(not pictured).

I have managed to finish something.




It's the Pretty Puffs hat I made it for Raija (not pictured) who is my grandmother by marriage and a very lovely lady from sunny Finland (also not pictured). Raija was very happy to receive the beret last Friday when I visited her and Grampa in Kitchener because A) I made it for her B) because it is the perfect blue to go with her eyes and C) cause it looks awesome on her and D) I was actually there in person to give it to her and we had a good visit and a nice supper including some excellent black forest cake given to us at the hospital by Elaine: the nurse with a heart of gold and a head full of corn rows.

In other news, I bought some yarn a while ago.



NomNomNom

It's about 60$ worth of apparently delicious and pale coloured yarn in a variety of animal fibres. There is some basic wool, a wool/viscose/alpaca blend, a wool/mohair blend and some Elsebth Lavold Silky wool. The cat was not included. Both the cat and I have enjoyed rolling around in all of this yarny goodness. Obviously I got this yarn to get my dye on and I did have a small scale dye fest the week before mother's day. I dyed a hank of yarn in "mom colours" (not pictured) and gave it to my Mother with the instructions that it must not be used in the giant granny square Afghan for Lisa and She-ra that is being made with yarn that I keep giving her from my stash. She is helping me reduce the stash though, which makes me feel virtuous. I actually have no more suitable stash yarn to give her, so I bought her a couple of skeins of Galway worsted that will look very nice in my afghan. heheh. In my defense, I was allowed to buy yarn because it's been a while and I didn't make it to the Knitter's Frolic.

I also dyed this yarn because I was feeling sad and thought it may cheer me up



I'm not sure the cheering up idea worked but it's damn bright.
Here is the artistic view. It cheers me up a little.



This one is more in my bleak colour range....



I just ate a giant bowl of popcorn for lunch (I also had an orange, and some ryvita with peanut butter. I am healthy- non?) that I popped the old fashioned way; in a pot on the stove. I used olive oil and a little salt and it was kicking.

I am now psyching myself up to go to work. So far I'm not feeling it, but hopefully the giant mug of "Algonquin Peace Tea" and a handful of Extra Strength Ibruprofin and a little sock knitting and Electrofunk on the commute will help me get through the evening. Although thinking about it, perhaps the socks should be left at home.

In our next issue- why everyone is wrong about music but me