Zonked!

That's me at the moment.
This working thing is kicking my butt! I am loving it though. It is a lot of fun and a lot of exercise..and we all I know I could use more of that. =)
And it is very interesting to be on the other side of the on line ordering business. I have been a customer to many of the lovely on line yarn shops, and I had no idea the work that gos into filling an order. I got a whole new respect now people!
It is funny, the owner thought things were going to slow down now that we are nearing the warmer months..but nope. Not at all. I think all of you are spending your tax returns on all the wonderful sales we have going on. Oh and buying up the new Fleece Artist Sea Wool, and some of the new lace weights (and I can't say I blame you!) So things have been crazy busy there since I started. I feel like I have been thrown into the deep end, and I am not sure how to swim. But I am being told I am doing a good job, and it is a hell of alot of fun..so I am relishing in the crazy busy, ass over teakettle schedule I have right now.
I can't believe I am going to say this...but even the old job is not that bad right now. I think it is because it is not my sole bread and butter anymore, and that allows me to take it less seriously.

But yes, I am exhausted. I am working more now then I have done in a long time. But it feels good.

I just wish I had a little more energy so that when I got home I felt like doing something. Right now it's all about sweats and tivo..and maybe a little knitting if I can handle it.
Last night I was working on the back of a tunic (seen below) and there is a row where you twist stitches..you know..k2tog, then knit the first stitch again, then slip off the needle.
Well, I kept knitting the stitches normal across the row, and I had to frog back not once, but THREE times because I kept forgetting to do it. LOL.
I am hoping I will get into a better groove. I am really missing my knitting time. Right now I am lucky to get an hour a night before I am too tired to do anymore. Of course, I could still be recovering from the last round of sock madness..that was crazy!

But yes, there is still knitting going on over here. Not enough, but I still have something to show. If you look at the side bar you will notice I have a Mists of Avalon project that I have been promising to reveal for a while now. The reason it has taken me so long to reveal it is because I switched projects. I was planning on Making Lady E (from scarf style), and I started it (and I love it!)..but then this caught my eye. And considering I need to have my project finished by April 27th if I want to get in on the prizes, I decided to make the tunic.



So here is the front. It is not as purple as this picture would have you believe. It is more blue then this. Maybe Cobalt Blue? Sorry it has been a long time since I played with crayons.

I am using Knit Picks Andean Silk in Hyacinth. And you know what? It is really nice stuff. (And no, I am not working for Knit Picks! I guess I better stop advertising for the competition now shouldn't I?) =)
I think it is very cute, and it is knitting up rather quickly. I am hoping to have all the knitting done by the end of this week ( I am about 1/4 of the way through the back)..but we will see if that happens.
More detail for you..cuz I like the details. Yes the reverse stockinette side is the right side, and the twisted stitches I was talking about run up the lower body. It is looking rather small, but I did get gauge so I am hoping blocking will make it all lovely.

Oh and here is a picture for Miss Scarlett:

This my dear is an Apricot Weizen, and hot damn it is yummy! Even if my friends make fun of me for drinking it. They say it is not a "serious beer". =) Oh well, more for me! See, here in the Northwest we are very serious about our beer (and our wine!). Yes there are those people who drink Bud Lite and Pabst..but they are usually shunned in polite society.

I think you can get Pyramid in stores all over the country (don't quote me on that)..and anything with weizen in it is bound to be good. As well as anything with "nut brown", or "oatmeal stout." If anyone decides to come to Washington or Oregon for some reason..do yourself a favor and check out a few breweries/ wineries. You will not regret it! Oh and the food at those places tend to be good as well.

And this last picture is for Jo ,who is also my next victim..err competitor.. in sock madness. (Yeah I am talking all big and bad right now. She will probably have me for lunch!) She says I don't show enough pictures of my feline friend. It's not that I don't like posting pictures of her, it's just I don't want to bore you all with them..and I don't want to copy what others have done.

Although now that Scrappy knows she is a star, there is no living with her. That is Scrappy in MY knitting spot (notice the heating pad and the mass of pillows!). The little booger thinks it is HER spot now. Especially if the heating pad is on.

Hmm, I wonder who is going to win this little battle, it BETTER be me!

Little Earthquakes.

That basically sums up my week...
If you are a fan of Tori Amos (if you are not, you should be!) then you know the song.
Basically (at least how I see it anyway)..a "Little Earthquake" shakes you up, shifts you around, pulls you out of your comfort zone, and sometimes can "rip you into pieces".
And so much has been going on behind the scenes here at chez stitchinwench. I feel like I have been ripped apart, tossed around, and then glued back together by a three year old.
Earlier this week a blogger friend lost her sweet kittie. My own professor scrappy meowsnshitz is getting on in age. I believe she is about 15 years old now. She is my baby. She has been through so much with me. And although I know someday she will leave me, I can't even begin to think about it.
So of course this week she gave B and I quite a scare. Acting out, meowing in loud and pitiful ways (she hardly ever gets vocal), and being very sluggish. She seems to be back to her old self now, but I am still keeping a close eye on her. The reality of her mortality has been very hard to face..I hope I wont have to encounter it again soon.
Work has been a fright. I don't want to go into details..but there have been a lot of changes in the past few months, and in my opinion, for the worse. I just can't wrap my mind around the decisions the owner has made. We are heading into our busy season, and I do not feel that he has set his staff up for success. His "improvements" have made every one's job three times as hard, and the customers are suffering for that.

But today my friends, a new light has been shining down upon me.
Today I got a new job.
As of now, I am going to work both the current job and the new job part time. Just so that I can get a feel for the new job, and the new job can get a feel for me.
I am extremely excited about this change. I am not sure how into detail I can get..but let's just say that I will be working with yarn. Lots and lots of yarn. In fact, the next time you place an order on line..depending on where you order..I may be the one boxing it up and shipping it to you. And..who knows..there may be some designing in my future.
(I am a little scared about this, considering I have never designed anything before. But I am also very excited..I know I can do it if I tried.)
So my friends,the little earthquakes that happen in our lives are not all bad. Sometimes we need to be torn down, so that we can rebuild and be stronger and better. And hopefully happier.

Now on to some fun news. Sock Madness round 4 starts tomorrow. I can't believe I have made it this far! I have my work cut out for me this round though. The person I am against is FAST! We have been neck and neck finishing socks thus far in the competition. And I know she is not going to be taking a vacation or working or going to a fiber festival. She is in it to win it, just like me.
The yarn specified is another variegated. The original was knitted with Claudia's Hand painted..LOVE IT!..so I will most likely use this yarn:

Claudia's Hand painted in the "Oops" colorway.

However, this lovely yarn has been wanting to be knit up for a while now. Please forgive my nasty rewinding..the yarn is rather fun and "spunky".
This is Socks That Rock in the Blarney Stone colorway...and considering who I am up against..I could use all the luck I can get. (heh, get it blarney stone..luck..duh!)

Of course, I will make my final decision when the pattern is released sometime between 5 am and 9 am on Saturday.

Me? Up at 5 for some silly pattern? YOU BET YOUR SWEET ARSE!

I've got good news and I've got bad news..

Bad news first.
The Forest Path Stole pattern I bought a month ago?

Seems I got a "special" copy. I got the one riddled with mistakes and clear as mud. Not only am I trying to attack lace AND entrelac..but I have to figure the pattern out as well? I don't think so.
I e-mailed with Debi tonight trying to figure out the discrepancies..but it is just a mess. I looked further on in the pattern and I noticed there were mistakes throughout the entire section I was working on.
I'm royally pissed. I can't believe a company/designer would send out a pattern full of mistakes. Maybe if it was brand new..but come on. This pattern was published in IK Summer 2003! You think they would have worked out the kinks by now.
(Obviously for those that have the magazine, they are worked out), but for me..and some of my fellow KALers I am sure..we get the added joy of trying to figure the damn thing out.
And because I am a bit obsessive and can't leave well enough alone, I have been trying to puzzle through this crap all night. Happy Valentine's B! =)
(He is sick, all he cares about is breathing right now. Poor baby.)
I have to blame it on the company that sent out this ridiculous excuse for a pattern. I have another pattern by this designer..the Faina scarf. Which I started today, but it was published by Fiber Trends and they always seem to do well with their patterns.
Yeah, maybe I am blowing this out of proportion. But DAMN! I have been so excited about this shawl, and was really looking forward to making it. And now, I don't know if that is going to happen. At least not until I get a corrected pattern (the magazine is sold out for that issue).

OK, well now for the good news.

This past week I got a lot of yummies in the mail.

The first to arrive was the sock yarn from The Heathen Housewife.

It's her own hand dyed and its incredibly soft. B loves it..I'm thinking he is hoping for some socks from this. We shall see. Thank you Shelly, and I am sure B thanks you too, since he will probably be the one who benifits from this lovely yarn. The dark choclate was SO yummy too, I must admit I did not share.

Then on the same day I received both of these lovely packages.

This first is from Lara. She was doing some destashing and I was happy to help her. You cant beat free! I only had to pay for shipping. Thanks again Lara!

This is 10 skeins of Filatura De Crossa Brilla. I am thinking of making the lace crocheted jacket from The Happy Hooker ( and also Stitch Diva) with this.

In fact, I am guessing that is what Lara planned on doing with it until she did not like the color (at least on her.)

Oh and last but not least:

The prize from Birdsong for winning the Hidcote KAL.

This ab-fab lace weight merino oro in a lovely light pink. I am not sure what it is going to grow up to be yet..but it's just delicious to know it is in my stash waiting for it's day. Thanks a million Birdsong..it is beautiful! And that Mocha Bar. YUM! B says they sell these at his work. I think i see more of those bars in my near future!

I may not be able to tell you what I am going to use this for, but I can tell you what it WON'T be. The Forest Path Stole! =)

Oh man, that whole FPS thing is really bumming me out. I sure hope something gets figured out there. =(