Post Holiday Mash Up

I hope that your holiday season went off with a bang this year. Or maybe I don't, bangs might be bad things like a blown circuit or the tree catching on fire. Whether it went off with a bang or not I hope it was spectacular nonetheless!

I was rather glad to see Christmas day. That meant I had survived the holiday stress. I got a lot of really nice Christmas presents: new pots and pan set (since my old ones were flaking their non-stick coating into all my food, yay for chemical aftertaste!), clothes, Amazon gift cards, a skein of yarn I forgot I'd picked out for myself 2 months earlier (my mom gifted it to me), and plenty more. Festivities with the family were wonderful as always and I didn't come in last place in the Christmas Day game-a-thon.

The day after Christmas I boarded a plane and spent the next 2 weeks in Romania. I had an awesome time. The best part was getting to connect more deeply with some of the kids I met during the summer (I was also in Romania in July, remember?) and making new connections with some of the kids. I think there's something in their hearts that draws them to people who they have seen before, even if their brains don't remember you. One of the things we got to do was deliver Christmas presents. There were some handmade items from EEROP in there :)

New Years was a crazy celebration where the whole city shut down and everyone sets off fireworks. Nothing says, "Let's start the year off right!" like lighting questionable explosives in the middle of a street! This is one of the biggest events of the year for Romanians so it was really cool to get to experience that.

After arriving home I have been slowly recovering from jet lag (my sleeping and eating schedule is completely erratic) and trying to get motivated to do more than just sit on my couch in my pajamas all day. I do have grad school work that needs to be done but this does not require clothes or (much) movement so that doesn't really help things. The only thing I have been really motivated to do it knit. There's something about this time of year that's really inspiring: the holiday knitting is done so there's no deadlines to meet, the air is cold (and there might be snow), the slate is wiped clean from last year, and there's the feeling of hope for a better year than last. Anyways, all that sappy stuff to say that I've cast on at at least 3 projects in the last few days.

Item 1:
Scrunchable Scarf

This was actually started in the Atlanta airport the day that I left for Romania. I knit on it some while I was there and finished it up shortly after getting home. I used a bulky wool (Cascade 128, one of my favorite bulky wools) and a size 10.5 needle. I cast on less stitches (somewhere in the range of 25 or 28, can't remember). The pattern was easy to memorize and this was a great take along project (it's also part of EEROP's year of KALs). I used two full skeins and the finished (washed and blocked) scarf ended up about 6 feet long.

Item B:
Antonia's Fighter Bomber Helmet (a.k.a. the Thorpe Hat)

I started this Tuesday evening and finished it by Wednesday afternoon. Used a little over 1 ball of Revolution from Bollicine for the actual hat and some hand-dyed for the contrasting crochet trim and braids. US size 9 needles and crochet hook as recommended. Just a word of caution, this is the small size and it almost fits my huge noggin; the sizing runs big. To me this looks a little like a helmet and I immediately thought of a little girl who I met in Romania who would look perfect in this. She's a beautiful little girl of about four but there's a strength in her eyes that says, "I can conquer the world!" So this is named after her. Also an EEROP Year of the KAL pattern.

Item the third:
SIL's Christmas Socks (Show off Stranded Socks)

Hazel Knits sock yarn in Camo Chic. US size 1 needles. Two at a time using magic loop. Cuff down. Finally started these the other day. I read a good review of the pattern and it was one I was considering so I decided to go for it.

Item Lastly:
Mossy Ridge (Not So) Toddler Socks

Yet another EEROP Year of the KAL pattern (if I'm hosting can I still win something?). I'm really into this charity knitting thing...Making these in a not so toddler size by doubling the worsted weight yarn (Paton's classic wool, another good go-to yarn) and knitting on size 10 needles (or maybe they're 10.5, I didn't really check). Everything else is just as the pattern notes. I like how these are turning out but they do require me to read my knitting pretty closely which means I can't space out and read blog posts or watch new movies and tv shows that require me to actually follow the dialogue. Should be a quick knit though.

Also still on the needles is the wedding blanket that will never end. I did finish the fourth square and started the fifth so that's positive.

Totals for the year:
Charity: 2 completed, 1 OTN (on the needles)
Self: 0 and 0
Family and Friends: 2 OTN

Horrible

I'm the worst sort of person. Here's what I gave my non-knitting sister-in-law for Christmas:

If you wish hard enough they'll become those socks you wanted!

My brother got a card. There was an apology inside for not having finished his tie. There was no yarn because I haven't found some yet (anyone know of a good variegated black/grey sock yarn?). There was no pattern because my printer has decided it's done playing nicely with the ink cartridges. This is the first year that I haven't finished my Christmas knitting on time. Of course I had a lot more to do this year but still...it tastes a little like failure.

In other crazy pants news: Last night when I came home (late) from my parent's house I noticed my downstairs neighbors had a candle burning on their patio. I was a little concerned because it was pretty close to the vinyl siding wall but they had Christmas lights on so I figured that they would come out and blow out the candle in a little bit. I came inside and did some stuff around the apartment and I kept thinking about the candle. I don't want my stuff burning down because some idiot left a Christmas decoration burning on their porch all night. So, I went downstairs to see if they had blown it out (P.S. It was after midnight at this point). They had not. Then I realized I was going to have to take action. So I go and get a cup of water, sneak down to the front of their porch, lean over as far as I can, then chuck the water in the direction of the candle. Success! Candle goes out, no siding was melted, the complex was saved. Now I just have monitor their porch to make sure they don't do it again.

Almost a Scrooge

This year I was almost a Scrooge. I almost didn't decorate for Christmas or put up any sort of tree. A few weeks ago I decorated my porch with lights (through the aid of a glass of wine). Today I put up a Christmas tree. Sort of.

It's 2 feet tall with fiber optic lights. But I did decorate it. If you consider Charlie Brown's pitiful branch to be a tree then mine is ballin'!

I have some little retro Christmas ornaments that were just perfect for decorating my tree with. There's all the holiday classics:

A gingerbread bear addressed to Nancy from Bobbie from Christmas of '87 (whoever those people are, not anyone in my family that's for sure).

The Christmas wishing well (what?).

This psydo Russian chap on a sled with only one arm.

The Noel...um, light post? street sign? water tower? next to the Christmas tree.

The slightly creepy clown/snowman/elf riding a cork rocking horse.

And everybody's favorite: Frosty the Janitor Snowman!
Please note that I also decorated the tree with some festive old school cranberry type garland. It really adds to the nostalgia.

The tree is on top of the t.v. stand/chest. I did find my Peruvian nativity set which I put out beside my Cabbage Patch kids Christmas set.

The Hispanic Jesus and '80s consumerism together at last!

The whole Christmas set up looks like this:

Tree, tree-smelling candle for that authentic "I Just Cut This Baby Down Myself" tree smell, lighter (for lighting candle), dragon shaped incense burner, Peruvian nativity, and Cabbage Patch kids (P.S. If they ever start putting those things in Happy Meals again I'm going to tear it up.).

Merry Christmas everyone! Only 8 more knitting days until Christmas! Oh crap....

Amazement

For the last three days I have done something that will astound and amaze you. Perhaps even to the point of calling me a liar. Yes, what I have done for the last three days is something rarely seen in these parts and rarely even heard of. My friends, I have been relaxing.

Yes, I know. It's hard to believe.

I have been sleeping late. I have not been working for 12+ hours every day. I haven't touched anything remotely graduate school related until this evening (and then I only spent about 3 or 4 hours on it as compared to my usual 6 or 7). No, I have done nothing and it's been amazing.

I will have to go back to the daily grind soon but I felt that this hiatus in chaos must be shared.

I have only done things I enjoy. Like finishing some Christmas presents.

Basic dishcloths.

And indulging in some geeky reading.

Honestly, I can't get enough of magazines like this. I'm a dork and I know it.

I have been taking some time to breathe and get myself right mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It will all be over far too quickly but, in the meantime, I'm going to enjoy myself.

Tough

Sometimes life is tough. Really tough. This week has been one of those weeks for me. On Tuesday I went to the doctor for my ankle which was still swollen and still had a limited range of motion. My general practice physician wasn't especially helpful. She told me it might be this or it might be that and that I might want to stay off it for a few days or ice it three times a day or get better shoes and I could get x-rays if I wanted. I was frustrated when I left so I called the podiatrist whose office was right next door. I got an appointment but not until 3 hours later. And I was on the other side of town from my house and there was morning traffic. I went to Michael's craft store thinking I could at least look for yarn for my brother's Christmas gift and found they didn't open until 9 (it was about 8:15). So instead of shopping I pulled over next to a little median in the parking lot and slept for an hour. Then I checked my email and updated Facebook on my phone and headed back to the doctor's. This time I was able to at least get a little more information. The podiatrist is pretty sure I have tendentious in my ankle and that all the walking last week aggravated it. He took x-rays and it's not broken or fractured so that's good. Then he put me in a walking boot for a week to help keep the ankle stable and hopefully get it to heal faster.

If the swelling and pain aren't better in a week then I may have to get an MRI. After leaving his office I was in a terrible funk. Podiatrists are expensive and I don't have that kind of money right now. Finances have always been a huge issue for me. I let my money woes rule my thought life way too much. When I got home I had to take a real hard look at my bank accounts and I realized that the situation was not good. Then I had to make some tough decisions. I spent this morning applying for more part time jobs. Not something I wanted to do since I already have 20 hours of school work and 20 hours of nannying on my plate right now. But it had to be done. I also have started to contemplate the idea of a roommate. This has really not been pleasant for me to think about. I moved 18 months ago so that I could fit all of my stuff comfortably in one apartment. I needed space to run my business and my charity and I couldn't do that effectively in my one bedroom apartment. I have finally gotten my office to the place I want it to be and now I'm having to think about living and working out of here.

This is my stash wall and in front of that are donations. Yes, all those boxes and bags are donations. And this happens quite frequently.

This is my desk, winding station, and shipping center.

 Dyed yarn storage on the left and more yarn and donations on the right.

My light box and misc. office supplies.

Now try to picture a bed, dresser, and chest of drawers in there as well. Yeah, tight squeeze. I don't want to have to do it but it may come to that. Today I also found out that the internship site I wanted for the spring has a very high chance of not working out. I can videochat with the head of internship department but I just don't know if it's worth wasting any more time over. I've contacted two more possible sites and now I'm waiting to hear back from them. This leaves me with about 4 weeks to find a site, fill out 30 pages of paperwork, and have it submitted to the school. On top of all this I still haven't raised enough money for my trip to Romania at the end of December and my computer sporadically runs slow and gets super glitchy. Forgive me if I seem whiny. I try to make all my decisions based on faith (I say try because I'm only human and sometimes I don't make the right choice) and I really feel like I did the right thing by leaving my full time job but that hasn't made things any easier. On the plus side, Eastern European and Russian Orphanages Project continues to grow by leaps and bounds. It seems like at least once a week I meet someone with a connection to Eastern Europe or Russia that has helped me further the work we are doing. I keep getting donations weekly and people are already excited for the knit alongs and crochet alongs we will be doing on Ravelry next year. So I know that being able to spend more time on EEROP was a step in the right direction. It would be really nice if some other things started lining up as well. Needless to say I'm very much looking forward to this weekend and spending some time with my family watching football. It doesn't seem like much but I think it will be a nice distraction from a rather crappy week.

Pressure Cooker

First, let me offer a belated Happy Thanksgiving! to everyone. I have seriously been neglectful of the blog this month. Which means I have to catch you up rather quickly:

1. Had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my parents, brother, and sister-in-law at sunny Universal Studios in Florida.

I rode the hugely popular Forbidden World of Harry Potter twice

rode all the roller coasters and saw several shows. It was nice to see some of the Christmas decorations going up. Which reminds me...I need to get out my Christmas decorations here at the apartment.

We had a great time despite the fact that I may have sprained my ankle. Apparently walking on hard concrete for three days in a row and standing in lines for hours at a time isn't so great for you. My left ankle is swollen pretty bad so tomorrow I'm headed to the doctor's early in the morning to see what's up.

2. The Eastern European and Russian Orphanages Project "headquarters" (a.k.a. my office) has been overrun with blanket donations. Just as I had sent 40 off there were at least that many to replace them. It's really a wonderful problem to have. Thankfully my mom came and helped me organize said office/headquarters and now things are looking much better in here. Once I get the latest batch of donations sorted, tagged, photographed, and stored I will try and take some pictures of the new office space.

I did finish seaming together some patchwork squares but alas, no picture of the finished blanket yet. Also, if you're the knitting or crocheting type stop by our Ravelry group. We're getting ready to do a huge year long knit along/crochet along with tons of options for participating.

On another crafty charity note...the crafting group at my church was featured in the local paper the other day. Pretty cool!

3. Christmas knitting. Oh dear. The title of this post says it all. I'm in a real pressure situation here, folks. I didn't realize how much I still have to do!

There are washcloths, and lots of them, that need doing.

There is a wine cozy to finish. Er...start.

A tie, a pair of socks, and a knitted toy that also haven't been started yet.

And then there is a vest that is two shoulder seams away from being finished but for some reason I lost steam right at the very end.

Gah! Enough typing, must go finish some knitting. Only 26 days of holiday knitting left!

Fool Me Once, Shame On Me. Fool Me Twice...

Never has such a simple and small project given me such a headache. A project I have made probably 50 times before. A pattern I have memorized in my sleep. The most basic of the basic...

A washcloth.

 But not just any washcloth you see. This is part of a set of washcloths I'm making for my mom for Christmas. And my mom has only qualm with the washcloths I make: she doesn't like how the look for all the odds and ends knit up together.

The natural, red, and blue washcloth on the end is what she's talking about.

So, being the loving daughter I am, I took great care to divide the skein of cotton in half and then find the middle of each of the individual balls. The thinking was that I could increase using half the ball of yarn and then decrease using the other half. Sounds simple. Sounds logical. It wasn't. I started knitting and increasing until I got half way through and then started decreasing. After about 10 rows I realized that there wasn't going to be enough yarn left to finish the dishcloth despite my calculations. So I ripped back about 15 rows and started decreasing again. I made it further but it's become obvious that I'm not going to make it again.

The little bit that's left for the last 15 rows.

This means I have to rip back again and try and get everything to work out. I just don't have it in me right now so I'm going to go crochet some blanket squares together.