Good News, Bad News

Well, the bad news first:
Our former landlords have yet to give us back our security deposit.  We never received an itemized list of damages/cleaning bills and it is well past the 30 days to have given us that.  They have until July 15th to give us back our deposit before it can turn into something big, ugly, and nasty and will then owe us double.  They have four days.  We’re giving them that and then turning mean.

Good news! My KnitPicks order came! I ordered some Shimmer in “Sunkissed.”  The colors are very true the picture.  And it is soooo soft and squishy, I can’t wait to start knitting the shawl with it.  I need to wind it into a ball first which always proves to be interesting, but GOODNESS. I am excited. :D

 

Hot Off the Needles! FO: Star Crossed Hat

To celebrate finishing Erika’s socks, I decided to order some lace-weight for a lace shawl (details to come) and cast on something bulky, a stash buster, and something that would be instant gratification.  What was that, perchance? The Star Crossed Beret (Rav link), of course!

Cables, cables, cables!

I went browsing through my stash and found that a few people used Aslan Trends Guanaco for this beret and I had just that in a pretty pumpkin-y spice color (okay, so the colorway is “Papaya” but I don’t like papayas).  And so I hopped off to WalMart–where my main goal was to find anti-itch gel for the mysterious bug bites I have on my elbows–and found the proper circular needle and then cast on.

Uhm, so I messed up in several areas of this hat; including a 78st CO instead of 72, but as a multiple of 3, it worked anyway.  I also may have left out a row, but really, who on earth would know?
However, being my first project with cables, it was pretty freaking awesome and really easy.  I’m totally ready to do another cable project because they aren’t scary and horrendous and awful to work with.

Look at all dem cables! And the yarn, so fuzzy.

And so in roughly 24 hours (taking a break to go and watch fireworks and hang out with some people from high school ’cause it was 4th of July) I had a brand spankin’ new hat.  However. Beret? Not quite.

Not a beret, but pretty darned cute.

Yeah, not a slouchy beret in the slightest.  Possible reasons being that a) maybe I have a big head, b) the needles I used were a bit smaller than called for, c) I don’t swatch, and d) I tend to knit tighter than some.

Teehee, my nose looks funny.

So there it is.  My first hat!  I think I will make more, they go really fast.  I definitely want to make another one of these, but using a bulkier yarn and bigger needles so that mayyybe I’ll get my slouchy beret.

One last thing: I forgot how funny alpaca/merino smells when it’s soaked…at least it’s not wet-dog smell.

 

FO: Erika’s Awesome Purpletastic Socks

FINALLY. I AM DONE.

These are standard socks from Ann Budd’s book, Getting Started Knitting Socks.  It is the 7st/inch pattern, I think.

I decided to do a k3p1 ribbing through the leg and instep so that they fit nicely.  I made them a bit bigger, Erika said that she might line them.

I used Nature Spun Sport in Regal Purple, per Erika’s choosing, with a US5 needle.  I probably should have gone down a needle size or two, but I knit really tight anyways.

The beginning, back in January or February...I don't remember.

One down, and then Second Sock Syndrome (SSS) set in. This is from April.

OH GOOD LORD. Second Sock Syndrome.  It was awful, I had the first sock done in like, two weeks and the second took months because I just got bored.  It was…blehhh.

BUT THEN:

They have been finished!

This picture was taken Sunday night, when I finally finished the pair.  It was also pre-soak and blocking.  I let them soak while I showered, I rinsed, squished out the water, and let them lay flat for a day and a half.  For once, the cats didn’t think that a towel would be an awesome bed and they left the drying socks alone.  Frankly, I’m amazed.

I forgot to take a post-blocking picture of them, by the time I remember, they were in a sealed envelope care package, ready to be mailed to Erika while she working at camp.  I’ll see if I get a picture the next weekend that she’s home.

Next up on my knitting list is a shawl: Swallowtail.  I am on a mission to find some nice lace-weight or fingering-weight yarn.  I went to The Yarn Exchange today in attempts to find some, but they closed at 2pm and I got there at 2:21pm.  Didn’t quite work.  I will probably end up ordering from KnitPicks anyways, but I like to feel yarn before I buy it. We’ll see!

 

A Small Smattering of Random

Well, there has been no knitting as of late due to my hands KILLING me.  Today, I had to hold my glass of juice (cranberry! my favorite!) with two hands to drink it so I wouldn’t drop it.  Awesome.  I am getting this checked out when I see my doctor sometime in the coming weeks.  Between my hands/wrists and feet, something’s not right.

I am going to the beach next Wednesday! Yay! And I get to see my cousin’s new place and…AND! I can torture Desmond for a night.  Bahaha.  I miss that evil mankitten, but I won’t ever show it.  He’d probably kill me.  He probably will, anyway.

In other news, I smell like a giant cucumber melon.  I bought new shampoo/conditioner, only to find that the soap that I already have happens to be the same brand/scent.  As is my deodarant.
Good thing I like cucumbers and melons, yeah?

 

FO – Steering Wheel Cover

My Wheelie is done!  I did enough pattern repeats for it to be about 30″ in circumference.

When I had finished, I needed to rinse and block it.  I filled up my sink, put it in, and instantly the water was bright blue.  I swished, I pressed, and I repeated this rinsing process about 10 times before the water wasn’t as vibrantly-colored as before.  Unfortunately, I didn’t think to take a picture of how much dye came out of this yarn.

I then set to blocking.

That towel now has blue/purple streaks.

I really need to invest in some real blocking materials.  I used a corkboard with a towel over it and straight pins (I bent sooo many. Oops!).  It worked for what I needed, but I think I need to get the foam squares and T pins.  I’ve never blocked before, but pretty much, you get it wet, get as much water out of it as possible (I rolled it up in the towel, jelly roll-style and then stepped on it to squeeze out the water) and then set it out to dry.  Pin if needed.  I needed to open up the eyelets and get the points to stay open.

While it was drying, I knit the i-cord. Holy boring knitting, Batman!  Especially 3 1/2 feet of an i-cord, on size 2 bamboo needles.  By the time I was done with that, it was Monday evening and the cover had been drying for about 24 hrs, was done, and ready to be seamed.  Which I hate, I did a kinda crappy job, on, but whatever.

That, my friends, is a crappy seam...but a cute bow!

It fit like a glove…errr, steering wheel cover.  Stretching it over the wheel brought out the rib pattern.

So soft!

Also, the blue/purple does not clash with the maroon interior of my car (oh, the 90’s…who thought that maroon was a good idea, anyway?).  I wanted to make it hot pink, but color sense told me that it probably wasn’t the best idea.

My hands will no longer have to touch a BURNING HOT steering wheel!

Yay!

 

Abode!

I got the studio that I wanted!

It is a block east and a block north of where I lived this past year.  I love the neighborhood (Wrigleyville/Lakeview) and I really wanted to stay.  I need to bring in my move-in fee and first month’s rent on Tuesday…but it’s already off the market and the keys are waiting for me for August. :D

Now…I need a bed.  And to get dress, the leasing agent called me right after I got out of the shower.

 

On the Needles: Steering Wheel Cover

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted about knitting…sad, I know.  I’m working on it, I swear.

Currently, I have a steering wheel cover on my needles, using Fantasy from Dark Horse Yarns.  It is a lovely yarn, so soft and smooshy.  And the colorway is pretty (the picture in the link does no justice, as you’ll see): purpley varigation with blue varigation with purples.  I love the hand-painted effect, it’s exactly what I was looking for.  And way cheaper than hand-painted.  My one issue: it bleeds.

it bleeeds!

Sooo I end up with blue-purple fingers and stripes on my right hand from how I carry/throw my yarn.  It has also proved to be tough to get off, scrubbing lightens it but I find it best to just let it rub off on it’s own accord.

The pattern is from the Knitty Spring 2005 issue: Wheelie.  It’s a pretty simple pattern (which just hit me today, now that I’m almost done) that plays with eyelet edges and YO’s with purposefully dropped stitches.  The result?  This cool wavy rib pattern!

This is going to need a little bit of love and a lot of blocking...

Here is the shape once it is blocked:

Don't mind the fingers.

Once it has been blocked, an i-cord will be laced through the points of the triangles to hold it in place.
Once question that my mom asked as she watch me knitting was, “Sooooooo…won’t it slip around?”
Nope!  You make it shorter than the steering wheel…but still long enough for it to be stretched around it and held, taut, in place so it does not slip (in the pattern, she says about 55-60% of the circumference on the steering wheel).  If there are any doubts about that, the designer suggests fabric puff paint on the wrong side to give it grip.

As I mentioned before, I realized today that the pattern is actually REALLY easy.  I’ve been able to look at it only to keep track of which row I am on and whether I make eyelets and increases/decreases that row or not, and it is going way faster since I’ve figured it out and no longer am super-dependent on the pattern.

I am really hoping to have it finished tonight, block it tomorrow (actually, probably Friday, as I am looking at a studio in Chicago and then working), and then get it on Sassy, my Honda.

I also still have Erika’s socks on needles.  They’re almost done, but I am suffering from a BAD case of Second Sock Syndrome.

 

Another Series of Open Letters

Dear Blog,
I am very sorry for neglecting you.  Regardless of school being done, life is still kinda hectic and quite frankly, I enjoy my friends’ company more.  I still love you, though.
Love, Christine

Dear Mom,
I realize that I still have some of my apartment stuff in the living room.  Delilah seems to be really enjoying the box full of random kitchen crap.  I am doing my best to find a home for things, but I think it’ll end up getting in the way in the garage.  And my bedroom is full, there’s two of us in here.
Love, Your Favorite Daughter

My Dearest Sassy,
I am soooo happy that you finally have speakers that work and that are hooked up.  You didn’t want to let that rear one on the right side go, but we persuaded you otherwise.  My drives into and out of Chicago are now much more enjoyable with music.  And soon enough, I will have that awesome steering wheel cover knit, blocked, and keeping your steering wheel cozy.
-Your Loving Owner

To Samson and Delilah,
I realize that I am wearing my favorite black tank top.  Please stop getting your white fur all over it…it is no longer black.  Delilah, you never cuddle with me on the couch–except today.  When I am wearing this tank top.  Samson, just because I scratch your head when you are next to me does not mean I am asking you to lay on my chest and suffocate me with your 17lbs of catness.
-That Chick With the “Black” Tank Top

Comcast,
Please go suck it and then die.
Christine F., formerly of 3541 N Reta Ave

Dear Facebook,
Please stop being such a timesuck.  It’s getting kind of hard to get things done.
Christine Fiedler (Columbia College)

June,
Suck it up and be warm.  I just bought a pretty new swimsuit to lay out in the sun and I have yet to use it.  This needs to change.
Day-Glo in IL

 

Hello, Summer.

I drove in Chicago for the first time today!  And I lived.  And it was totally not scary.
I moved all of my crap out of my apartment.  I have soooo much more stuff than I moved in with; we filled up my car completely and then we put my desk, my plastic drawers (two sets), and some other big stuff in Clayton’s van.  My neighbor was super nice and let us park the van in their spot in the back.

Now I have a third of an apartment occupying my mom’s living room.  And my bedroom.  I’ll post pictures tomorrow (or whenever I unearth my camera cord…), it’s pretty insane.

Oh, here is a scene from right after we got the cars unpacked and after Clayton left.  My dad came by to get Paul for a few hours.
Dad: *spies the bird tattoo on my foot* Is that one of those stupid little things?
Me: Oh, that? Yeah, it’s a tattoo.
Dad: What, was is a test run or something?
Me: Oh, no. That’s my second one. *turn and shows him the constellation on my shoulder blade*
Dad: Ahahaha (laughing at my “stupidity,” I’m supposing)…well, now you’re just damaged goods.
Me: Seeing as I’m not planning on selling my body anytime soon, I don’t see that being a problem.

He haaaaaaaaaaaates tattoos.  He still has no idea about my brother’s…or my mom’s.  I completely forgot until after the fact that Joe told me that when this day came, I was to say, “Oh, yeah…but you should see Joe’s.”
But really? “Damaged goods”?  Oh boy.  He didn’t yell though…or seem angry, so it’s whatever.  I think he was a bit surprised.  He doesn’t know that I’ve had them since last spring and summer.

I’ve gotten 3 of 5 grades so far.  They’re what I expected, given how often I missed class this past semester (I was very sick a lot, and then there was the whole spine thing) but still disappointing in a way.  But I got through Marketing and Promotions with out dying/throwing myself out of a window so that’s an accomplishment, yeah?

From being sick this last time around, I lost 10lbs.  While I like that I lost weight, I do not like how I lost it.  Bleh.

I forgot if I talked about this the last time I wrote (when was that, anyway?), but WLBK unhired me due to people not leaving the station and they hired an intern to work for free (which they stated to me.  Hi, I’m not stupid, I know what an intern is).  Sounds like they counted their chickens before they hatched.  I went and talked to Tom, my boss at Columbia, and we were able to work out some hours for the summer.  Tuesdays and Thursdays, I work 3:30 to midnight and will drive in and out.  Not too bad.  And I’ll be paid more there than at most places in DeKalb.  I plan on spending most of my time in DeKalb laying out in the sun, reading, and knitting.

I had to say goodbye to the Caribou people at the Caribou at Cornelia and Halsted today. ):  The one lady was like, “Why didn’t you mention this before today?! Come back and visit when you live here again!”  They were so nice to me this past year.

I am feeling overwhelmed by the organized pile of stuff in the living room and the fact that my bedroom is not quite big enough, seeing as Erika and I share it.  These next few days of unpacking shall be fun, yeah?

 

Woe Is Me

Oh, NyQuil.

The god of cough medicines.

Too bad I can’t take it.
Yesterday morning, around 3:30am I was in desperate need of a cough medicine that worked (Tussin wasn’t doing anything), I ran around the corner to the gas station and picked up some of this green, nasty-tasting NyQuil to help stop the coughing and put me to sleep (sidenote: I was waking up every half hour to coughing up a lung).  It was all fine and dandy until I took it.  Immediately, my stomach started churning.  It burned. And I was still coughing.  In the end, that NyQuil ended up coming back and by then (4:30am) I gave up and slept on and off until about 8.  I tried the NyQuil again and while I didn’t get to revisit it (thank god), it still made me nauseous and my stomach burned and flipped over a few times.  Guess what the first inactive ingredient listed it? Alcohol.  Well, shit.  I didn’t even think about that until Maya said something about “Maybe it has alcohol in it?”
Delsym (alcohol free, awesome orange flavor) seems to be working.  I think it’s a kid’s cough syrup, but what do I care if it’s helping?

It seems as though my fever is deciding to break today and my coughing is a bit more productive/not as painful as yesterday.  I still sound like shit.
I was supposed to go first with marketing presentations today, but instead I put the finishing touches on it and e-mailed it to Elena so I can present first thing next week.
I also had the written take-home final for Epidemics due yesterday…I e-mailed her what I had (6 of 8 questions) so they wouldn’t be penalized, I need to finish up the last two today so I can still get (at most) a 90% on the exam because she docks 10 points for every day that it is late.

I finally knit the heel flap of Erika’s second sock. Finally. Now I just need to turn the heel, knit the foot and toes, and be done.

I need food.  Like, real food. Not ramen, broth, or crackers.  I think I’ll die of malnourishment if I eat any more of that stuff.

And I am still feeling super hungover from the Advil PM that I took last night. Ew.