You are not a knitter!!

It happens every year. At least once...sometimes more times. Someone will know that I knit, and tell me they knit too...on a loom.

For example, during last years Curves holiday bazaar, a lady was selling hats. They were plain hats, two colors held together, knitted by her on a loom.
During my best friends second baby shower, the paternal grandmother presented her with half a baby blanket, proclaiming "I ran out of yarn and had to special order more from the store." She then turned to the woman sitting next to her, who must have asked something and said, "Yeah, it's my first knitting project too. I made it on one of those loom thingies." And when Cierra unwrapped the pinwheel cardigan I made for the little one, the paternal grandmother leaned forward and said "Oh right, you're a knitter too." And all I could do was shove a piece of cake into my mouth to stop the words from spewing forth.

Loom knitting, for those of you who don't know what it is, uses a circular (sometimes rectangular) ring of plastic or wood with pegs on it. You loop the yarn over the pegs, then use a strange hook to move the loops over the working yarn, and wrap the working yarn around the peg again....or something like that.
In my opinion, you're not really knitting unless you're using a minimum of two knitting needles. I say minimum because there have been times where I have knitted something using 4 or 5 dpns.  Using a loom to "knit" is the equivalent of me going to the grocery store, buying a bunch of pre-packaged things, making them at home, and then calling myself a chef. It doesn't work like that.

You are not a knitter, you are a poser!
 Now go pick up some needles and do it the right way. Otherwise stop calling what you're doing knitting. Call it looming, or loomitting, or something.

Knitting...pah! 

Unemployed complaining

Still no job. Now it's only been a little over a month since I've been able to legal work, but the fact that I still don't have a job is really bumming me out. Not only is it bumming me out, it's also really grating on my nerves and stressing me out all at the same time.

Oh sure, not having a job isn't so bad when technically you have a roof over your head, internet to get your school work done, and food in your tummy. But it's the principle of the idea. Plus there are certain expenses that in-laws shouldn't have to pay for (like a medical bill, or Netflix) that become harder and harder to find funds for. Seriously, when you have a bill that needs to be paid, and you want to pay it so you don't go into collections, you start looking at objects in your room and wonder how much they are worth. Those books I never read? must be worth at least $20. That guitar that technically isn't mine but is here anyways? Has to be $50. The clothes husband doesn't wear? $3 a shirt, for sure....and there are like 20. Husbands kidney that he doesn't seem to be using, ever? I'm sure I can get at least $1,000 on the black market....at least. But as it turns out I can't sell other people's stuff, nor do I even know where the kidneys are...sooooo.....

But I have a few jobs in my sight, one as a nanny, the other as waitress, and once I talk to my LYS, I can also see if they need any extra help in the shop. Which would be pretty friggen awesome.

In other news, I finally finished Leah's baby blanket. It was only a week
late. I got to meet the little bugger this past Wednesday, and can honesty say that I absolutely love her. She slept through the whole two hour visit, but was the sweetest, cutest thing ever, so I don't even care. Cierra really liked the blanket, and I'm happy she did. The edges were doing this odd curling thing though, and I wanted to stab them for it. How dare they curl up like that? After throwing it into the washer it also became incredibly soft which is awesome.
Now of course I really should get started on Heather's blanket....at least I know what color and patter to use for her, so I'm already a step ahead. HA! yeah right. =.=

Giving it the ol' College try

On Jan 11th, 2012 I had an interview with immigration and am now a Permanent Resident of the United States. I am a German citizen, so until now a lot of things were denied me, mostly higher education and of course a job. So on the 11th I was told that my application for permanent residency would be approved (I now have a spiffeh looking green card too. =D ), on the 16th I looked into going back to school, on the 25th I enrolled at South University with one of their online programs, and on the 30th I started classes. After 6yrs of not being able to go to school, I enrolled and started classes all in less then 2 weeks. Crazy.

My mom and sister are proud I think that I'm going back.The in-laws are all skeptical. FIL and BIL don't really care I think. MIL said it was a lot of money, and is just generally negative about anything anyone does. If you ever want to be talked out of doing anything talk to my SIL and MIL. Seriously. They'd find a way to talk you out of being an organ donor I'm sure.

It's only day two of classes and so far I rather like it. The course work is relatively easy for now, but I think that is mainly so that the class can get used to how an online classroom works. Although it's largely like any other forum based website with threads and sub-forums, so it's really not that hard to navigate...well, if you know what you're doing. xD My admissions rep called me on the first day of class to walk me through how to do everything and I interrupted her before she could even get started, and told her I had already done a,b,and c. "Well," came her reply. "You pretty much figured it all out it looks like, so I don't really have anything to do now." And then she laughed.

Besides the classes being easy so far, I've also noticed that just about everyone in my first class (the University gives the first three to you one at a time so you're not overwhelmed) is going in for psychology. Or Phsycology, or Phycology, or psycology, or psycolohgy as some of the people have spelled it. I've also noticed that quite a few of them don't know how to use proper grammar or spelling. honestly if u spell stuff like this then u wanna rethink becoming a phsycologist im jus sayin cause ur not gonna be real good at your job.Yes, that is how a few people have posted in the discussion threads. Me thinks someone needs to reevaluate either their major or their English comprehension. I'm just sayin'.

An update on the baby blanket is anyone cares: I have one square to go. Decided to add a simple boarder around the whole thing to give it a more finished look. Leah in the meantime was born on the 28th. *sigh* I suck at this.

Someone make this!

That's usually what I think when I have a design idea pop into my head and I think to myself "oh that would be cute!" but I have no idea how I'll knit it up, or even how well it will look once finished. I wish I could just draw the general idea of a pattern up for someone that said someone would then be able to knit it up and write up the pattern and I can just stick my name on it and call it a day. Alas...

So far there is a hat pattern, a fingerless glove pattern (might turn into a half-fingered pattern or something), and a sock pattern all floating around in my head. And only the sock's are sorta being worked on right now. I say sorta because I feel like I should unravel them a little bit so I can change the design around a little. But that's work and I'm lazy and don't want to undo 12 rounds of knitting to do a simple adjustment. Screw that.

I'm also working on a blanket right now. No, it's not Leah's blanket (who is supposed to grace us with her presence sometime in the next 17 days...son of a betch... =.= ). Instead it's a scrap blanket for my worsted weight yarn. I have quite a few balls left over and nothing I could knit that wouldn't look like a colorblind homeless woman threw together a winter set. So I'm making a blanket instead. But I'm not into blocks (this baby blanket is proving that), so instead I'll be knitting until I run out of a color, cast off, pick up random number of stitches on random side of said knitted piece, and continue with a new color. Repeat. I'm not sure what the blanket will end up looking like, or even when it will be finished. All I know is that I'll have some mindless knitting to fall back on when I'm avoiding other projects...kinda like I am doing now.

Actually, I'm not working on Leah's blanket because I conveniently left my bag with it at my mother's house. Yes, I did it on purpose. Do I feel bad about it? Not.one.tiny.bit. I'm just not happy wit the damned thing...and when I'm not happy with something I tend to put it off instead of confronting it head on...which would explain my strange relationship with my MIL. But I digress.
I did however sew three panels together, said screw it to the way two were knitted up and decided to improvise, cast on a 6th panel, and rectangle the whole thing out a bit more.Maybe I won't hate it as much once the damned thing is done...yeah....

I suck at this blanket thing

So I thought if I got started on Cierra's baby blanket as soon as she told me she was pregnant, I would have all the time I need to get a blanket done. After all, at nine blocks total I could make one block every month and be done with it. Yeah...that so totally didn't happen. Leah is going to be here in a month (give or take) and I've only completely 4 blocks. Maybe I can give the blanket to the kid as a going-away-to-college present...hmm.

I also found out recently that our mutual friend Heather is pregnant as well. =.=
During Cierra's baby shower I gave her a set of felted baby booties (the only baby related item I had laying around the house) and  while everyone oohed and aahed about how cute they were, Heather piped up with "you'll knit for me too, right?" when Cierra proudly explained that all my baby shower gifts for her were in various stages of WIP. Son.Of.A.Bitch....So that's another blanket for Heather, and various small items me thinks. Thankfully I already have a pattern picked out, and know what colors to use, purple and white, so that might make the blanket finish-able (is that a word?) by her due date...I doubt it.

Of 2011 and New Years Resolutions

Happy New Year everyone!

2011 was, for the most part, a good year. I managed to find a little bit of work, met some great new people from following a local cover band around, lost pounds and inches that I've been battling with for years, and my paperwork was finally set in motion and for the most part approved. For those of you who don't know, I'm a German citizen, and we recently put in my paperwork for adjustment of status, so that I can be a permanent resident. It's pretty nerve racking to be honest. But most of the paperwork we sent in has been approved (rather fast too in my opinion), and I have an interview set for the 11th of January.

As for 2012 resolutions, the only one I really have is to really work out this year. I go to the "gym" to work out 3 times a week, but sometimes I can't be bothered so it's more like twice a week, or sometimes not at all. My running endeavors have pretty much stopped too, mostly because of the rain we've been having but also because I'm horribly lazy. So my resolution for this year is to go work out 3 times a week, and to go running 3 times a week like I'm supposed to. I saw results before when I did it, and darn it I want to see more. Oh, and to work on my Etsy shop...whenever that might be. xD

So tell me, what are your new years resolutions?

[Insert catchy title]

I'd give you guys a catchy title, but I don't have one.

I've been sick with the same damn cold for about a month now. Although since it's only coughing and the occasional stuffed up nose, I'm more inclined to think that alien babies are breeding in my lungs. Either that or it's TB and I'll die any day now.....alien babies sound like a better option at this point.

I'll be starting up running again tomorrow. I didn't want to "cold" getting worse by going into the increasingly cold weather, but since it doesn't seem to be going away I'll say screw it, and get back into my routine. I'm starting to feel horribly fat and lazy anyways.
I was all the way up to week 6 already (which was kicking my ass), but I think I'll have to scale it back down to week 3 so my lazy little self can play catch up. There is no way I can start back up at 20min non-stop running after not going at all for three weeks. It's just not going to happen.

In more knitterly news, I haven't knitted a damn stitch since September. I just can't be bothered. Not when there is spinning to be done.

Handspun single, Peruvian Wool.

My personal challenge right now is to see just how thin I can get my singles (single strand of hand spun yarn, before you twist them together). So far I'm getting this. I'm not sure if I can get it any finer then this.

Ashford Traveler Spinning Wheel

Mom and I took a trip to a local yarn shop who rents out their spinning wheels. I'm renting an Ashford Traveler (pictured on the right) for the next 2 weeks, and am in love with the little thing. Although it could be that I'm just over the moon happy with having a wheel to play with. It's not the one that I have my heart set on buying, but it's nice to get to practice and play with one for a while. So far I'm working my way through three different types of roving. I'll upload pictures eventually, once I have more then a single skein to show off. xD

You know, this post had a semi purpose behind it when I started, but that purpose has completely escaped me....