Hiatus

So I started and finished the first sock for May by May 5^th.  So I took a Hiatus from sock knitting.  I probably shouldn’t have, I probably should have worked on a previous months UFO (like February’s socks) but I didn’t because I’m cool like that.  Instead, I started on Pogona by Stephen West.   I'd been lusting over this pattern for a while, then I went to Twist in Wichita Ks and picked up this amazing yarn that screamed 'stockinette' at me. I needed to make something that would show off it's amazingness.   And by amazingness I mean, drape and sheen.  The yarn, Cascade Yarns Heritage Silk Paints, in a beautiful shade of green(s) is a soft Merino/silk blend.  When I finished the first section of it I took this picture.

Now I’m on the third section and it feels amazing.  This yarn has just the right amount of silk to make this project . . . yummie.  I can’t wait to wear this shawl in the fall.

Busy Lady

In my last post I mentioned that I had been a bit busy lately.  The grocery store I work for decided we needed a brand new store, not just a remodel.  So, over a year go, Kroger bought the land that was literally, across from our parking lot, and started to build.  Over this past winter I got to witness the building of my new store, help train new employees, and meet all the big important people from our main offices.  Six weeks ago, Kroger officially retired store #46 and moved all the employees to the new store, store #94.  I am the Customer Service Assistant Manager, but the new store opening left me feeling kinda small and unimportant and way overstressed for being a little Kroger “pawn”.  Now that we’ve been open a while (and all the corporate people have gone home), I feel like this is my store now.  That I can make changes happen, I can make decisions about how and when we do things.  Feels good to have that since of “assistant manager” again, to be a Rook instead of the pawn.

 I’ve also been involved in politics more than I have ever been.  I got involved in a feminist group at the college and then Marched in a protest demonstration called “take back the night”.  It was pretty awesome and empowering.  The point, for me, was to show that I was not going to allow anyone to “put me in my place” anymore.  That I will dress the way I want to dress and say what I want to say and not care if that makes a man feel threatened, so much so that he decides to treat me differently then he would anyone else.  I refuse to feel weak or scared when walking to my car at night.  I refuse to be put down because I have breasts.  And I now, refuse to let my government make decisions about my sexual health.  But that’s a whole other can of worms.  So all I’ll say about that is, Samuel Dale Brownback, if you are reading this; I didn’t vote for you before, I won’t be voting for you this go around, and I WILL do my best to make sure others are not voting for you either.  Grow a vagina, then you can have an opinion.  Oh and p.s. my taxes are not paying you so that you can sign bills without reading them.

Knitters! Want to help promote Women’s reproductive rights?  Knit this uterus and mail it to your state reps, governors, and maybe your insurance company (mine doesn’t cover birth control, I have to pay for it out of pocket).

http://www.governmentfreevjj.com/

It's been over a month and I've been a busy busy girl.  But first, a picture of the finished March socks.

 

 ): And here's a picture of the UNFINISHED April socks :(

As far as April socks go, I did get one sock completed before the end of the month.  I don't have a picture of that sock to show you, but hopefully by the next post (in a month or two) I'll have completed both April and May's socks.

Rock Chalk Shamrock

So I'm a bit behind, again.  So here is a post I wrote a while back;

On St. Patrick’s Day I’m allowed to break the work dress code and wear a green shirt.  Every year I wear a green shirt advertising that I’m a K-State fan.  I am not a K-State fan.  But since I live in Manhattan KS, home of the Kansas Wildcats, I don’t have many options when it comes to shopping for a good green t-shirt that isn't affiliated with KSU.  This year will be different.  This year my shirt will say “Rock Chalk Shamrock” with a big Jayhawk on it.  Yes, I am a KU fan.  Yes, I will be made fun of, people will look at me funny, tell me I live in the wrong city (um, hello, don’t you think I already know that?) but I will be happy. 

One of the ladies I work with was planning a trip to Lawrence Ks, to go shopping.  She wanted to know what size of shirt I wore so she could pick something up for me.  It worked out that the day she was going, I wasn't scheduled to work so we went together.   

First thing we did once we got to Lawrence was food.  Aladin's cafe is amazing.  Great hummus, amazing falafal, geens, and rice.  Baklava for dessert.  I left feeling like I'd gained 25 pounds.  P.S. they are also a Hookah bar.  We didn't try that part out though.

Then the t-shirt hunt begun.  On Mass street we went into a t-shirt shop where I found it.  My shamrock shirt.  Super happy and excited, I paid for my shirt.  We then decided to head across the street to the Yarn Barn.  I'd never been in The Barn just their website;  www.yarnbarn-ks.com   I spent way to much time in there, thankfully my coworker was just excited to see me so excited (she's a non-knitter but that my soon change).  

So now I have a shirt to wear on St. Patrick’s Day, a new small project bag to hold my wip socks (work in progress socks) and some really awesome hand painted blue fingering weight yarn from Mountain Colors.  I have no idea what I'll make with it but that's never been a problem!

Dear February Socks,

   

  I’m so sorry that you were not finished before the end of February.  I was really hoping that, with it being a leap year and all, that the extra day was all I would need to finish you before March poked its head around the corner.  But unfortunately, with my boss on vacation, my day job became really hectic.  Then, silly me, thinking that turning a heel would be to difficult to do while watching the super bowl, I started on the March socks.  I wanted to have some easy knitting while I cheered on the Patriots.  The pattern for March was so easy; I didn’t have to look at it all!  Next thing I know I’ve got several inches of March sock and only a leg of February socks finished.  With only two weeks to go, I was certain the foot portion would go fast, I wasn’t worried.  I even spent one of my days off knitting a dishcloth instead of working on you!  Which I have now paid for, many stitches over.  I should have known I wasn’t going to finish when my knitting friends started to comfort me with only a week to go.  On that extra day of February, I still didn’t work on you.  Instead I decided to plan out a shawl, started winding the yarn for it and swatching.  I’m so, so sorry for this horrible lapse in judgment.  Today is March 4^th and I’m still working on the foot of the first sock.  You have now become my “between projects” socks.  Though I will not change your name, you are still February socks to me.  You will get finished, I promise.  You are the most intricate and complicated pair of socks I’m planning on making, at the moment anyway.  You may not feel it right now, but after a year of sock knitting, you will be THE prized pair of socks out of the twelve.  So don’t feel bad as I set you aside so I can work on the March socks.  Don’t worry that you will be forgotten and left unfinished.  I will make it up to you by showing you off!  Sock wearers of the world will love and adore you. 

Please forgive me.

Your loving maker,

Sarah

Slumber Party

On Jan 10^th my niece turned six years old.  So I drove to the great city of Wichita Kansas to hang out with Emily (my niece), her mom and my mom.  My mom and sister are knitters. . . So we went to some yarn stores in celebration of Emily's birthday.  Emily, however, thinks knitting is boring.   Since we spent the day boring Emily, I spent the night doing what Emily wanted to do, a slumber-party.  Now, for those of you who don’t know, I’m almost 30, definitely on my way to adulthood.  I’m a bit over weight and my back doesn’t really like it when I sleep on a hard surface.  But I did it anyway.  Cuddled with a Disney princess blanket, I slept on her bedroom floor.  The next day I had the best coffee (thanks to my sister who works for Starbucks), which totally made up for my back ache.  That afternoon we had a party that included cake, presents and party favors.  Emily set out party horns, helicopter toys, and balloons, all color coded.  That night I drove back to Manhattan, and made it back in time for knit night.  Even though my back paid for the sleep over, I’m glad I got to spend so much time with Emily and my sister.  As a Christmas present to my sister, I told her that anytime she wanted, I would come up for a knitting lesson and maybe some thrift store shopping.  One of my sister’s many talents is finding great clothes at thrift stores.  Which leads me to my next topic, converting a sweater back to yarn.

Hello!!

Sorry for my silence!  I have had a lot going on and I haven't been doing a good job of keeping track of all the stuff that's happened since my last blog.  So here's a list of the things to come:

1. Sleep over for a 6 yr old

2. February socks

3. March socks @ the Super Bowl

3. unfinished February Socks

4. Returned a few sweaters back to their original state: yarn

5. Dishcloth knitting for a day.

Ok, that's it for now cause that's all I can remember. . .