After enjoying dinner (last night was sushi!), Kevin and I usually snuggle on the couch. The following is my internal monologue...


*While watching Jeopardy* Kevin should really try out. He knows all the answers. That dude has a funny voice and is way too casually dressed. Alex Trebek is kinda creepy. Oh oh! Cap'n Crunch!!! I got final Jeopardy correct!!


Hmm... Kevin's switched to "How it's made" since Jeopardy is over. That's interesting they are making a....... Oh, I think I must have accidentally closed my eyes. What are they making?....................... No no no no no. I won't fall asleep on the couch again!! Must find out what is being made. Well, maybe I'll close my eyes until it comes back from commercial........................................ Crap! I missed another one. Ok, they are making something, I don't know what it is. Maybe I'll just close my eyes and imagine it, but definitely not sleep.....................................................................


That sounds like Keith Olberman. What time is it? 8:09. Ok, the news is important. I'll listen to Keith with my eyes closed............................................... D'oh! Oh, it is 8:28, he is about to do worst persons. Funny stuff will keep me awake.... Why is he talking so much before worst persons... Just get to the count...............................................................................


Is that Rachael Maddow? Oh I hope Keith is interviewing her and not that it is after 9pm. Crap crap crap!! OOOwwwwwww my ear hurts and I can't feel my arm. Ok, must get up and stop sleeping because it is nearly time for going to bed for real.




Why didn't anyone tell me that when you reach 30 that it is impossible to stay awake past 7:30pm?




Oh, and speaking of why didn't you tell me...... why didn't you tell me that grading revisions of a paper would be as time consuming and painful as grading the rough drafts?!?!

I swore I wasn't going to do it.


But then 5 balls of yarn jumped into the online cart.


And money was sent via paypal.


It should arrive by Thursday (at which point the semester will be done and grades submitted).


Can I knit 5 Fetchings in 2 weeks?






Oh, I knit a neck tube over the course of the past week. If I can make myself look presentable and find the camera, I'll get some pictures. Yes, I said neck tube.

Well, I was trying to look at the new Knitty, but it appears that everyone else with an internet connection is, so the patterns won't load. I was able to open a few of the articles, and so read "To Graft or Not to Graft."


I guess I must have weirdly shaped feet (I know they are small, but I didn't realize that they were also hobbit-like as she puts it) because every time I've tried the decrease to 12 or 8 stitches and pull them together to finish a sock, I get a toe that doesn't fit well. It is pointy and unattractive and uncomfortable.


When grafting, I've never had "ears" on either side that need to be sewn down. And besides, I like doing a short-row toe and grafting underneath the foot. I love perfectly blending in the grafted row such that the sock appears absolutely seamless.


So I'm a freak who enjoys the rhythm of the kitchener. She says, "It's slow and fiddly work, and requires attention and care." I say, "I don't want to wear a sock that was knit fast, sloppily, and without attention and care."


That's just my rambling rant. Go team Kitchener!!







Grades will be submitted by tomorrow morning. At which point I plan to figure out where my camera went to and start getting some knitting pictures back up here!!

So I finally got to browse the Knitty patterns, and there is only one sweater that I like.


Looking at it and reading the description (yet missing the designer's name), I think "Oh, I really like this. Oh, I really want to make this. It is so Norah Gaughan. I wonder who designed it?"


Scroll back to the top... D'oh! Not only did Norah design it, but there is a big Norah ad at the top of the page. Very clearly, my eyes zoomed directly to the picture and bypassed the ads and relevant info (haha... probably not a plus for my susceptibility to online advertising!).


Check out Surface.

If you've been following the saga, I ordered yarn for another Stitch Diva sweater on November 11th. Then on the 18th, I got an email that the yarn was backordered and would be mailed whenever it came in from the manufacturer. I sent a reply asking for the order to be canceled and my money refunded. I waited until the 30th for a reply and sent another email asking for a refund. Today, would be one month since ordering and still no yarn and no refund. However, I did call the store Tuesday. I talked with a polite, but less than competent employee, who promised to cancel it and refund my money. The money has not been refunded yet, but I'll give it another day or two before calling again.


On December 7th, I ordered some yarn for some x-mas knitting. It arrived yesterday! That's a day earlier than it was supposed to.

Maybe I'm just not meant to order stuff off the internet. With the exception of the Yarnmarket.com order (hi Deborah! Thanks for leaving a comment yesterday. I love the yarn. Which is Tahki Yarns New Tweed, since Skiffyknitter asked.), I am apparently cursed.


The new story... I ordered an x-mas gift. X-mas gift arrived today. It was supposed to have 6 parts, but the box contained only 1. The invoice states that there should be 6 and I paid for 6. What to do?


Well, I called the phone number on the invoice. Got a recording that they had a new phone number. Called that. Was able to interact with an automated "check your status" system, but if you tried to talk to a person, it just gave you a message to send an email. I searched the website (and this isn't a huge internet store, but it also isn't a little no-name place either) and there is no phone numbers! So I sent an email inquiring whether I get the other 5 parts and when, or how do I get my refund.


But I can't believe there is no human being that I can talk to about this. I know an email is answered by a human being, but when you are angry and missing part of your order, you want to at least talk to someone, and potentially yell if you have to.



I was planning on ordering some more things for x-mas online, but now I'm afraid. I think I'm cursed.

So last night as we were driving over to hang out with Kevin's brother and his girlfriend, Kevin was driving and handed me his gloves to hold, since knit gloves don't have much grip to them. I sat the gloves on my leg and we chatted and sang Steely Dan songs as we zoomed along. We arrived, found a great place to park, and went inside for a good meal and lots of laughs. As we left, Kevin asked for his gloves. I said I didn't have them. All I remember is that they were in my lap and that's the last time we saw them. The only thing I can figure is that they fell off my lap as I got out of the car, onto the sidewalk, and someone passing by in the in between time took advantage of my carelessness.


So I guess it is for the best that I finished his new pair this afternoon.








He likes them and isn't too upset about the lost old pair. But I certainly feel like an idiot for being careless. The old gloves were still in good shape and I was planning on closing up the few little holes that had appeared in between the fingers. That way he'd have two pairs of gloves to pick from. But now, there are only new gloves.

Step 1: Find a pretty sock yarn.



This is Creatively Dyed Yarn 100% Superwash Merino Wool in Calypso King. I picked it up at Rhinebeck this year.



Step 2: Knit a bunch of fingers. (Ten to be exact).



It is difficult to take a picture of all ten fingers when holding the camera.



Step 3: Join the fingers and start making a glove.



Next step add a thumb and create a gusset. Then add a cuff. Finally bind off!

• The grocery store at lunchtime on the day X-mas Eve Eve is ungodly busy. Especially the baking goods aisle. But I totally scored a small container of sparkling sugar! (Which makes the 1 lb bag I ordered online seem a bit frivolous, but it'll get used). What's sparkling sugar? It is the big, huge sugar crystals that you often see on bakery and store bought cookies. It isn't easy to find at the grocery store (at least the ones I frequent). It isn't the same as sprinkles or the colored sugar sprinkles.
• I have four Fetchings finished. It has been an interesting experiment because Tahki redid the yarn since I used it last and it is 8 yards shorter. I have to eek out 6 hours at some point before X-mas day to finish the last pair.
• Oh, and I added in a scarf to my X-mas knitting list. It is 2/3rds finished. It is in a bulky novelty yarn on size 11 needles, so I should only need about 40 minutes to finish it.
• MUST REMEMBER TO TAKE PICTURES BEFORE GIFTING!!!
• I just watched the "Grinch." It's one of the few X-mas movies that I like (along with "A Christmas Story" of course).
• I need to bake a bunch of cookies tomorrow. Clean the apartment. Clean the hamster cage (YUCK!). Wrap gifts. And as mentioned above, find time for finishing knitting gifts. This all means that I have to actually get up at a decent time and can't keep sleeping in.

Happy Holidays!!

Thankfully I finished the scarf last night. That fifth pair of Fetchings is probably not happening. Let's just say that I was trying to prepare some of the food that we'll need tomorrow and knife plus thumb equals multiple band-aids and a stint on the knitting disabled list.


Now I have to figure out a way to finish making ziti and many dozens of cookies one-handedly or at least without using my left thumb.

Champagne + Fried Chicken + Spicy Doritos + Video Games!