It's been a while

My life has been so utterly hectic lately. Work is going pretty good, but it's keeping me busy. I don't get home some nights until 6 or 7 and by that point I just want to veg. I've been doing Weight Watchers again though and I've lost 4 pounds. Woot!

As for my knitting...
I finished the cabled poncho last week. I have to try to get home while there's still some light to take some pictures of it. I started a pair of fingerless gloves with the leftover yarn but frogged them because I just didn't like how they were coming out. I'm trying a new pattern for Nicole's Harry Potter ornaments (even though her birthday was last weekend). I hated trying to sew up those little sweaters so I'm trying another sweater ornament pattern that's knit in the round...so much easier. They're coming out a little bigger it looks like though so I might have to adjust.

At my hometown's country fair today the public library was having a book sale and I bought Kids Knitting for only $1. It's got some cute patterns in it and will be helpful if I ever do some knitting classes or teach my cousin Courtney to knit. (I tried once...she sorta got it. I cast on 10 stitches for her and somehow within a half hour she had about 50 stitches on her needle)

Also at the craft fair, I priced out how much it is to rent a booth there. $75. I'm thinking of stock-piling some of the things I make and rent a space next year. I'm just afraid I won't make it back. I looked at some of the other knit/crocheted goods that people were selling to get an idea on pricing. Some people's things I thought were underpriced while some I thought were overpriced. The secret to it is, though, is to have a little of everything: blankets, baby clothes, doll clothes, dog clothes (there were like 5 booths devoted to pets), baby blankets, scarves and hats. I'll have to expand my patterns a bit and venture to some new projects.

That's really the only knitting updates I have. It doesn't sound like much but I was so happy to see the poncho finished. It was starting to really drag working on it.

I'm beginning to hate this poncho...

Now that there are so many stitches on it, it's taking FOREVER to do just one round. I haven't stopped to count in a while how many stitches I have (it's doesn't hurt the pattern if it's not exact) but man there's a lot. It's coming out pretty good though. I joined a new ball of yarn yesterday. I was surprise how much that little ball got me through. But now that it's so wide I'm sure this ball will go a lot faster. I'll have to try to get some pictures the next time I put it on scrap yarn to try it on and make sure it looks right.

What I really should be working on is the ornament set for Nicole's birthday (Sept. 15). It's right around the corner and I have pretty much nothing done. I found some more sweater ornament patterns that are done in the round so I might try making one of those instead. I'm really not a fan of the sewing together part, which given my sewing history should be a surprise. But I've never been a big fan of hand-sewing. Nicole tonight asked me to help her make her kitchen curtains. I've never made them but I can't imagine rectangular curtains being all that hard. I need to make some for our living room window because there's always a glare on the TV from the sunlight.

I figured I should update since I've done a bit of knitting. I frogged Mom's hat to the ribbing but haven't restarted it yet. I just got the new needles I needed for it yesterday. Hopefully it'll be quicker this time around since I've already done the whole thing. Grrr...


I also started Art's Grandma's Christmas gift. It's a pretty simple poncho from Vogue Knitting: Ponchos. I couldn't find a picture of the poncho finished but here's what I have so far:

what I have done...it's hard to tell because the whole project is squished onto my circulars

detail of the cable pattern.

It's hard to see in the pictures. I have to get better at taking pictures of my work, especially for when I'm trying to sell it online.

I haven't worked much on Nicole's birthday gifts (Harry Potter sweater ornaments). I only have one done (knitting part at least...I have to make the hanger parts but those will all be done at once). They're so annoying to make and I'm only on my second one. The knitting isn't that bad...it's the sewing together, neck, and sleeve stitch pick-ups that are driving me crazy. And it's bad because these have to be done soon. I'll have to get working on them again.

I apparently have a job interview tomorrow in Brooklyn again. I really don't want to go. MapQuest said it's a 40 minute drive (without traffic of course which never happens around here) and HopStop said it's a 2 hour 40 minute public commute. Not quite what I really want to be doing every morning on my way to work. I'm also supposed to have an interview with a developmental institute for students with disabilities but the lady never returned my call. I'd much rather work here (with a substansial pay cut) since it's on Long Island and sooo much closer. It's for a teacher's assitant position but would give me a lot of special ed experience. I'm calling them in the morning again and hopefully this lady will be at her desk this time.