Finished! and started…

WRT socks are finished and gifted!!!  And apparently liked!  I’m so glad.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get a pic of the finished pair so here’s just one –

The toes turned out okay but the grafting is a bastardization of Kitchener, I was at work when I did the second one and had no way to look at instructions. oops!

This evening I’m casting on a pair of gauntlets for myself and a pair of socks.  I’m re working the Grylion socks, too.  And… I’ve been asked to make a couple pairs of fingerless gloves for friends at work.  Cool!

and another oops!

Forgot to add pics of works in progress that have actually made progress:

World of Warcraft Allied Giants glove

These are for D to wear while playing WOW and will eventually have Allied Giants double stitched in white across the hands – in Alliance colors of course.

Turned heel and picked up gusset stitches on WRT socks, going as fast as possible on foot so can cast on second sock.  Then work on another two pairs, finish Tj’s second sock, a pillow for Dad, a pair of cabled gloves for daughter.  omg – Christmas is when?!!!!!!!!

oops! Knitless day and homeschool

I didn’t knit at all yesterday unless one counts the 2:30 am – 4:30 am session caused by 4B’s waking me up yet again.  Guess it does count since it was within the 24 hour time frame that made up yesterday. I’m hoping to get most of the foot done on WRT sock one and one of son’s Allied Giants fingerless gloves done today.

This morning I started blog browsing and ravelry reading about 7am whilst waiting for son to wake up to start school work – we usually start school about 8:30.  I came across this EXTREMELY helpful yarn estimator from Elizabeth’s Fiber and Yarn store.

Our current focus is history and religion -  he chose three religions and we’re studying history in that context.  It’s interesting and puts things in a different perspective for him. Yes, we’re a little different from a lot of home schoolers but the discussions are very open and I’m amazed at how he processes things.  Why are we studying history with religion?  Good question!  There are several reasons, the primary being religion is a reflection of belief which is typically the motivating factor of behavior which results in action i.e. history.  Beliefs influence everything from architecture to clothing to migration/immigration to celebrations to food choices.

Being a parent and a teacher is the most challenging thing I’ve done.  The cliche’s are true – it’s a rewarding, surprising, growth experience, and I love it.  I’m grateful that he’s given me this opportunity.  Never in the history of ever (yet another “Hollyism”) did I envision myself homeschooling.  My parents homeschooled my younger siblings years before it became widely accepted; Dad even wrote the first doctoral dissertation on the subject.  I was all ready in university when they started (at the ripe old age of 16 – boy do I wish I knew now what I thought I knew then) so I sometimes helped tutor but wasn’t really that involved nor did I care to be.  They are religious fundamentalists, we aren’t.  (They = parental family unit; we = my family unit) Maybe one of these days I’ll blog about why we’re doing this and what changed my mind.

Question of the day – is driving part of home school?  uhmmmm….  okay, it is.  He got his learners’ permit last month and is getting comfortable with traffic but I’m not.  Er, comfortable with him driving in the heavy traffic around here that is.  He’s a sensible driver but it can take five minutes or more to turn left out of our apartment complex.

Today’s randomness is …. ta da…. the wondrous Grylion sent me some of these:

Get out of Hell Free Card

I absolutely love them!!!!  Let’s not go into how badly I may need one *grin*  If you’re in need as well – this is true has them.  Lots of them.

Las Vegas, more progress and waiting

We had extreme fun driving to Las Vegas, being there, and driving back.  I can’t accurately describe how wonderful it was to laugh hard, to think things through without stress, to talk openly without repercussion but most of all – to have FUN!  What did we do?!   what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas… *grin*…

Just a few random tidbits though.  The first pair of fingerless gloves are finished with the exception of weaving in ends – that’s saved for The Great Evening Weave In, some call it Christmas Eve –

and a plain pair was cast on in blue, pics to come later.  Progress was made on the Big Sand Socks for Soldiers

and…..  B, being the thoughtful and overly generous man that he is, bought me this at the Harley Davidson store on top of everything else – insert huge grin –

It’s a gorgeous tank but you don’t get a modeled pic as D (son) has some odd aversion to Mom (that would be me) wearing tank tops around him.  Particularly ones that fit like gloves.

Silly me remembered walking shoes but not socks so B let me borrow a pair, what a guy!  My calves are sore from walking, my arms are sore from knitting but I’m smiling like crazy!  It’s been years since I was there so was amazed at how much things have changed.  We stayed right by the beginning of the Freemont Experience which we wandered around Saturday night.  The watershow at the Bellagio was gorgeous, New York New York complete with a lovely dinner at Il Fornaio

no, not a pic of us, and a few minutes at Coyote Ugly was marvelous – definitely going back next time.  Caesars Palace is still a great place.  The Sahara brought some fairly major personal growth and… I won more than I lost, which we promptly spent.  The word thankful doesn’t begin to cover my gratitude for everything.

I’m waiting for the call from work to tell me when I’m coming back.  It’s all ready 10:30 so guessing it won’t be today as I was hoping so it must be next Monday.  I’m still hoping for an offer from another company too.  I’ve GOT to get back to work, it’s getting fairly critical.  First and foremost, I can’t stand not being self sufficient.  Second and also urgent -  D and I desperately need to move out of here; the tension when 4B came back to the apartment last night was pretty thick.  I know what he wants to happen but there is NO chance he’s pushing me into doing anything just because he chose to walk away from his family.  I am looking forward to this divorce being final.

Continued idiocy and Vegas, baby!

For some reason my hands forgot how to knit properly right around midnight.  I have no idea what happened, I put the very nearly finished fingerless 2 down for a couple of hours, picked it back up and was knitting backwards.  Not backwards knitting mind you – I was throwing the yarn over rather than curling from under resulting in oddly half raised stitches.  I’d frog but… they are so nearly finished now after all ready being an idiot that I’m just not going to.  All that’s left is the top ribbing and finishing the thumb.  Roughly half an hour’s work.

And I’m oddly unmotivated.  I want to cast on the next pair.  I can’t (won’t) until this pair is finished.  Arghhhhh…. ok, ok…. another half hour of ravelry and blog browsing then it’s off to finalize the gift.

And… in other news…  I’m going to Las Vegas on Friday!!!!!!  It was a total surprise, and I’m entirely excited.  Six hours or so of knitting time driving down, another six or so driving back and a fun filled two days there with one of the best humans ever!!!!!!!! 

I’m taking the socks for soldiers BSS, WRT socks, Grylion socks and probably the pair of fingerless gloves that I WILL cast on this afternoon.

Know what?!  I’m discovering that having a life is actually fun!

4B and I switched rooms last night.  My bed is a queen.  Since his feet hang over the bottom of the double he thought he might sleep better fully ensconsed in bedness.  Ok, whatever.  I like my room though.

He requested that I take my knitting off the bed.  I’ve been known to cozy up and knit in bed.  He was alarmed at the number of printed patterns – I can never knit that many things.  Of course not!  But I can knit quite a few and many are inspiration pieces and/or have features I’d like to incorporate into other designs.  Accompanied by much eye rolling by both parties.
He was also a bit upset that all his underwear has disappeared.  uhmmm… I don’t wear your underwear… all I know is they go in the wash, in the dryer, come out and still exist.  D doesn’t wear ugly tighty whities.  How does one lose ALL their underwear?!  Seriously??  And do I even want to know?

Tomorrow is the traditional off to mom’s Thanksgiving Event.  The kids are going to meet me down there, I’m happy they’ve decided to go.  Their dad has to work, sounds a bit odd but it’s going to be different not having him there.  We’ve been divorced for over eight years now but he still comes to most major family gatherings and we’re all fine with that.  4B is most likely going to a friends’ – I’m glad.  Although he feels holidays, birthdays, etc. are ‘just another day’  I’d hate for him to be alone.

Considering this has without question, been the worst year of my life, I have much to be grateful for.  The lessons learned, the changes made, the dear friends, the opportunities presented, I am truly thankful and very humbled.

Vehicle of death and not quite finished glove

Happy dance alert!!!!!!!!!!

B and his boy C fixed my strut yesterday!!!!!!!  Being the sort who disapproves of vehicles being on the road that could, at any moment, cause death and destruction (literally) he popped the hood yesterday afternoon.  He had a bit of a ‘omg’ look on his face.  The strut mount was gone.  Yes, I know, it’s been gone for as long as I’ve had the car – about a year now.  B and C took the wheel off, took the strut off to check for any further damage, called Auto Zone and $40.00 and an hour and a half later… it’s fixed!!!!!

I went with B to Auto Zone to pick up the part.  He kept looking at me as though he wanted to say something so I finally said, “yes?”  He kind of blurted out, “Does 4B know how bad this is?!”  Yes, he knows.  Is he not at all mechanically inclined?  Yes, he is.

So he does realize that your front wheel could have come off at any time?

Yes, he did.

More puzzled looks followed by a short discussion on allowing one’s wife to drive a vehicle that unsafe.  I’d explain it if I had an explanation, but the only one available is – ‘that’s 4B, I’m only supposed to drive back and forth to work anyway…. and since I was out of work for a month…’  ok ok yes, you’re right, not the point.

Point now is – it’s fixed!  My son has his learner’s permit and will now be able to drive the thing without fighting the vibrations and worrying about pending doom.   My gratitude is overwhelming me right now.

I’m one happy, thankful Redfear!

The heel on sock 1 for WRT (B) is ready to be started.  The fingerless gloves are nearly finished.  I have them to where I had to put the thumb stitches on a holder and couldn’t find anything (not my house, thought it would be rude to wake host to request dental floss in the middle of the night) so…..  should have those done this afternoon.