freakin' out...

I left the house this morning very optimistically. But, things quickly turned south. As I mentioned yesterday, I have finished the multi-media SP4 project and need to send it to its final destination. This morning, before leaving for work, I packed a goodie bag with the intention of dropping by the post office at lunch.

Well, half way to work, I realized that I was running early and thought I could go to the post office before work instead. I looked through the goodie bag, making a mental checklist. That's when I had my D'Oh moment. I had forgotten one piece of the package...one sheet of paper, in fact! As I cursed quietly under my breath, I realized that my SP4 package & reveal would have wait one more day.

(Big apology from me to my Secret Pal)

trying not to freak out...

So, do you want to know what I really did this weekend?

1. Took my Mom to lunch on Saturday as an early Mother's Day celebration since I won't be in town next weekend.
   
2. Went shopping, but not in the good way. I spent Saturday searching for a strapless bra and jewelry to wear in the wedding next weekend. Unfortunately, I didn't find jewelry and I'm unhappy with the bra I bought...I'll have to go to another store. Argh.
   
3. Went shopping again...still not in the good way. My BF, who is not in the wedding party, didn't realize until late last week that he needed new dress shoes, shirt & tie. He insisted that we go to Nordstrom Rack...It took three hours for him to find what he wanted.
   
4. Cleaned 2/3 of the apartment
   
5. Laundry -- I still have one more load to take care of when I get home tonight.
   
6. Attached crochet bits to the multi-media SP4 project...Yes, I realize I'm really late now. This package will go to the post office tomorrow.

I'm tired and grumpy today. I'm thinking about making a sign to wear around my neck to warn people that it's best to just stay away from me. And, I don't see the week getting any better. I'll just have to trudge through with as much grace as I can muster.

Muchos Gracias, AC!

I got the nicest, most thoughtful package in the mail on Friday. I know it will sound cliché, but good things really do come in small packages!

I had taken some pictures of the booty that my Secret Pal graced me with. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera with me today...it will have to wait one more day.

I just wanted to take the time to say...You Rock, AC!

swatch watch...

My super-secret project hasn't been taking up all of my attention. Between my spurts of frustration I have managed to work on swatches for the next two projects that I am planning on taking on. Here's a preview:

This one is for Toledo from Rowan 37. I'm going to knit this along with my friend Anne. She already knows how to knit, but has never made anything larger than a scarf or hat. She's making the same top but in a different color. I think this would be a good project for a novice because there are no sleeves and the stitch pattern is pretty easy to memorize. It's also interesting because the neckline is done with short rows and there is a garter stitch border at the neck and armholes.

I think I'm going to take this project with me when I go to Florida next week. (It's wedding time!) Since the front and back are knit alike, I'm hoping to work through one of the pieces so that I can warn Anne about any tricky spots before she gets to them. So far, Anne has done a swatch. Unfortunately, she didn't get gauge. I'm hoping that going up a needle size will work for her.


Okay, I know this one is rather blurry. I just couldn't get the camera to focus. Anyway, it's a swatch for my first sock! If you go back to my Knit Year Resolutions, you'll see that this is one of the things that I want to accomplish this year. I had bought the yarn back in November, and have been waiting for a good time to start this project.

I'm using the Basic Ribbed Sock pattern from Hipknitism.com. The pattern is actually broken up into little lessons that seem much less intimidating than other patterns. So far, I have cast on and knit about 4 inches of 3x2 ribbing. This is an ideal project to take on the bus because I feel like I get so much done. And, I don't have to worry about whether I can finish a row before I get to my stop! I have about 20 more rounds to work for the leg and then I move on to the lesson that goes over how to turn a heel!

grudge match...

Yesterday, I woke up feeling icky...Thanks to the high level of pollen in the area, I've been inhaling tons of crap for the last few weeks. I'm not an allergy sufferer, but when there's this much pollen in the air everyone suffers. So, I called in sick, and spent the first part of my morning trying to counteract my benedryl-induced drowsiness by drinking more coffee.

When I finally got my head on straight, I decided to devote the day to working on the super-secret project. First, I whipped out the sewing machine and all of the notions I needed. I was able to piece things together pretty easily, making my way over the speedbump that I mentioned the other day. Next, it was time to fit the knitting section with the sewing section...Unfortunately, knitting + sewing = more frustration.

I'd like to blame all of my problems on the instructions. It seems like the easiest thing to do at this point. Since I started the finishing for this project, nothing has gone smoothly! I had been thinking of making a second one of these for myself...Now I'm not so sure.

Well, not wanting to disappoint my secret pal, I had to persevere. So, I took a few deep breaths, drank some more coffee, and worked out a plan of attack. My entire thought process revolved around how to make knitting + sewing = finished product...hopefully, without having a lot of stray threads showing. And, I'm glad to say that after a 3-hour struggle, I was able to make the two pieces come together in harmony.

I have just one more thing to do. That's adding the crochet to the mix. I'm going to start working that when I get home tonight, and I will put on the final touches tomorrow when I have a planned day off.

super-secret progress...

I think assembling the parts of this mixed-media creation is proving to be the hardest part. I was able to work out my seaming problems yesterday. And, thankfully, the seams don't look too wonky.

Next I pulled out some fabric that I had stored away and started working on that portion. I hit another speedbump similar to the seaming problem...I'm going to have to do some creative adjusting to get over this obstacle. Thankfully, this portion will not show on the outside once I am done. Tonight, I pull out the sewing machine!

To tell you the truth, I'm starting to feel the pressure. I know that I can get this project done by Friday if I just concentrate on one step at a time...But, there's this little voice that's getting really freaked out.

the final countdown...

There's just one more week until the end of SP4, and I'm getting pretty excited. I was able to breeze through the crochet portion of my mixed-media-SP4-finale. Unfortunately, I'm already having a hard time with the seaming. I started this morning on the ride to work, but hit a snag. So, I need to rip out all of the seaming that I have done and rework it. I also need to get working on the sewing portion.

Wow, that's a lot to do in one week. I can't wait to finish it and get it in the mail. Hopefully, I'll be able to do that on Friday when I have the day off.

I'm also excited to find out the true identity of Ms Amica Clandestina. I've really enjoyed the comments that she has been leaving throughout the SP4 exchange.