One Day

So if video killed the radio star, then social work surely killed the creativity star. It’s been nearly 7 months since I updated this blog and the lack of knitting that’s been done in that time just makes me sad.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to have a job when so many do not, and I’m also happy to be able to help my clients (well, the ones who actually want the help)… I just miss being able to do the artistic things that are such a huge part of who I am. My knitting, writing, blogging, beading and scrapbooking have all been seriously neglected since I started this job a year and almost four months ago. Sure, I’m creative on the job, thinking on my feet and all that jazz… but it’s not the same. I NEED art in my life, and more than the random half hour of writing in a notebook here and there between home visits or knitting at night until I can’t keep my eyes open anymore.

I heard a great quote today (while working, on a Saturday, thus missing Ravyn’s birthday party)… I took my client who has hoarding problems to listen to a presentation on decluttering. The presenter shared the following quote (which I’m totally paraphrasing): “Waiting for the perfect time to do something is like waiting to take a vacation until all of the stoplights are green.”

That quote hit home because with my lack of art lately I keep telling myself that “one day” I’ll find the time again. “One day” I’ll be able to use my art regularly again whether it be personally or professionally. Well damn it, I think it’s time.

I don’t know HOW I’ll do it, but I’m going to. I’m sick of waiting, sick of putting myself second to everything (and everyone) else all of the time, and sick of the absence of Creative Me. It’s time for “one day” to be today.

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Yup, I still knit.

So it’s been a while… I’m still knitting, I just am up to my eyeballs in paperwork and stuff that I don’t get to knit or blog nearly as much as I’d like. But… I can’t complain too much since this economy is shit and I have a job.

Anywho… I still haven’t finished my fake Noro scarf. I also have a pair of socks on the needles that are currently being ignored. My latest project though is a $4.00 project. 🙂 A couple weeks ago I had a really really crappy day at work and I went to Wal Mart for some retail therapy and groceries. I came across a bin of yarn that had been discounted to one lonely dollar a skein. Yeah, it’s acrylic, but hello… one dollar! So I bought four skeins and bam… I’ve got myself a project.

Meet my first throw…

There’s still one more color missing (the last color is a natural linen sort of color), but so far I’m quite happy with the way it’s turning out. I might even go buy a regularly priced skein (or two) to add another color (or two) but I haven’t decided yet. 🙂 It’s Vanna’s Choice. *wiggles eyebrows and oohs and ahhs* hehe Yeah, I know you’re jealous. *nods*

With that said… I have paperwork to do. :op

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Nice…

I started working on my cartigan again after many months of hibernation (KPS241) and I was actually making some progress. Then a week ago I lost my pattern. So tonight I was online looking to see if KPS sells PDF files and I came across the erata for my pattern… The freaking thing was wrong from the cast on! Ugh! Might as well just rip the whole thing out now. *le sigh* Freaking hell. Maybe I’ll just make a blanket instead… Anyone want to swap some Cascade SW 220? I could give up 5 skeins in exchange for 5 as long as they go with the blue Quatro (#1929, the dark blue)… Or I could go multi colored and swap out one skein at a time… I wanted to do a rainbow blanket out of the SW Quatro colors… Hmm, make me an offer, we’ll talk!

Later…

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Knit Michigan

Anyone going to Knit Michigan this year? Carpooling?

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“Can’t get out from under a sky that’s falling…”

I’ve been trying for the last two hours to get a report written but my attention span isn’t cooperating. Then I discovered something that honestly has my feelings pretty damn hurt so I figured that avoidance and posting pictures in my blog might help. THEN I’ll get back to my report. *nods*

My ShiBui socks are finally done. They’re for my mom. They were supposed to be for me but she saw the first one a few months ago and went “Oooh!” so yeah… they’re hers. 🙂 I did the Kitchner Stitch for the first time ever (first time successfully, that is). 🙂

Another first… I started a pair of mittens. This artic weather has gotten to me and inspired pretty mittens. Every time I make a toe up sock I think, “Wow this would make a cool mitten…” and then I keep on knitting it into a sock. But I’ve been meaning for a while to turn some gifted yarn of mine into a pair of mittens and just never did it. The yarn below isn’t the gifted yarn because I wasn’t in the mood to use it, but it’s still a mitten and I’m pretty happy with it so far.

The yarn is Crystal Palace Merino 5 (100% Superwash Merino). I bought 4 balls of it on the Traverse City COB trip last April. The pattern is the basic mitten from The Knitter’s Handy Book of Patterns by Ann Bud with a Bamboo Stitch (I think) added to one side for prettiness.

The cold has also brought plenty of photo opps…

Rave turned 9 a few weeks ago…

Doodlebutt took the opportunity to spread big sister’s yarn all over the living room while we were playing a game and no one was paying too much attention to him. LOL

Rave and Wessels eventually dicovered the mess… LOL

It took Grandma all evening to re-wind the yarn… you can see her in the background of this picture that Wessels took of Aunt Kellie. 🙂

Another fan of yarn is my friend Shawn’s kitty Lola… she loooooves to “help me” knit and spent New Years Day helping me out.

I also have a new boyfriend. This is Hammy. He loves me long time.

And just because it’s cute… Doodlebutt showing us just what he might look like as an annoyed teenager one day. Can’t you just hear him saying “Aunt Kellllllllieee!” with a sigh and a roll of the eyes? LOL

That’s all for now. I really do have work to try and get done. No more knitting, blogging or facebooking until my report is finished. 🙂

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Let it snow…

Due to an unfortunate accident in which my beloved camera decided to kiss the cement floor at a local Taco Bell, I have no knitting pictures. The camera still works, but the screen is trashed and because my camera doesn’t have one of those old-fashioned hole thingies to look through like all of my cameras of the past did, it’s sort of hard to figure out what I’m taking pictures of. And then I can’t review the pictures until I take the memory card out of the camera and put it into my computer. Oh technology, how you frustrate me! *giggle*

So let’s see… I finished the scarf that I posted about when I was in Midland for training session #1. Training session #3 is in just about two weeks and then I’m free to spread my social workiness all around Ingham county without as much supervision. hehe. I’ve got two cases going right now which are going well but there are three of us doing the case together which means that it’s not nearly as hard as it’ll be when I’m on my own. I know I haven’t really posted here what my job is though so you’re probably thinking, “What the hell is she talking about?” I’m a case worker for a program that does intensive home-based work with people who are in serious risk of losing their children to foster care. We go in for 28 days (at least 10 hours a week, usually more) and teach them parenting skills and other shiz to try and help improve the situation enough so that CPS won’t yank the kid(s) at the end of the intervention. Hard work, but good work. 🙂 I’ve never in my life worked with a bunch of people who are so in sync with the way I think, it’s pretty damn cool. Although I had to miss the Woven Art Book Club and Lynn’s Birthday Gala this month because of work, and I’m going to have to miss the Guild meeting this week for the same reason (we’re on call 24/7 with this job so when a situation comes up we’ve gotta deal with it no matter when it is). For some reason the universe just doesn’t want me to go to Guild and Book Club. 😉 Oh well… maybe next time around.

In other knitting news, I bought the new Mason Dixon book. Love it. Need to find a little girl to make the Emma Peel dress for. I started a scarf out of the Alp Oriental that I had in my stash and although it’s probably 80% finished, I’m not loving it. I think I may have to frog it and pick a different design and perhaps smaller needles. I’ve stalled at sock #1 of my mom’s Shibui socks because I can’t find the skein of yarn that I need to use for the heel, toe and cuff. LOL It’s somewhere in my house, I’m sure. I also haven’t done much on the sock blanket because I’m still debating on how I should go about it… some of my Monday Night Knitter Girls are thinking about doing a yarn swap for the blankets so maybe that’ll help me decide. I did have a pretty good idea for a chirstmas gift for my sister though, so I think that maybe today or tomorrow I might just cast on for that. And if it turns out the way I hope it does, then I’ll be making one (or twelve) for myself too. 🙂

Oh and remember the socks I made for Wessels? He had to have minor surgery last month and he insisted on wearing his Aunt Kellie Socks. He also insisted on not wearing the hospital gown so he went off to surgery in his Aunt Kellie Socks and his Underoos. hehe… He’s so darn cute.

I’ve not seen my COB ladies in FOREVER… *le sigh* They don’t write or call anymore… *sniff* I miss you guys.

In movie news, I’ve seen High School Musical 3… loved it. Beverly Hills Chihuahua… very cute. The new James Bond flick… hot, hot, hot. And I’ve got my 12:01 a.m. tickets to see Twilight on Friday morning as well as plans to see it on Friday evening as well as Sunday. Whoot! :o) Crazy? Who me? Yup. 🙂

In sad news, my grandpa’s cat Bo had to be put to sleep shortly after I started my new job. His tumor started to grow again and he just wasn’t a happy kitty. Now my Oscar is living with my grandpa and all though I miss him, Kira is very happy to be the House Diva once again now that she’s the only cat in my home. 🙂 Oscar’s doing well though, he’s enjoying being the King of Grandpa’s Apartment, and I try to get over to visit once a week or so. 🙂

I should go… I’ve got a hot theater date tonight with a thirteen year old who is now over six feet all *le sigh* as well as the oldest two children of our older brother. 🙂 We’re going to see the “World’s Greatest Magic Show” at Wharton… should be fun. I must go make myself presentable for being in public. hehe.

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“You’ve got me begging you for mercy”

I haven’t done much knitting… I’ve been up to my eyebrows in training and getting adjusted to things at my new place of employment. I’ve also traveled more in the past week than I have in a long time which is just part of the job… I now know how to get to Midland and Bay City without a map ;). Things are good though, busy but it’s a good busy. Next week I get another round of hotel living for more training for a few days so hopefully some more knitting will get done (unless of course we use our free time to get drunk, LOL we’re a crazy bunch of social workers…). I do have to miss the October MMKG next week though… Maybe next month!

The scarf I mentioned in my last post is growing slowly but surely and as soon as I have some time I’m so going to buy more yarn that I don’t need. 🙂 I saw a scarf at book club the other day that I want to make.

That’s all for now… Just wanted to check in and say hello!

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Let Love Rule

Since we last spoke, there’s been some more knitting at concerts…

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WIP: iPod Touch Sockum

Almost done: iPod Touch Sockum. Mods: Using size 3 needles instead of 2’s because I couldn’t find my 2’s. 🙂 I’ll probably also skip the “toe” decreases and just do a 3 needle bind off for the bottom.

Tis all for now.

“The foundation stones for a balanced success are honesty, character, integrity, faith, love and loyalty.”

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Truth

I’m always amazed at how long the day seems when I’m doing something out of the ordinary. I remember when I used to run support groups at Ele’s Place the time between 5:30 and 9:00 seemed like it flashed by but when we didn’t have group for some reason that time seemed like it lasted so much longer. The same applies to when it’s a weekday but I’m not at work (assuming that I don’t spend the day in bed, that is…).

Today before 12:30 p.m. I’d gotten up, had coffee, watched a Sonic the Hedgehog movie, worked on a knitting project several times, went to breakfast, drew pictures with crayons on a placemat with Doodlebutt, talked to sixteen billion people on the phone, gone to walmart, and managed to snap several photos documenting the day. After that the madness continued with a mid afternoon snuggle nap with my favorite one year old, more phone calls, a few zillion e-mails, a few hours of Nickelodeon, a walk to the park, playing on the jungle gym, a trip to get dinner, back to my brother’s house to eat dinner, and two full episodes of So You Think You Can Dance (with a few tears… sniff). And… it’s only 10:30. That’s crazy. I’m a little bit exhausted frankly.

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