2009 knitting & crocheting review

Going through the photographs tonight, I realised I've been quite busy this past year. These are just a few of the items I made in 2009.

There are a few that I particularly enjoyed knitting/crocheting; my daughter's Red Riding Hoodie, my niece's granny square top, my son's skull fingerless mitts, Samm's blue sheep and my wee sil's pink dress and shrug.

In 2009, I finally completed my first sweater using a pattern I adapted.

The piece that took the most from me emotionally was my Sister's Adamas shawl. Sadly, she never got to wear it before cancer finally claimed her. The shawl is with me and will be cherished for years.

Items I knit and or crocheted this past year:

1. Red Riding Hoodie from DomiKNITrix
2. Cave Girl bikini from Naughty Needles
3. Viva la Violet Dress from Knit n Style issue June 2007
4. Shrug sz 4/6 to match the above dress, my own design
   
5. A baby wrap shawl Taylor by t does wool #
   
6. A cell phone cozie, my own design
7. A blueberry bag, my own design
8. A strawberry bag, my own design
9. A lovely blue sheep (Sheep in Sheep's Clothing by Frankie Brown)
   
10. Pumpkins
    
11. 3 sets of wristwarmers for co-workers using Twist on the wristwarmers by Diana Troldahl #
12. Basketweave scarf, my own design
13. Slouchie hats x3, my own design
14. Owl neckwarmer, adapted from Owl Hat & Bag
    
15. Fancy victorian style wristwarmers x3 for co-workers
16. Bebop Cardi by Lion Brand Yarn
17. Cushman Top by Kim Biddix
18. A felted kitty binkie for Gambit, my own design
19. Kaleidoscope eyes scarf, my own design
20. Pools of color scarf, my own design
21. A crochet cap by Teresa from The Art of Crochet
22. First pair of real socks! from the International Socks of Doom pattern
23. A teeny tiny turtle, pattern by Pear-kitten
24. 2 chemo caps for my dear sister from Lacy Chemo caps
25. 6 matching sets of the Travelling bivalves Cowl by Jenny Raymond (1 set each for mother/daughters in my life)
26. A couple dozen washcloths using a stitch I developed
    
27. Halloween faces and garlands, 24 double-sided faces, 12 twirlies and one garland
    
28. Kitty Kat hat
29. Assorted stuffed animals; catamara and a jubjub which garnered 1st and 2nd place wins respectively on Neopets
    
30. A couple of Calorimetry hats
31. Adamas Shawl x2
32. One skein baby hooded sweater
33. Pocketbook slippers, 6 pairs
    

#Pattern available on Ravelry

There are likely several that I've missed in the list. Items that were made and given away before I even thought of taking a photograph.

Items that remain to be completed in 2010:

• My son's skull blanket (only the 24 skull squares are left to knit) the 24 border squares are done (my own design inspired by DomiKNITrix skull chart)
  
• A plastic bag dispenser for my daughter (my own design)
  
• A pair of socks for me (International Sock of Doom)
  
• The giraffe from "Itty bitty toys"
• Totoro
• The Heelhead scarf for my husband's best friend Nick
• The Kenobi Jacket for hubby (needs to be frogged and restarted)
  
• A raspberry bag, my own design
  

Not too shabby considering the crappy year it's been otherwise. I guess I could call this the silver lining to the black cloud that insists on hovering over our lives these days. I just hope that 2010 will see that cloud dissipate and a fair breeze blows good things our way.

Happy Birthday to my darling son!

Today, 24 years ago, we were blessed with a beautiful baby boy.

Happy birthday to my son.

Here he is pictured with, from left to right, his sister Karen holding grandma's cat, his maternal grandmother and her boyfriend.

How time flies

Now that I have time again, I thought I'd post. So here I am, 4 months after my last post dancing about getting the job of my dreams... How time has flown.

Update on the job of my dreams... turned out it wasn't the dream job I wanted. I should have known right from day one when I found out I would be working for 2 bosses from 2 departments. It might have gone better if they had not competed for my work to the point that I felt like the baby that King Solomon threatened to cut in half.

And to add insult to injury, one of my bosses turned out to be quite abusive. Didn't matter what I did, it wasn't good enough. She yelled and cussed at me pretty well daily. I didn't dare say anything because we needed the money badly and the job came with a health plan. Whee!.. yeah..right... not worth the abuse.

Last Monday, I worked late getting a powerpoint presentation printed and bound for one boss. (the one who was never satisfied) She lets me in on a "little secret"... that the other boss has been gunning to get rid of me... ."Oh wonderful" I think to myself. I've reached a point where I'm tired, emotionally and physically of all the crap getting thrown at me, so the next morning I face the other boss and ask her why she wants to get rid of me. She gives me a blank look and asks me where the hell I got that from. So I tell her, she flies into a rage and goes into my other boss's office and all hell breaks loose. I'm asked to go in the office, the one who told me the other boss was gunning for my dismissal denies ever saying that and it just goes downhill from there. Wednesday morning, the axe fell. I was dismissed. Never got a chance to defend myself, explain, etc.. just out, immediately. Talk about a slap in the face. Like I said, should have known that nothing good would come of this, working for 2 competitive bosses. Lesson learned.

Why can't I get a break? Doesn't matter what I do, I always end up on the losing end. What's wrong with wanting a decent job with decent money so we're not struggling from pay cheque to pay cheque? Seems that I always have to give things up, as if I can't have more than one part of my life that's happy. It's always a struggle for me and I'm tired of the constant fight to even have just the basics of life. I have a wonderful loving husband who is plagued with health problems that can't be healed. I get the wonderful job that on the surface looked like this was it, but turns out to be a pile of crap on a fancy cracker. Mind you, looking for work a week before Christmas is not what I'd call optimum time but I don't have a choice. Don't want to end up on the street. Scary when you realise you have very little to go on. Merry frakking Christmas to us. :(

Hey, at least I can get caught up on the housework. The apartment looks like it should be declared a disaster area and get federal funding. The only thing that I managed to keep up with tenuously during the weekends while I was working were the dishes and the laundry. The rest kind of slipped away from me. I was too exhausted to do much of anything on the 2 days I was off. I'd get groceries when we were low, dishes and laundry, get the recycling out and that was it. Even switched to disposable paper plates to lessen the dishes that needed washing, sad huh.

Doesn't help that my neuropathy kicked into high gear, preventing me from sleeping decently which meant I'd wake up tired and have to drag my way through a hectic work day with feet and hands sending my brain phantom pain messages strong enough to make my foot or hand jerk in response. The stress I was under didn't help my diabetes either with blood glucose readings yo-yo'ing from one extreme to the other during the same day. I know, you're probably thinking now that I'm better off without this job. I agree, but we need money to survive which means I have to work.

The last couple of months were so bad, I couldn't share with my darling husband since he had his own beasties to battle. His blood pressure climbed to scary heights for no apparent reason about a month ago. He gets palpitations, racing heart beat and never seems to be warm enough. He's on blood pressure pills which were upped but that didn't seem to help in the first few weeks. He's still getting a high bp reading and we still don't know why. 153 over 96 is NOT normal! A heart rate over 100 beats/min is NOT normal! And this is while he's just sitting there, never mind what happens when he climbs a set of stairs or tries to do any kind of physical work! Add to that chronic kidney stones and now you know why I couldn't share what was going on at work with him. Last thing he needed to hear was that I was struggling trying to keep a job that wasn't working out.

In other news, I haven't stopped knitting or crocheting. With a 5 hour round trip daily commute, I knit/crochet my way through hats, scarves, wristwarmers, Halloween decorations, slippers, cowls, anything small and portable. Some I took pictures of, most I didn't and gave them away. I know, silly of me not to take at least one picture!

Currently working on presents which I intended to send to family. I'll keep making the items, but they'll have to wait until I'm working again before I can send them out. At least I don't lack for yarn thanks to my wonderful daughter and friends.

I also created a slouchy hat pattern that I like well enough to wear it myself! It's a nice big slouchy beret. I hate tight hats and since I wear my hair in a bun most days, a regular winter hat didn't fit well or was too tight.

On my needles, I have a neck warmer for my husband. I'm using Bernat's wool blends in the off white colorway. I really liked the owl hat pattern I'd used in the past and thought it would make a very nice neckwarmer.

The Power of Sister Souls

I received some wonderful gifts from a special friend, a sister soul, Samm. The box arrived in the post today and it really cheered me up.

I opened the box to find a darling project bag that she knit for me! and in the bag is a ball of sock yarn in really pretty colors. Guess these are next on my needles. She started something since giving me her short sock recipe. It's a very pretty pattern which makes the knitting fun and the socks fit perfectly every time! Also in the box was a book for Cat Lovers, Gambit immediately took possession of the book by laying on it. Guess he doesn't want me to read it in case I might find some incriminating information on his majesty :) There was also a very cute soap bag/washcloth for collecting bar soap ends. Since we don't use bar soap, the little bag will also be turned into a project bag. It's so cute with the green and white stripes. Add to the surprises in the box some Neopet collectibles and it just made my day. The best part though was a wee friendship bracelet that I found on the bottom of the box with the words LIVE (heart with the word IN) and MOMENT. It hasn't left my wrist. Samm, if you read this, thank you so much. You managed to cheer me up, make me smile despite the tears. Thank you.

An amazing past 2 weeks and more... Oh MY!

Of course, I've been knitting and crocheting all this time, but there's lots more that's happened since my last post!

First bit of news. I had sent in an application for an administrative assistant in the ranks of a very large corporation. When I emailed my application, I figured there was no harm done, that my resume would fall in a huge catch all and land on the bottom never to be seen again. Boy was I wrong!!!

A week after sending in my application, I get a phone call from one of their HR advisors who asks me quite a few questions over the phone (45 minutes worth) and by the time the questions come to a stop, I am told to come in for a face to face interview the following week on a Monday! Of the hundreds of resumes I'd sent in since March, this was the first & only response! So off I go to the interview, heart in my throat, have to use the transit bus, transit train to get to the town, then use that city's transit system. Two and a half hours later, I'm standing in front of the building. It's warm, and trying to stay fresh when you're already nervous is a lost cause. I went to the public washroom, brushed my hair, applied cologne, straightened my clothing that had not fared as well through 2 and a half hours of jumping on and off transit vehicles and walked in. This interview had more questions, to which I fortunately had the perfect answers, as well as concrete examples to show what I'd done in the past. It lasted around an hour and a half. At the end of that interview, I was told I'd hear back from them by the end of the following week.

The next day, Tuesday, the phone rings, they want me to come in for an interview with the managers on Thursday at 9 am! Now that I've already done the trip once, I at least know what I'm in for which means I wear something that won't wrinkle to death on the buses and trains. I meet with the two managers, the entire interview is conducted in english and french, switching back and forth as we went. That definitely proved to them that I can speak french LOL Again, I answer a hodge podge of questions, they obviously are looking for someone who has done different types of administrative work and also someone who can handle a fast pace and changing demands at the drop of a hat. I have no problems with that since I've been doing that a long time working for different companies as a temp. Both managers seemed rather impressed with my experience and did not have poker faces as far as showing their excitement. At the end of the interview, I was told that I'd hear back by the end of the following week to which I thought to myself, of course :)

The next morning, Friday, the phone rings, they are sending me the paperwork via email for a background check and reference check and then inform me they will be proceeding with an offer when the results of the background and reference checks come back. This is the Friday before the long holiday weekend, so I fax the paperwork back this Wednesday morning (had a bit of an emergency overnight with my the next door elderly lady. She's fine, but it delayed my sending the papers on Tuesday) I called the HR advisor, explained the situation, apologized and asked if I could fax the papers to which I was told, most definitely.

Yesterday, Thursday morning, the phone rings, I have the job!!! and they are going to email my contract, to please review it, jot down any questions I may have and see you Monday!!! The HR advisor goes over the terms verbally to which I can only nod, despite the fact that I'm on the phone, as if she can see me nod, but I'm speechless! When asked for salary, I had quoted a ball park figure that I knew fell mid-range of what admin assistants receive in larger corporation. To me this amount was above and beyond what I'd made up until now, but I stuck to my guns and quoted it anyway. The HR advisor didn't even bat an eyelid, so I figured I must have done ok. During the 2nd interview, the question of salary comes up again, of course, I assume that it means I quoted too high for a starting salary, so I make sure they understand that it is up to negotiations, that I'm willing to start with a lower salary until I can prove myself, etc etc... The salary offered in the contract is MORE than I quoted!!!! My jaw is still having issues staying where it should. Every time I think about it, I can't fathom the amount quoted. I have a feeling it's going to take me quite a while to assimilate that LOL

So yes, all this to say, that I FINALLY HAVE THE JOB OF MY DREAMS!!!!!!

I could have sworn it was last week yesterday!

Since my last post, I've been doing a lot of knitting, crochet and designing some patterns.

Xandy's dress is done! It came out quite nice. I did something different with the ties since I wasn't overly impressed with a simple crochet chain knotted at each end as the pattern directed. So I designed my own ties for the dress. I used one strand of the main color, dark pink in this instance and made a chain about 48 inches long. I left a tail of about 10 inches on each end. I then took one strand of the accent color used on the frill, attached it to one end and slip stitched my way back to the other end of the chain. Make sure to leave about 10 inches on each end. Took a second piece of the accent yarn, attached it the same way I did the 2nd one and slip stitched my way back to the other end. Take the finished belt and thread it through the bottom row of basketweave on the dress. Once this is done, take some pretty beads, slide the larger bead onto the yarn first, then slide the smaller bead on to make sure the larger one doesn't fall off. Put an overhand knot at the end of the yarn, snip off leaving 1/2 inch to fuzz later on. Repeat this step for each end of yarn. Voila! A very pretty tie for a very pretty dress.

I also wanted to do something about the bare arms. Since I wanted to give her some choice, I decided a shrug crocheted from the same yarn used on the frill would be a nice accessory. Looked around for a nice pattern to show off the sheen of the Bernat Satin yarn and couldn't find anything I liked. The idea of downsizing an adult shrug to fit her didn't sit right with me. So I designed one. I'll be writing up the pattern once I've tested it on a few more shrugs to make sure I got the sizing right.I absolutely love the way the yarn pooled for the shrug. It actually made a trellis pattern.

I also cast on a sweater for my 5 year old nephew. Again, this is a sweater of my own design since there are specific things I look for in a child's sweater. Roominess to grow, to wear as a layer during cold winters and easy wash. I'm not using wool since there are allergies in the family so I opted for TLC Essentials ombre. The yarn is quite lovely and is knitting up beautifully. I especially love the pooling of the yarn. Very nice. The picture is of the back part of the sweater that I did in a couple of days. I've now moved on to the front piece were I'm including some simple textural patterning to not take away from the pretty colors but just to enhance them a bit. Unfortunately, this picture of the finished back doesn't do the yarn color any justice. The actual colors are rich and dark.

This is a cardi I made, it's supposed to be for my 8 year old niece, but somehow it looks more like it would fit a 12 year old. The pattern is Bebop Cardi from Lionbrand. It's a free pattern. It was fairly easy to crochet, just not liking how big it came out. I just may end up ripping it out and starting over again.


My 15 year old niece wanted a cap for summer wear. I wanted to give her the option of wearing it with or without the flower. Using a flat button on both sides of the flower made it an easy button off or on accessory.

Time Flies!

Wow, time does fly or so it seems. It certainly doesn't feel like weeks and months have gone by, but they have. The pain I feel in my heart is less, only by a small bit, but still, it doesn't hurt as much. I still burst out crying at the most inopportune moments, but I'm dealing with those as well. I don't think I will ever stop missing my sister, but I will continue to live my life as if she were still around since I know she's not far in my heart.

What have I been doing?

Looking for a job, any job! And there's not a heck of a lot out there. Mostly ads from temp agencies who are collecting resumes. Big whoop! And the few legitimate job ads that do show up every few days are flooded with applications I'm sure. With all the layoffs, I'm not the only one searching for a job. I keep applying with the hope that my resume will be first in line and that someone will actually read it over.

I've been knitting and crocheting a lot! I made wristwarmers for a very special friend's birthday in a lovely shade of blue, her favorite! :)

I'm still working on the Adamas shawl for a friend of a friend. But with the summer heat setting in, worsted weight yarn in a large shawl does not set well on my lap. I've also got another shawl in the works, but again, the heat is not amusing for shawl work.

I've made several more washcloths which will end up in a Christmas package for my Mom. Still have to do something else though. Sending just washcloths seems cheap in a way.

I'm currently working on a dress for Xandy. This will be for fall when she starts school! It's dark pink with a lovely frill of Bernat satin faded glory ombre shade. I'll also be doing the front bodice using the satin as well as a small frill or cap for the sleeves. Right now, the bottom frill is killing me! LOL I have 528 stitches to purl, and k2tog, yo, k1 that is taking forever to do one repeat of! But once the frill is done, I'll be going down to ONLY 264 stitches! That should speed things up.

The pattern I'm using as a base is from Knit 'N Style June 2007, Viva la Violet dress, size range 2T to 6 years. I'm knitting the size 6 just to make sure the dress will be worn more than just one season.

I've been stewing over ideas about what I want to make for Christmas presents. Just have to get them down on paper and actually start making them.

The blanket for my son is slowly growing. I have the 24 outer squares done. Started working on the first of the 24 inside squares last night. Thankfully the squares are small enough 8x8 that I don't end up with a lapful of worsted weight yarn. Much too warm for that!

My darling daughter is looking for yarn for a summer top she wants. She found it in a back issue of Sandra magazine. Model 29 I hope she finds yarn that she likes so I can knit it for her.

I started knitting a curtain. The whole thing started when I spotted a cone of laceweight yarn in a lovely teal shade that was only 2 dollars at the local Talize store! I bought it thinking I could experiment using it on my Passap 201 knitting machine. But, alas, it was not to be. The solid metal workings of the Passap literally ripped the poor laceweight yarn to shreds. So back in it's box went the Passap. Out came the crochet hook as well as several skeins of a white acrylic laceweight yarn that I didn't know what to do with and I combined the two together. I found a lovely lace pattern in my stitch encyclopedia and off I went! The curtain is 24 inches wide by about 14 inches in height at this point. It needs to reach aproximately 24 inches in height and then it will replace the faux lace curtains that are falling apart from old age in the bedroom window. I'll take pics soon! I promise!

I finally found a pattern for a fall/spring jacket or coat that I like. Mind you, it will need some modifications since the collar and lack of buttons doesn't do it for me. But what else is a knitting pattern for except to modify and make it to suit yourself!?! My darling daughter purchased a large number of Bernat Solo which is a chunky yarn and would be perfect for this jacket. The pattern I found is from the free downloads at Knit 'N Style and is called Wrap Jacket.

The oversized collar is going to be turned into hood. I'll be adding a button band since I don't like my coats flapping in the wind. And since I love cables, there will be some added cabling but that remains to be seen. I still have to work out how I'm going to do it.

I love the overall construction, just don't like the collar and closure.

And last but not least, as some of you know, I play Neopets. Last week, the Random contest was called Life sized, and asked members to recreate one of their petpets in a life sized version. I chose my catamara Chewie to be the designated victim.

Using basic amigurumi techniques I crocheted this little guy and submitted pictures. I won! Came in the first place group which really was amazing! And this is what my little guy looks like.