Catching My Breath

Wow, it’s been a long time! I’ve been busy lately — projects, exams, temporary single-parenting while Rock was away on business — trying to hang on to what little sanity I have left. It’s usually not a problem when Rock isn’t home, but the timing wasn’t good at all. There were days … there were days when I couldn’t get my sh*t together. I admit it. I’m no SuperMom (and I sure as hell don’t aspire to be one), but I got really sick and tired of certain people staring at me like I pulled a Winehouse. So if you’ve written or left a comment on one of the posts here and wondered where I’ve been, now you know. Heck, my MIL started re-sending her e-mails with the subject line, “ARE YOU ALIVE?!”, which of course prompted me to write a hasty reply explaining why I’m ignoring my Inbox. Although somewhat annoying, her e-mails are better than phone calls ;)

But Rock is finally home.

And I can catch my breath.

I didn’t sign up for my school’s fifth term and the registration date slipped my mind. Whether by accident or design, I need the break until the next term begins. The time off will be good for Nugget and we can do much needed Momma-Daughter bonding. Oh, and I can rid the house of accumulated junk. Why? Because we’re moving to another area of Germany. I’m a bit apprehensive about the move, but the good thing is that Rock and me will be more judicious when selecting another pre-school for Nugget (pending lawsuits come to mind).

Speaking about more time … I can finally finish those WIPs (and start new ones) and get cracking on Summer of Socks 2008!

Tahitian Sunday

Finally! Some time with Max (my spinning wheel, in case you didn’t know I actually named the thing). I finished spinning up a bobbin of hand-dyed Optim months ago and plied it last Sunday. It was nice to bond with Max again, even if it was just a plying session.

Fiber: Optim from Chameleon Colorworks’ August Fiber of the Month, Tahiti
Weight: 4 oz.
Length: 486 yds.
Specs: 22 WPI, Navajo-plied, wheel spun on Kromski Sonata

There’s a sheen to this fiber that I like, but I’m sure it will pill like crazy. I pre-drafted the fiber a bit and tried a point-of-twist drafting technique using the 14:1 ratio. It made for some fast drafting and mad treadling which I think suits Optim. Since the fiber prefers a thin spin (and I don’t), we had some obvious issues. I do love the way it feels against the skin, though … perhaps a scarf? You thought I had plans for another pair of socks, didn’t you?

Opal Rainforest Love

You know I love knitting socks. Cabled, lace, and even plain vanilla. But my secret passion is Opal’s Rainforest Collection. I plan to knit through the first two existing collections that I do have before I gobble up Collection III and the soon-to-be released Collection IV.

It’s crazy, I know.

It’s nothing fancy. For late night Netflix and while reading my assignments, socks are the knitting project I prefer, especially with Rainforest yarn.

I won’t bore you with the details, unless you want to click the following link for all the plain vanilla specs.

Happy knitting!

Knitting the West Coast, Epilogue

ETA: This long-awaited post is for Angela, who wondered if I would ever finish this. If hard language offends you, please don’t read the previous posts regarding this series.

I never did PT with the Marine unit at Camp Pendleton. I was afraid of attracting unwanted attention as the sole runner clad in Air Force “blue” surrounded by a formation dressed in olive drab. I knew I would stick out like a sore thumb, so I did my PT alone. I ran a comfortable circuit (read s - l - o - w) near my quarters and along that trail were a lot of Birch trees. After two weeks, I had to run a different route because I picked out a noticeable hole on the peeling bark of the Birches — on about five of them. I had nightmares of the NCIS and the USDA Forest Service pounding on my door at 0-dark-30 … and how the hell would I explain that to Gunny? Rock still insists that a run with the unit would’ve been a great send-off. Maybe. At least I would’ve spared the Birch trees a run-by picking.

Our lives after tech school? I heard the NCOs survived Operation Desert Storm and I’m sure, retired years ago. Some of the Airmen, including myself, was paroled served an enlistment or two. Some, the lifer wannabes, decided on a military career, and the rest … well, there are some things that are better left unsaid.

Pattern: Kiri (link to pdf) by Polly Outhwaite
Yarn: 2 x Knit Picks Shadow, Oregon Coast Heather
Needles: Addi circs (5mm) for main, (6mm) for bind-off
Blocked Measurements: 72 x 36 in.

There you have it. Kiri was the reason for those odd, yet personal posts. She is a great reminder of my brief stay on the West Coast: my TDY at Camp Pendleton, the wonderful folks at the MCISU, wine tasting in Temecula, and people watching in San Diego. And every time I picked up the needles, the color of the yarn reminded me of the beach that I missed so much, and the pattern reminded me of those poor, harassed Birch trees.

My rookie blocking skills captured with a fisheye lens (right).

If you’re wondering, Kiri is my first lace shawl. I cast on for this last year and it took about two weeks of late night Netflix to finish. I didn’t block it until now because I’m lazy about those things and because there’s a certain knitter that I know who might take away my Addis and sock yarn if I didn’t block it. It’s a wonderful pattern to knit and surprisingly easy, even with the Addis. As I write this (and wear my shawl), I remember a conversation I had knitting with Eva last year — while we both agreed that lace shawls were beautiful, we couldn’t see ourselves wearing them. Hmm….

How does Kiri wear on me? Well, I’m 5 ft. 3 in. tall and this is how it looks (excuse the Birks). Rock couldn’t pry himself from whatever computer game he was busy with to go down to the garden the office, so he took the photo from the balcony. If I’d known it looked so wonky in the back, I would’ve made Rock take more. Sorry :(