Friday, February 29, 2008

Omnipotence! Yesssssss!

What kind of Star Trekkie are you?
Your Result: Omnipotent being

You have unlimitless powers, and are part of a strange race known simply as the Q. You are very mischeivious, and love to "test" lesser species. Special interest lies in an inferior race known as "humans." You love to pop in and "play" every once in a while, trying to determine what about them that attracts your great attention. Well go and play, the universe is yours! (To Picard, while pretending he is god:-Q- "Blasphemy!, Well I should just cast you down, or smite you, or something..."

You are a Vulcan or an android.
Captain
Klingon
Red shirt
What kind of Star Trekkie are you?

Thanks to Knittech for this! I would have died if I had been a Red Shirt, or as we call them - Phaser Bait... (Any time a landing party went to a new planet, if the away team had some unknown guys in red shirts - sure as shootin' they died...)

But... a member of the Q continuum... oh yeah, baby!

Okay, my inner geekdom is showing. I'll stop now...

Thursday, February 28, 2008

late winter funk...

I think Needles hit the proverbial nail on the proverbial head. (and thankfully, missed the proverbial thumb). I am in a funk. LuckyCanuck and I were discussing it. February has been remarkable depressing this year in the Toronto area. Cold, grey and snowy. Now, I like snow. I do. But when there's snow, I also want sunshine glinting off it. I don't like grey, dreary days. And I've had just about enough of them, thank you. Needles suggested going to find a conservatory or greenhouse, and smelling dirt. She said she didn't know if I was a garden sort or not, but again - she had perfect aim at that nail. I love to garden, and do as much as I can, both at my home and at our cottage. Each of these places have their challenges. I have lots of trees and hedges around my house, so I have become quite the successful shade gardener. The cottage, while sunny, is also left alone during much of the week, so hardier plants (or nice neighbours) are necessary. At home, we have one sunny section that is devoted to veggies - my son has claimed it as his garden and we plant his choice every year. This year, he is showing an early interest in cucumbers. (He's a pickle fan, so I can see some pickling happening in the fall...)
At the cottage, savoury type plants are not so good - too many animals that would take advantage of a tasty treat. The bunnies and deer wouldn't be so bad, but we have bears in the area, and I'd prefer they don't think of out place as an all you can eat buffet. I don plant herbs, but we keep them in pots, right outside the kitchen door for easy access.
I'm looking forward to getting my hands dirty and replanning some of the gardens around the house this summer - maybe I should get some garden catalogues and see what's up and coming...
On the knitting front, I'm still K4ing, P1ing on the Safari Hoodie. Luckily, I still love the way this is looking, so it keeps me interested - however, I'm jonesing for some lace. I'm thinking the Hyrna Herborgar from Three Cornered and Long Shawls - I even have the authentic Icelandic laceweight wool for it...
Will I start it? Will I wait? Will I start a new craft that Lucky Canuck is teasing me with? Will I ever post pictures again?

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

K4, P1, repeat endlessly...

The Safari Hoodie continues - round upon round upon round of K4, P1. I may love the sweater, but it does not make for interesting blog fodder.

So, I look at other ongoing projects. Socks. Same old, same old.

UFO's hanging around (laceweight Montego Bay Scarf, almost finished River Rock scarf (must get at that one...), almost finished sweater for my son (must get at that one as well, he's growing again! 9 years old, wearing size 14. Geez...)

BUT! There is good news - My mom had minor hernia surgery on Tuesday, and came through it just fine. I think she's had enough surgery now. I mean really, at age 76, how many more places can they open up? (The hernia was caused by her surgery last year, when she had the bi-femoral bypass. I know way too much medical jargon...) I may or may not take a day off to be with her - it kind of depends on things around work. The nice thing is that I can now access my work system from home - the full system, not just email - very cool. Things are looking up around here - the learning curve is always difficult, but as I get more comfortable, things improve. My boss is great, very appreciative and all that, but a little scattered, and the man should be a doctor, his handwriting is so brutal! Still not completely convinced that it's the right place for me, but I may be getting closer to that.

So, as I said, not much going on on the knitting front, and since this is primarily a knitting blog, I guess that means nothing much is going on, period. I may post less often, at least until things pick up and I'm not so depressing...

Monday, February 25, 2008

Safari Hoodie progress

The Silke Tweed Safari Hoodie has been progressing. Time spent in front of the TV watching curling has contributed greatly to it's growth.

My row gauge, while off a bit, has been adjusted to compensate. (I've added some plain rows between the increase rows to lengthen the yoke a bit.) It's working out great, and I love how this sweater is looking. Even unblocked, it drapes beautifully, so I can imagine how nice it will be once washed and blocked. I've got about 6 more rows before I divide for the body and sleeves, and once I get closer to the waist, I'll decide if I want to do some waist shaping. The rib pattern is a K4P1, so around the waist, I may bring it down to a K3P1, if it needs it, then flare it back out again towards the hem.

While Manny the mannequin is modelling here, I did try it on myself, and I believe this could be one of my favourite summer sweaters, if all goes as it has been.
In case you were wondering about the hood - here it is. But I highly doubt I'll be wearing it with the hood up...


I've gotten a little farther on this - watching the Oscars gave me lots of time to knit on it - and have divided the sleeves and the body. After reading Stephanie today, I will see how the neckline behaves - a simple crochet row may be the finishing touch...

Sunday, February 24, 2008

new slippers

At Christmas, I made some felted slippers using some Soy Wool Stripes from Patons that I had in the stash. This stuff not only felts, I discovered, but it really FELTS! and fast. The pair I made back then, using one ball per slipper felted down to a size too small for my 9 year old son. So this weekend, I decided to try again. 2 balls per slipper - a rectangle done on the machine, gather the toe, sew up the vamp and sew the back.(Yes I know my sewing up was mismatched. Once felted, this doesn't show...) These babies are huge! More than 24 inches long:
Once through the machine, and they cut down by more than half:
Yup! that's a mere 10 inches in length:
Problem. My feet are not 10 inches long. Please note - knitting purists may want to look away now.
Yes, I cut off the back. Had I thought it through before taking the scissors to them, I would have shaped the cut, creating a triangular piece to form the back, rather than hacking straight across. But patience is not my strong suit, so I just grabbed the scissors and cut away. at least I measured first...



They fit fine. They're just for me for kicking around the house, so I simply sewed up the back edge with some perle cotton from my bead knitting stuff, and voila! A new, thick pair of slippers.

Knowing how this stuff felts, I'm tempted to make the Fiber Trends felted clogs out of it, for a really nice pair of slippers.

Friday, February 22, 2008

sick day

Fourth day at the new job and I take a day off. My son spent the night sick as a dog, and I spent much of it doing laundry (sheets, etc.) He's still not great, but at least his stomach has settled a bit. I phoned my boss and left a message and he called me back to assure me that it was fine, and not to worry. There's a point in their favour!
I still haven't dove into the stash in search of the black silk - when my son is sick, he's very clingy. So I'm spending more time with him than on things for me. I don't mind - at 9 years old, I'm not sure how many more years I'm going to get of snuggling with my boy. I'll take all he wants to give. As long as he doesn't share the germs. (He already did that with my husband - I sent him off today coughing and hacking. They can share a bed tonight - me, the healthy one will get her own bed!)


As far as knitting, the problem with having multiple projects on the go, and nothing remarkably interesting about the construction of any of them, is that blog updates can become (or actually, HAVE become) boring.
Socks - they look pretty much the same, maybe a little longer.

The Safari Hoodie is coming along. (I am refraining from calling it the American Safari Hoodie - I'm not in the States, and do you actually take safaris in North America? I mean, I did technically go on a Safari Cruise, but it was in Disney World at Animal Kingdom, it lasted less than half and hour, so I don't think it counts...)

The nice thing about top-down construction is that I can try it on, and make any adjustments to sizing that need to be made. The wonky row gauge will rear it's head at me, and unless I want sleeves that are about 7 inches in circumference, I need to add some length before I split the sleeves from the body. But I'm still loving this sweater, so I will do it. Life's too short to knit crappy things. Or with crappy yarn.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

updates, updates...

I know I've talked a lot about starting a new job. But I don't really think I should be commenting on it until I get a little more familiar. One day, hell, one week isn't enough time for things to play out. I will say it is a far sight better than where I was before, but I'm not completely convinced it's the perfect place. (Is there such a thing?) Let's just say that not everything was explained up front. I am reserving judgement. But... I am finding it easier to get up in the morning, so I do enjoy it more than the last place!


In other news, sewing and knitting continues. I am knitting merrily away on the Safari Hoodie - the hood is done, and I have started the yoke increases, working towards the separation of body and sleeves. It's great TV knitting, and I am spending quite a bit of time in the evenings in front of the TV - the Scotties Tournament of Hearts is on (The Canadian Women's Curling Championship), and Team Ontario skip Sherry Middaugh is an accquaintance of mine - we played each other back in the days when I was still curling. So knitting and curling - one of my favourite combinations!

However, it seems my row gauge is a little wonky on this sweater, so there will be some math to do in the future, in order to get the sleeves to break at the right spot. It's not a major issue (yet), and I am loving how the Silke Tweed is knitting up. I've been thinking about some other projects - that black silk shrug is sounding better and better, and I'm even wondering if I should do the majority of it on my knitting machine, since it will be mostly stockinette with very little shaping. I've done one of my own design before on the machine, and it worked out pretty good. I think this may be a candidate for another one. Now to find the black silk yarn. Who wants to bet I go stash diving, and come up with something completely different?

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

more weather appropriate sewing...

Again with the blurry photo. But it should show you my latest project - a somewhat more timely skirt. The plaid is more subdued than it shows, and is in tones of blue, brown and black, hence the black boots. (I love these boots - not only are they tall, high heeled and pointy toed - all my favourite things - they were seriously on sale!)

This was a great sew - it took about a day, doing some here and there between all the other stuff I do. I'm looking forward to wearing it.

I'm really enjoying the sewing. I missed it, and when I got the new machine, it really rekindled my love of it. I think it is also making me appreciate the knitting more, as well. I'm starting to think about more projects for me, rather than what I can make to give to everyone else. If this keeps up, I may have some unhappy people at Christmas!

Yes, I started the new job. No, I don't think I'm going to talk about it much - I need to spend some time there getting used to it. Thanks for all the good wishes!

Sunday, February 17, 2008

the sewing I do in the middle of winter...

Yep - summer skirts and capri pants. Perfect for February!
(from left - white, teal, pink and orange border print , drawstring waist skirt, black/white border print - also drawstring waist skirt, Rust linen skirt with bias cut waistband, and black and yellow border print capri pants. All fabrics from my local FabricLand).
I do have some more weather-appropriate stuff cut out and waiting, but I just wanted to sew these up. I love them, and can't wait to wear them this summer. Of course, now I'm eyeing some black silk yarn I have for a sweater to go with the black and white skirt, and the capris. It's almost a worsted weight, and I don't have a lot, so maybe a shrug of some sort...

I am still knitting - not only am I chugging away on a couple of pairs of socks, but I have started the American Safari Hoodie, using the Drops Silke Tweed I had in my stash.

I plan on making longer sleeves, and possible lengthening the body and maybe adding some waist shaping. It's knit from the top of the hood down, and I'm partially through the hood right now:

You start at the top. using what the magazine calles an Eastern cast on. After reading through the directions, I realized it is the same as the Turkish cast on I use for my toe-up socks. The only difference is that you don't work circularly like I would with socks, as one side needs to be open for the front of the hood. Here's a shot from the top:

(the colour is most accurate in the first picture). The ridge at the top of the hood is the actual cast on. You cast on half the needed stitches, using two circular needles, then work down from there. Once you get far enough (about 3 inches or so), you can put all the stitches on one needle and just continue back and forth until the hood is the desired length. I'm liking this so far - it's a simple K4P1 rib, and the Silke Tweed is nice to work with. I know it will soften and bloom upon washing, and the taupe colour is versatile enough to get lots of use. (It will look stunning with the rust linen skirt above...)

Today is Sunday, a rare weekend post, and tomorrow is my last day off before starting the new job. I know it will be better than the last one, I just hope it's as good as I want and need it to be. Personally I think I could handle staying home a little while longer. This past week wasn't nearly enough time to do everything I wanted - it just showed me even MORE things I want to do around here, and also how much I enjoy the extra hours with my son.

Off to by a lottery ticket or two...

Friday, February 15, 2008

blogging changes

Just a note to let you all know there may be some disruption in my normal blogging schedule. As most of you are aware, I start a new job on Tuesday (Monday being a holiday here in Ontario...), so I need to spend some time concentrating on that for a while. I used to blog first thing in the morning when I got to work (quite often using a post that was written at home the night before). However, in the new job, I will be working in a much more open area, and I don't think it would be a good thing to be seen on Blogger right away. I think I need to get a feel for the environment and atmosphere first. I went into the office yesterday to get the package and get a quick tour, and from what I've seen, it looks pretty good. I know the job itself is a good one - it's really tailored to my skill set and the company itself has a great rep - I just have to see about all the "other stuff". The people, and how they do things. One thing that kind of sucks - the parking is limited, so I have to park off-site, a few minutes walk away. Not looking forward to that! Hopefully that is the worst thing.

Anyhoo, today is my last day of "vacation". I plan on getting a much needed haircut, spending some time at my son's school, and hopefully getting some sewing and knitting done. I've started the American Safari Hoodie from Knitscene magazine, using the Silke Tweed. It's constructed top down from the middle of the hood. I'd show a picture, but my husband borrowed my camera this morning. I'll get a picture over the weekend. Promise.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

blink and you'll miss it

Is that what it looks like? A Swatch? Me? Can I ask any more questions? Yes - it is a swatch, made by yours truly, the swatch-hating knitter. I had been told that the Silke Tweed blooms and changes after washing and blocking, so I thought I had best test it out. It does change, especially the hand and the drape, so I'm glad I did it. I do need to get some needles - it seems I don't own 3.75mm needles. Off to Needles and Knits today! I am also going to the new job later this afternoon - sort of a "Welcome, here's where everything is, let's sign all the papers" kind of thing. I'm looking forward to it.

And, because I promised this picture:
From yesterday - here are the two socks I was talking about. On the right, a merino/tencel blend in "coffee bean" colourway. Yum. My husband has claimed these (or this, I guess, I still need to make it's mate), and has said that any other merino/tencel blends are his as well. Maybe I should make him explain just what a merino/tencel blend is - I'm sure he has no idea...

On the left - C*EYE*BER Fibre "gregory" colourway. Mama-E has told me that this colourway is named after her brother. Whatever the inspiration, I love it! Browns ranging from deep chocolate to mocha, and teals from intensely dark to pale-ish aqua. These are all mine!

Oh, and Carol was wondering about my Mom - she's fine. Her cardiologist wanted these tests done before her hernia surgery in a couple of weeks. She passed with flying colours. No surprise to me, but my Mom can be somewhat of a pessimist, and was already assuming the worst! So all's good on that front until the surgery itself - again, a minor procedure, but of course, she thinks she's not going to come out of it, and is reminding me where her will is and all the phone numbers. So cheerful...

Yesterday was spent shoveling more snow, (OK, can I just say it? Enough already! I love snow, don't get me wrong, but really. Enough.) running a couple of errands, and sewing and knitting. I love sewing for summer - I can blow off a couple of skirts in no time.
Since my husband and I don't really celebrate Valentine's day - such a Hallmark holiday... I will spoil myself, by doing what I want. So no cleaning or organizing today!

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

sewing and knitting and NOT GOING OUT!

Well. I just shouted in a blog title - that's very unlike me. (I barely remember to use capitals...) But I have decided that I am staying in today. Yesterday, Lucky and I had planned on yarn crawling around York Region, snow or no snow, but I had to cancel. My Mom was having some cardiac scanning tests done, and really wanted me there with her. (You know that kind of want - "Oh no, please don't change your plans - I can take a cab or drive myself to the hospital. It's only 5 hours - I'm fine by myself" kind of wanting me there). Lucky was completely understanding, so I made my way to Mississauga, well fortified with knitting to keep me occupied. 3-5 hours, she said. Okay, well, add in waiting time and such, eight and a half mind-numbingly boring hours later, I drop Mom off at home, and race back north to get my son from the sitter. In a snowstorm. On three different highways, in various white-out conditions. Yeah, white knuckle driving at it's best. So today, it's all about the fibre crafts. I have some sewing to do:
I seem to be all about the border prints - but aren't these gorgeous? The black and yellow daisy print will be some capri pants, the other two are slated for skirts.

I also finished the green silk tank - this has a slightly different construction - it has a swing to it, because the back piece is trapezoidal in shape - extremely comfortable, and it hangs beautifully. I would have posted a picture, but trust me, no one wants to see the picture I took - nor do I want to post it. I'll try for a better one - I'll have to get someone else to take it.

Also, and quick sew pair of rayon capri pants. Where I work, business casual is considered capri pants, so I'm all about that...
(sorry for the blurriness - it's hard to take your picture in a mirror...)

some knitting to do:

(sorry, no pictures. Imagine the second brown and teal sock, about halfway up the foot, a completed merino/tencel sock, and some swatching of the Silke Tweed...)

and damn it, some groceries to get. Guess I have to go out at some point... (Normally, I could get away with a pantry dinner, but I do need wine. I figured you would all understand...)

Monday, February 11, 2008

odds and ends...

Knitting was slightly curtailed this weekend - not just because of the bunged up wrist (much better now, thank you - knitting has resumed, with caution...), but because a certain young man in my life was celebrating his 9th birthday. We couldn't decide on a cake, so we went with the cupcakes. Then we couldn't decide on an icing colour, so we went with all of them:

And then I found the best thing EVER for the cupcake baker:
A cupcake tree. (Thank you Bulk Barn! Man, they have lots of stuff in there... (they just opened one near my house)).

In order to rest the wrist, I did a little machine knitting:
hmmm... a plain rectangle, loosely knit, charcoal wool. And I have lots of similar wool in different colours. Maybe colours that would work for a kilim type bag? For those that know of Sally Melville's book - Styles, or for those that were at her talk at our Guild last week, you'll know she does something called Knitting as Warp, where she uses plain knitting as a basis for a weaving pattern. Well, you know me - I have the attention span of a gnat, so when something new and interesting shows itself to me, there's a pretty good chance I'm going to try it. Dying yarn with Kool-aid? Done it. Bead Knitting? Done it. Socks? yep. Lace? Yep. Crochet? yep. Short rows or other techniques? If it seems interesting, I'll give it a shot. So this knitting as warp? You bet. Stay tuned - the charcoal rectangle is blocking right now...

Friday, February 08, 2008

bad. very bad.

Notice the backdrop of snow. That would be the reason for the brace. I bunged up my thumb and wrist quite badly yesterday - I think it was the final shoveling - you know, the one where you have to get rid of the mountain the snowplow leaves at the foot of your driveway? yeah, that one. But before the pain got to be ridiculous, I worked on Hubby's bamboo sock:
You'll notice I have deviated a bit from the basic stockinette. I'm not sure of the elasticity of the bamboo sock yarn, so I've added a bit of ribbing - and then, just becasue I can, I've decided to cable a couple of the ribs, just to keep my mind engaged. This ribbing is just on the top of the foot - I still like a plain stockinette foot bottom, but one the heel is done, I will continue the ribbing and cabling all around. Once I get back to knitting. Soon. Brace or no brace.

Thursday, February 07, 2008

first day home

Ah, sleeping in... at least to me, 7am is sleeping in - I'm usually up at 5am when working.

Got up, looked outside, and got to shoveling. 30 cm of snow. Great. At least I don't have to go anywhere for a while. But, we cleared it out, and I got boys off to school and work, now it's me, the computer, some knitting and a whole houseful of chores I want to accomplish. I have grandiose plans of mucking out a bunch of places in this house - my son's room (getting rid of outgrown clothes, culling his bookcase), the front hall closet (OMG, what a mess, plus I hate the doors), and any number of other things. Plus there's a bunch of stuff I want to sew and knit. I have about 9,000 hours worth of things I want to do, and 10 days to do it. Yeah, I can do the math. It's not going to happen. Plus, I'd like to relax and regroup, so I can attack this new job with a renewed sense of vigour. I have to learn to take time off for ME. So, on Tuesday next week, Lucky (who is on vacation), is coming up and we are yarn crawling through York Region. And probably eating way too much food while we do it... I need to force myself to just take some time to relax. I will get my Son's room done, because it needs it, and maybe get to the closet. The sewing and knitting? I will do what I want to do, so I will enjoy it. I won't force myself to produce things.

Plus, there's my Son's birthday party this weekend, and some time spent in his school, helping out, because I can for the next few days. Good times.

And, I can actually take some pictures in natural light! I should do that soon. Really, I'll get to it. Once I finish my coffee, have a shower, laze around...

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Sally Melville!

Last night, the York Region Knitting Guild hosted Sally Melville. Can I tell you how excited we were? Talk about a room full of fans!
The afernoon started with Lucky coming to my house to pick me up, and look what she brought me! A hand sewn bag, using my absolute favourite Badanna fabric! I LOVE this! First, just because I love the fabric, and second because she MADE it for me. Only other sewers and knitters understand how cool it is to get something handmade. How many times have you heard "Oh, I can't make you anything - you can make it yourself".


And look at the inside! It's the cowgirl fabric. This bag is my new favourite small project knitting bag - a couple of socks, and still room for other things...
Lucky and I headed off to Needles and Knits to meet Sally, get everything set up for her talk, and go to dinner with the rest of the Guild executive, including Nancy, winner of the beaded necklace:
Nice choice of sweater, Nancy - it matched perfectly. I'm so glad she liked it. We had a nice dinner at an Italian restaurant - a good choice, as it turned out to be Sally's favourite, and then back to the shop for her talk on using your yarn stash. Now, I have a design background from school - I've taken colour theory courses - but nothing I've done before made as much sense in relation to my knitting as what Sally discussed last night.
They ways she combines fibres, colours, textures... brilliant. And it makes so much SENSE! Add into it that Sally Melville is really a genuinely nice person, and fun to be around, it was just a great night.
All the Sally Melville designed garments were out in full force - Einstein coats, finished and in progress, ponchos, gauntlets, cardigans, and sweaters - all in a riot of colour. And me? I left my Melville vest at home (obviously with my brain) and wore my Amy Singer Tuscany Shawl. I guess the next time Amy comes, I'll have to wear my Sally vest.
And Stephanie? Sally says she didn't pull the fire alarm, but she'd like to thank whoever did...

LAST DAY!

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

the last time I mention it...

The Exit Interview - what a waste of time. She read questions from a script - made notes on my answers, gave me a few minutes to make comments, and... then it was over - no harm, no foul, and nothing accomplished. Which is too bad. They really had an opportunity to glean knowledge, but they chose to gloss over any issues I had. We left as "friends" and I will end my time here at end of day Wednesday.
I will miss a number of people, and I hope to stay in touch with some - even just to find out who else is leaving! (I know of two that will hand in resignations this week - and I'm sure more to come...

But today - today is a good day - I am leaving at noon, going home to get some dinner stuff ready for my boys, and bake cupcakes for my son's birthday tomorrow, because LuckyCanuck is coming to my house and then we are going out to dinner with Sally Melville! And then Sally is coming to our Guild so we can listen and soak up knowledge and such! Exciting times! And I get to spend time knitting with other knitters - that is always good.

I also spent some time knitting last night. I bought some new sock yarn - (Yes, of COURSE I needed it...) - it's Kertzer On Your Toes 75% Bamboo / 25% Nylon. And I felt like I needed to start another sock using it. So I looked for the end. And got Yarn Barf.

You know, when your skein barfs its innards out. I hate when this happens. A little untangling, some winding, and a yarn cake was to be had. (I love yarn cakes, so winding this was not really a hardship.) I just hate Yarn Barf.

I also mentioned that I may be ripping back my CY*E*BER Fiber sock so as to use Cat Bordhi's book. Ummm, yeah. That didn't happen. I love this yarn, and I want the socks on my feet fast, so I'm just making my basic stockinette sock. And I love it.

I'll try to take some natural light pictures of it today, so you can see just how delicious the colours are.

ONE MORE DAY!

Monday, February 04, 2008

knitting and sewing and guests, oh my!

I have a guest coming on Tuesday afternoon - LuckyCanuck is coming to our Guild meeting, and since she arranged to get out of work early, she's coming by the house first to check out my new sewing machine. (I know my last day at work is Wednesday, but I had already booked Tuesday afternoon off). Lucky and I will trade sewing secrets for a while before dinner and a Guild meeting. You may ask why she is coming all the way north for a meeting - let's just say that our guest speaker for February makes the trip worthwhile! I'll have details after the meeting. Can you tell I'm a little excited about this? Not only a talk, but we get to go for dinner with her as well!

The knitting continues - The Selbuvotter mittens, after a short hiatus, are cirtually done. Just 4 more rows on the final thumb, and they will be complete. (I'll get Lucky to take a picture tomorrow.) The Mama-E CY*E*BER FIBER socks did not get ripped back - I loved them too much, and have decided the yarn looks lovely in my basic stockinette pattern. I'm at the heel of the first one.

And in the final, waning days of this job... the trash talking has already begun, it seems. My supervisor and the replacement have started trashing me, behind my back. What they didn't realize is that I have many friends here, and it has all got back to me. I mean, really! I have been nothing but professional and helpful during these two weeks, and this is what I get? I was expecting some trashing once I was gone, but geez, I'M STILL HERE! The nice thing is that others (my friends) has stood up for me, and disputed what was being said. It's nice to have friends. It's even nicer to know that in two days, I will be out of here... I'm not saying anything - the high road, remember?
Today is my exit interview - I am hoping for a constructive conversation, yet I am expecting a useless tirade. Maybe they'll just walk me out right away. One can hope...

Friday, February 01, 2008

jerks I share the road with...

Wanna bet this guy is single?

What woman would be caught dead getting into this van? And yes, it was a minivan. Please tell me he doesn't have kids and takes them places in this...

The training of the replacement continues. Oh man, they are in trouble. I feel bad - she is absolutely not going to be able to do this job. I'm not sure if I should say anything about this, or let them find out for themselves.

I have an exit interview scheduled for Monday - I'm not sure if it will be constructive. Hubby and I have been compiling a list of the issues that I want to bring up, but I wouldn't be surprised if it just becomes a case of HR accusing me of stuff, and me getting up and walking out. Could happen...