Crazy Week + Bag Ho Strikes Again

Our big school auction is Saturday, and there has been many a last-minute detail this week, resulting is general stressiness for me and everyone else. I broke down and ate a bunch of M&Ms that my husband should not have brought into the house, and I feel pretty sick to my stomach now. To cheer me up, I have season 5 of Ab Fab from Blockbuster and a new bag for my new laptop. It is so nice. I especially like the way it doesn't scream "I have a laptop inside of me!" That's the best part.

My grandma sent me some birthday $$, which I promptly used to order a Lexie Barnes Flo bag to go with my Lady B. Mr. UPS tracking says it's coming tomorrow. Yay! I love my Knitter's Satchel from Jordana Paige, but as a purse it lacks springtime flair. I think Flo will fit the bill in that department, and still possess the "I am actually a knitting bag" feel that I'm looking for.

Not sure what I'm wearing to the auction yet, but the reduced poundage has opened up a number of possibilities in the old closet. We'll see...

Best Husband Ever (now with knitting content!)

I don't think I mentioned this, but I decided to start saving my designing income to buy a new laptop (we have a reasonably new desktop that I normally use at home, but my late-90's laptop has not been up to the task at work for some time- some of the keys no longer work, it freezes up all the time, etc.) As a result, I've been bringing home a lot more work than I could have if I had a decent computer to use during the day (the only computer in my classroom is for the kids, and doesn't have the stuff I need on it anyway. Going down to the prep room in the office to use the computer is a pain, and it's old and slow anyway.) Bringing home lots of work cuts in to my knitting time, okay? Anyway, I had enough jobs lined up to pay for it, and expected to buy as soon as I got paid for them all (by the end of April or so.) However, yesterday Hubbo surprised me with the exact model I'd been eyeing (something "medium", you know) PLUS a new printer for me to use at school (the printer in my classroom is not so great) and a cool docking thing with a full size wireless keyboard and mouse!!!!! He totally rules.
P.S. Knitting pictures soon. I promise.

P.P.S. Here they are! Progress on Sockapaloooza Socks 2nd Try and the start of another Koigu Jaywalker for me. Also the cool Project Spectrum CD that Anjo sent me from her blog contest!

Progress, sort of

Between doing the things I have to for work (the house is just dirty, sorry) I have managed to get a little knitting in this week. I restarted my Sockapalooza socks, just plain toe-ups I think this time. I just didn't like how the lace looked with the Koigu-induced stripes. I like them now though. I am done with the back of the cardi for SWTC, and as soon as I get a bit more done on that I'm going to start the Fair Isle one for Alpaca Yarn Co. I sent in a few submissions lately (all due in March) so hopefully I will hear something good by mid-April or so. Tomorrow is the rest of parent-teacher conferences, but afterwards hubbo is taking me out for a nice dinner for my birthday (which isn't until the 18th, but I have a work function that night so we're doing it early.) Emma is spending the night at grandma's- what a treat!

The Nerve!

Can you believe this? Someone is actually trying to SELL copies of my sushi pattern that was on MagKnits last month. How rude! Beyond the obvious copyright stuff, there's the bigger issue in my mind of trying to charge people for something that is being offered free. Believe me I'm doing something about it, and thank you to Kerrie for letting me know!
Edited to add: I looked at some of the other offerings in this seller's ebay store- they are all photocopies of knitting patterns!!!!!
Edited again to add: It's down now. I'm still mad though.

Project Spectrum Updates

One down, one to go- I finished one of my (hey, it's partially pink!) Jaywalkers:



Now to conquer second sock syndrome AND get back on track with my Sockapaloooza socks, sadly ripped and waiting for a better idea.

Also, in honor of Project Spectrum I knit a whopping 2 rows on my Bohus (wanted to do more but I've got to keep going on that design for SWTC if I'm going to make my deadline):

No love for the Socks

Why, do you ask, did my progress for my Sockapaloooza socks just go down to 0% complete? Because I just ripped out my almost entirely finished first sock, that's why. Turns out I don't love them after all- how the Koigu looks in the lace pattern got grosser and grosser as it grew bigger and bigger. So I'm starting over, probably in a different pattern--maybe Jaywalker, since I love the ones I'm making for me in Koigu. Who knows?

Up from the muck

Guess what I saw yesterday? Yes, Family Circle Easy Knitting, now back and being published by the Better Homes and Gardens people (who bought Family Circle). Want a review?

I used to like the "old" FCEK, edited by our good friends at Vogue Knitting. There were plenty of knittable patterns that were simple but not too beginner- great for projects you didn't want to have to concentrate on too much. The articles were nice too.

HOWEVER...

This one, though, is not the same. None of the patterns were to my taste, and some used garish color combinations. The overall look was, I think, tacky. I'm going to have to let FCEK go- it's just not for me anymore.