Woo! I’ve got a conditional job offer from those interviews I had last week! The condition is only that I be able to pass a drug test and a physical capacity evaluation at a level high enough to please the company that provides the workerman’s comp coverage for the library.
I’ve been offered the position of Public Services Specialst in Youth Services at the local library. I am super, super, stoked. I’ll be doing readers’ advisory mostly - being out in the Youth/Children’s sections of the library, answering questions, helping people find materials, blogging (sweet!!!), and possibly even helping some of the programming if there’s time (it’s only a part-time gig, and I work all day Saturday, which I’m told is a pretty busy day).
The best part, though, may just be the schedule - I’ll be working Wed, Thur, & Fri nights from 5-9, and all day Saturday. This means my Mondays are open, and I’ll be able to squeeze in trips to KC for the Sunflower Knitting Guild, which I’m planning to join. Heh. Like I said to Jo and Carmen in the comments of the post I linked earlier, the power and awesomeness of gathered knitters was something I’d only read about before - now that I’ve experienced it in person, I’m not sure why I never went seeking it out before! The little taste I got just at the vendors market for KITH (as the cool kids all seem to call it) seems to have hooked me!
Sheesh. Where did I go? Again?
I don’t know - something about living at home (i.e. Mom and Dad’s house) makes me a bum. I mean, sure, I’m working and trying not to eat too much of their food, but still, I seem so very unproductive.
I had two interviews, though! They were both for the library, one in adult services and the other in children’s. They both seem like really cool positions, and I really hope I get a call for one of them - I don’t really have a strong preference either way. The interview with the adults services people seemed to go better. Not that the other one went badly, it’s just that I was a lot more on for the adult position. So, yeah. Those of you that sent the good mojo - thanks! Feel free to keep on sending it my way, since I won’t know (they won’t decide?) until sometime this week.
In other news, I may have found some knitting mojo again. Maybe.
Last night, Seth and I were eating out in KC, and 4 or 5 tables near our booth were being pushed together. Seth asked if it was a prom party coming in (it’s that season, after all…), and the waitress said “No, I think it’s a bunch of knitters…?” Immediately I recalled Stefanie Japel announcing she’d be the Featured Artist at the Sunflower Guild’s convention, and realized that this must be what’s going on. So, after meekly eavsdropping for a bit, I asked one of the ladies about her sweater, and they were all “Whhaaaa? Are you a knitter?!” and told all about how I should come the next day to the convention. I couldn’t afford it, I insisted. So then the knitter who I’d originally asked about her sweater said, “Well, come on into the Vendor’s Market, at least! You don’t have to pay to get into that much!” Heh. She’s good. She’s reeeaaallll good. Because you know I did. And you know I bought some yarn. And a book. And some stitch markers and a little project bag. And that lady who was so sweet to tell me all about it? Yeah…some of that was purchased from her. Like I said. She’s good.
The haul was good, though - I got some sock yarn and Cat Borhdi’s New Pathway’s for Sock Knitters. And some other yarn that is destined for giftitude for mom, who does read the blog, so that’s all that’ll be said about that for a while. And, of course, the project bag and stitch markers. So, now, I think I may go dig in and see what I can start!
The packing continues. We’re getting visibly closer, but of course, it still feels like we’re miles away from being finished. But, eh. It’ll get there.
So, I’ve had to set aside a bunch of knitting projects recently - nothing has really been quite working out for me. So, I was thinking I need something pretty simple for plane knitting, but not so complicated that I’d fall asleep knitting. I’ve been doing some swatching for the project I’m thinking of, and it’s looking pretty good so far, but I’m only a few rows in, so I’m reserving judgement a bit longer. When I’m sure (tomorrow evening, I hope), I’ll share. I promise. No, really - pinky swear!
Well, lots of time spent on the train today means I got a lot of knitting done. The chances are very good I’ll have a finished sock for you tomorrow.
So, even though it’ll be a while before I see it in print, the Spring 2008 Interweave Knits previews are up (oh, wait, no…I think Mom just sent the last issue of my subscription. Shoot. I’ll have to take care of that). It seems like a particularly cardigan-centric issue, not that there’s anthing wrong with that. There are only a few projects that I really like.
First is the Flutter Sleeve Cardigan. It’s pretty, and it looks like it’d be a nice layer over lighter summer clothes if you work in an office somewhere that runs the AC non-stop all summer long.
I also like the Printed Silk Cardigan. Mostly, I like the shape, and especially the neckline and the sleeves.
Then, there’s the Cobweb Lace Stole (rather uninventive name for it, I think). I don’t care much for the yarn, and I’d like to see a better shot of more of the actual patterning, but it looks intriguing.
Finally, there’s the Bleeding Hearts Stole (see? A much better name, even if it’s just named after the lace motif). I really like the look of this one, and although I suspect the edging may be picked up and knit after the middle portion of the stole (a technique I haven’t yet attempted, mostly due to my suspicions that I’ll screw it up something fierce), it looks like something that I could manage. Maybe I’ll give it a try. You know, later. When I don’t have a mental deficit caused by working for an insane company.
Well, after casting on twice (twice!) last night, I screwed up badly enough that my tired brain couldn’t pull it out, and around 12:30 am, I scrapped the project.
For the night, anyway. This morning has been rather more productive!
I’ve finished the cast on edging and one repeat.
Isn’t it pretty? I really like how the scalloped edge almost looks crocheted. It’s a bit of a pain to do, though - passing eight stitches over one to make the scallop is a bit tricky. That’s where I finally lost it last night, actually - the yarn is fairly loosely spun, and I lost a strand of the stitch that the other stitches were passing over, and it all went downhill from there. It took about an hour and a half to do the first 3 rows, but then it’s much faster. The pattern is a pretty simple feather and fan with garter ridges every 12 rows, so it’ll go quickly. This feels like it’s going to be a quick finish (ooh…hope I didn’t just jinx myself!)
Anyway, I’ll stay here in my little nest and knit a few more rows before heading out for work. I’m warm under the duvet, I’ve got podcasts to listen to, the pattern right in front of me (although it’s straightforward enough that I’ve already got it memorized). Mmm….I really like knitting. I think in some ways, it’s more restorative for me than sleep is. Is that crazy? I think other knitters likely know what I mean.
Since I’ve just finished two long-time projects in quick succession, I needed something new on the needles. Oh, sure, I’ve got the silk (ArtFibers Golden Chai, 100% golden tussah silk, colorway 33, yum) sweater that’s languishing on the needles. And there’s the super simple lace scarf that’s crawling along. But I’m feeling socks right now, so socks it will be. I really liked knitting (and wearing!) my two most recent handknit socks, and the common bond is a lacy pattern, so I went looking for another similar style. It’s called Kaibashira, and amazingly enough, I have the exact yarn called for in my extremely small stash (hey, I had to drag it halfway across the world - it’s amazing I have a stash at all, really)! Well, the same yarn, but not the same colorway. I have what I call PINK! although the manufacturer calls it 733 Get Your Feet Wet.
So, here we go!
Holy moly! I finished another project - the Ab Fab afghan for Lexy’s wedding present! It is, of course, absolutely fabulous. I even took pictures! I’m hiding them below the jump, though, since I’m not sure if Lexy reads the blog, and this way it can stay a sort-of suprise for her (only sort-of since she knows it’s coming and actually picked the colorway she wanted) (Lexy - don’t peek! How much more fabulous will it be if you see it for the first when you open the box?).
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Mmm….a Sunday without the dread of Kindy on Monday morning. We slept late, we puttered, I did some laundry and cleaned up the house, listened to an entire audiobook, and I’ve even knit a good chunk on Lexi’s wedding afghan (oh, it’s pretty).
Seth and I talked to Caleb again some last night, and I think I may start the resume polishing tomorrow morning while I’m not working (woo!). He thinks the place he’s working might be hiring, and I think I’m probably qualified. He seems to like the place lots, and says the workload isn’t completely insane. It might be nice to have a relatively sane work schedule, for a change.
In the mean time, I’m going back to knitting, and I think I’ll be staying up later than I normally would. Mmm…..no work tomorrow until 1:30or so!
Alas, no pictures of the scarf after all - I couldn’t find any pins to block it with until late this evening, so it looks pretty unimpressive. It does keep me warm, though. I wore it today on the scooter on a few fairly long trips, and it kept me from feeling the chill of the wind really well. Yay! Functionality!
