The Clap.

Nope it ain't VD, it's the progression of my clap wrap!

I feel like I've come so far sometimes and then I realize just how much more there really is to do!


(please excuse my flash, once again it washed out the color)

They're baaaccckkk!!!

Someone must have read my post and decided to grant me a wish. Now I feel obligated to do something with this information! Surprise!

Dear Genie, for my second wish, can we please leave the bars in Jersey alone, as God intended for them to be, smokey and dangerous to all those who enter? Thanks so much you're a real pal!

Why can't every day be Saturday?

OK so let the whining commence! I don't want to be at work! I want to go home and knit. I want to stay up late knitting and then sleep in and not worry about going to work in the morning. Errrrrr, ok 10.5 more hours of the work week, I can do it!

Why, might you ask, have I taken to whining today? Because I'm, done. I'm cooked. I'm in desperate need of a vacation... like yesterday! I woke up this morning thinking it was Friday and I was over-joyed for about 30 seconds until I realized it's only Thursday. Dang that Thursday. I know, I know, "but it's a 3 day weekend Tracy." Yes true, but not soon enough.

My mom always said that my biggest pet peeve was injustice. Isn't that funny? Not that injustice is funny but that it's a pet peeve of mine and that it's noticeable. I'm just tired of babysitting these grown men who are so financially and emotionally spoiled that they forget that the rules and the laws apply to them as well. It really eats me up! I try to tell myself, it's not my problem, I'm just an assistant, it's my boss and his wacky group of merry men that have their careers on the line when they don't follow the directions, but logic fails me sometimes. I do everything I can to keep things in order and go out of my way to make the least amount of work for everyone around me ("just sign this, that's all, just sign the damn form I created for you!") and the response is "I don't know if I feel like participating." This is not a game of dodge ball, no one is asking if you want to participate, the NASD requires that you do these little things so as not to lose your license... your license, not mine!(Yes, I know, none of this is technically "injustice" but it's not fair, and that's like a first cousin to injustice.)

Oh boy, I'm sorry for that everyone. It had to come out though. I think I may have been left alone to man the fort for a little too long and I'm tired of being the bad guy and getting a lot of lip for doing my job well. It's time for a new job is what it is (and maybe a beer).

On a lighter note though, I am planning my first out of the country excursion with my friend Nikki to Ireland!!! Oh yay, oh yippy skippy! Will I return... we'll see ;-)

Back to knitting for a moment. Tuesday is when we all get together for our stitch and bitch group and as I was talking to the ladies I realized that I may have a bit of an addiction. I have been spending a little too much time with my yarn.
This is how my thoughts about knitting sound in my head:
"ok, I'll do a few rows and then make dinner."
"ok I'll just knit until the 'drop stitch' part, then I'll look for a job online."
"ok, I'll research the prices of tours of Ireland, after I look online for local yarn shops to visit when I'm there."
Do you see how I'm getting too involved? The funniest thing is I have at least half a dozen unfinished projects floating around the house. You would think I'd get more accomplished but I often waste time looking at yarn and knitterly things online than actually knitting. Then I get frustrated that I wasted knitting time in cyber-space when I could have been knitting. Such a catch 22 it all is!

Are you done hearing me rant and rave?

Thought so.

Here's some pictures to take your mind off of my babbling....

Nikki's hat that started out as mine and also started out waaay too small - the little one is now in the give away pile

The finished set that I couldn't post a picture of the other day


One of 4(?) homespun blankets I made. (Why am I showing you this? Because I randomly came across the picture today that's why!)


My Star Lily's from last summer - - they make me smile :-)

Oh, and I almost forgot, big thanks to Jana for telling me about bloglines, it really does help condense my blog habit and has turned me on to a few new blogs to peruse already! Thanks blogger babe, you rock!

Miscellaneous Stuffeses

Ohhhh Snoooowwww!
It's been an extremely mild Jersey winter this year with many days in the 40's and 50's. But now, with spring right around the corner we get slammed with a snow storm... on the weekend of course! (But I don't want to go to work tomorrow!!!)
I personally like the snow, and this year's whole "every once in a while" occurrence makes it that much better. Do I take part in outside activities though? Absolutely not! I would like to do a little sleigh ridding but being 29, out of shape, out of breathe etc. etc. doesn't make for a lot of fun for those around me. Instead, I opted to stay in today and do what? Knit of course! Here's what went on outside and inside the house....

"Those icicles have been known to kill people"
(To give you an idea of the depth of snow, that lump you see is the top of the BBQ)
Clapotis yesterday and today...
I had to ditch the pretty little stitch markers I made because they were snagging the yarn. I'll make some adjustments to them and use them for the next project.

Ahh yes, and finally I can show you the hat/scarf set I made for Nikki for Christmas. I made the scarf with a little hole in it so she could pull it though and not have to have a long scarf that's all bulky under her coat.
(Dag-nabit! It's suddenly not letting me add more pics. I'll have to post them later)

Oh yeah! And I sent my second secret pal package out on Friday. Would love to show you a picture but I can't risk her figuring me out!

Baby Stuff!

One of the ladies in my writing group is having her second daughter this week. One of her close friends in the group also knits and is making her a blanket. Not wanting to step on any toes, I opted to go for the hat and bootie combo. Originally I was making the green & pink hat with the pink booties but I didn't like the way they looked together so I went with the more traditional pink theme. Next girl baby will get the green & pink hat with matching booties, but to save time, I figured it'd be quicker to make a new hat than new socks. (yes, the hats are from two different patterns if you notice that one is a little pointier than the other.)

Change of Venue

Tonight some of my knitting group went to a local retirement home (where my mom works) and had a knit and crochet evening. Although there was some confusion from some of the ladies as to why we were there, who was teaching who what to do, "I have a project started but I left it in my room" and other such minor glitches, over-all I think it went exceptionally well. We all had a great time laughing and sharing yarn related tips. They also really seemed to enjoy perusing the Stitch and Bitch books (the title is what won them over!).
By the end of the evening they were asking when we were coming back, which is always a good sign of time well spent. I'm so glad I knit and crochet with such a great group who not only would willingly give up time to work on their own projects to come out for an experiment in knitting, but fully throw themselves into helping others. They are all so pateient and kind and really made a great impression on everyone tonight. (Thank you if you're reading this right now.)
Ok, enoguh mush, now on to pictures! I'm not in any of them because I was behind the camera "just like your mother" as one of the ladies gruffly pointed out, but here we are just the same...