Stella Knits

Stella Knits

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Wednesday, April 30, 2003

I slept 11 hours last night. That does not happen very often, but I felt great when I woke up. I know why, and it's a good thing.
I've been having an on-conversation with Someone lately, during which he keeps saying that I'm a hippie and I keep saying, no, not really. I do a lot of hippie type things: like sew, quilt, knit, dye, cook vegetarian, listen to hippie music, would love to have a garden. I like groovy, natural products made from sustainable resources, I recycle, I even use cloth feminine hygiene products, but I lack conviction. I mean, I don't wear clogs, I don't own any Birkenstocks, I don't smoke weed (anymore), never wear Indian clothes to work, and I definitely, definitely shave my legs & use deodorant & wear make-up. I'm very interested in making money & being successful, not living in Golden Gate Park & being a panhandler. I don't even have a Jerry Garcia shrine (although, I love Jerry!) Hippie or not?
Anyway. :) Discount Fabrics had flannel on sale for $1.49/yard. Totally cute flannel, too. perfect for jammies, and so I bought enough to make 3 pairs PJ pants. I may be on knitting hiatus, but I felt creative anyway.

I ususallly find sewing & fitting clothes very exasparating, but what can go wrong with PJ's? Not much, I hope.
posted by Stella 10:13 PM

Tuesday, April 29, 2003

Finished Object!

And, as you may have noticed, I've learned how to do a pop-up window on MouseClick rather than MouseOver. (Isn't that better?!) I'll send these socks off with a big bag o' Hershey's kisses.

My back/neck is feeling better after the massage (and the date <smile> last night) but I think, I need to take a break from knitting - gasp! Either knitting or typing & CAD, both make it hurt after a while.

R.I.P. Li'l Izzie

You will be missed.

posted by Stella 12:08 PM

Monday, April 28, 2003

The Knitting Group meeting was cool! Jeannie and Gina (sans Mirabelle, her Yorkie) were there as well as 2 other girls, and Helen, the store owner. I think we should be the Urban Knitters. I finished my Dad's socks, including weaving in of the ends (so easy with socks). I'll have a picture tonight.

I'm feeling very tired. It's not just b/c it's Monday, but I woke up at 4 am with racing thoughts in my head. I'm so worried about getting another migraine. My neck still hurts. So I'm having a massage tonight. I need to relax and get rid of this muscle tension.

After that I will have a date with K who always make me very happy. And last night, S called me and we had a nice long conversation. He is cool. I knew it. I personally just hate talking about stuff that bothers me but I guess it does make things easier when you do...

posted by Stella 10:55 AM

Sunday, April 27, 2003

Sunday Morning and I'm listening to Acoustic Sunrise on kfog. My favorite time of the week. :)

This afternoon is the first meeting of my knitting group. And I'm planning seriously to finish some projects! I haven't shown knitting pics lately, b/c they are all "in progress" and I want to show results. Here is a little baby project I finished yesterday. I'm such a total copycat, this is what Theresa did this week as well. So it wasn't very creative on my part, but fun anyway. (From Dishcloth Boutique, in Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece.)

(Click me)

Oh, and Friday night, I took a beading class and learned how to make earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. Look:

(or click me)

On Thursday, after that doctor's appointment, I went to the gym, for you know, a gentle cardio workout to get circulation going & to decrease inflammation. But wouldn't you know it, I succumbed to peer pressure and did this totally ridiculous circuit training, and I am still in pain. Granted, the trainers were cute and straight on top of that, but why WHY WHY did they make it soooo hard? I could hardly walk yesterday and spent the day on my couch with my heating pad... My neck is hurting less though.

S called Friday and wanted to get together Saturday but then he cancelled. Which was just as well as I had gotten over him already. Obviously I need to talk to him and tell him I don't like waiting for a week for an answer to my emails, nor do I like it when people change their cell phone numbers and tell me a week later. Is he worth the effort, is the question. It's disappointing. I had a really good time with him.

And more why: Why can I never get on Velma's World anymore? All I get this empty page. The ads are there. But no blog. What's up with blogspot? Velma, if you read this, let me know if you are still up.

posted by Stella 10:00 AM

Friday, April 25, 2003

Here is what happens when work is slow:

My first ever buy on Ebay!

Isn't it bee-autiful?

I stopped bidding at about half of the new retail price. The crazy thing is it will come from NZ so now I have to pray that there won't be any S&H surprises. The seller said $40 to ship to US. It's an Ashford Traditional in what looks like Walnut finish.

I had to go go bed last night with 6 hours left on the auction, so had there been any last minute bidding wars, I would not have been able to participate. I think I was meant to have it.

Now I'm thinking about selling my Hinterberg hand quilting frame. I haven't used it since I had carpal tunnel. But I'm attached to it nonetheless.

My doctor gave me a cortinsone shot yesterday, this one right into the area of my neck where the tension and inflammation is. He gave me some Vioxx as well. I think he just likes to give shots. It didn't hurt, it was just freaky. Lets hope it works. And I'll spare you further medical details.

posted by Stella 7:28 AM

Thursday, April 24, 2003

Slow day at work (again). I was so impressed with the Double Flower Cloth on Theresa's blog yesterday, I had to run out at lunch time to buy some cotton yarn. I don't really think of myself as a dishcloth/washcloth type of knitter. But the ones at Dishcloth Boutique are so *pretty*. It's nice to take a break from a big long project (aka the lacy cardie) and make something small & pretty and yet challenging. It's a good opportunity to learn a new lace stitch. And just think of all the icky dish sponges I won't be throwing away anymore to fill up landfills! And, I'll have pretty washcloths for my bathroom, too. Am I justifying? Rationalizing? Yeah. Oh well. At least I'm not sitting around having anxiety attacks! Mine is not coming out as pretty as Theresa's, but I know what I have to fix - it's the cast-on in the middle where I have a bigger hole that I'd like.

I have managed to organize a knitting group. This is a major accomplishment. I have never before, in my whole life, been able to get a group of people to do anything. No-one at work signed up for the Bay to Breakers run, which I mentioned earlier, for example. I couldn't throw a Tupperware party if I had to. But for this, I just asked my 2 knitting girlfriends (Jeannie & Gina), and both of them invited another person each, who I don't even know. And then I asked the owner of Urban Knitting Studio if we could meet there. That was cool with her. EZ! If you want to come, email me and I'll tell you when.

posted by Stella 11:30 AM

Wednesday, April 23, 2003

Two of you came up with the quote by Mark Twain:
Bethany & Claudia! And since my survey had such fantastic response, you both win! Which means I have an excuse to go back the bead store.

On the knitting front - I meant to cast on for Cheesylove last night, but had to work the overtime, which I was actually happy to do in these bad economic times. And then, I deserved a drink. And then, I talked to K (the first guy) on the phone b/c we were supposed to have a date this week, but he has to travel. V sad Stella. Then he freaked me out by saying he was wondering if his job was going to transfer him. No way!!! But nothing I can do. <sigh> Then the printer called at 10:45 pm to tell me one of my drawing files was bad. So the clients won't have their drawings first thing in the morning even though I worked the OT. F**** it. Well, if my remote access was working... (see archive). And just another little thorn in my side - S (the second guy) changed his cell phone # and is not returning my email. And I thought he was cool... And, my massage therapist is out of town.

So I'm trying hard to do some positive thinking here. (No bitchy blog!) 1. My cousin is getting married in Florence, Italy, in June. And I got a invitation! Adrienne Vittadini land - here I come! 2. My knitting group is having its first ever meeting on Sunday. Me and Jeannie & Gina. 3. K sent me some awesome pics of himself, so even if I don't have him in person, I can dream over those. :))) 4. I will go to my doc today and hopefully get some pills for my neck.

I think I can handle today.

posted by Stella 7:52 AM

Monday, April 21, 2003

My Easter improved dramatically.
My black Patons yarn came in the mail today so now I can cast on for Cheesylove! Yeah! Nice thick yarn which will grow quickly, and then I'll have warm sweater for the freezing summers here. (I know it sounds *weird* but SF summers are cold. If you send me a famous quote about that situation, you win a stitch marker!)

Yesterday I tried to escape the fog and I drove up to Fairfax, a little hippie town where I had found some nice blue dyed roving before, but that store was closed. Then I drove to Pt. Reyes, where I found the Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook! And a very cool, huge, African basket to keep all my yarn in.

I'm very inspired by the Twisted Sisters book, and I hope to go to a sheep shearing event soon so I can get some roving to dye. I also found a cool co-op store in Pt. Reyes called Black Mountain Weavers, where they sell handspun yarn, hand knitting items, quilts, etc. I saw some yarn for big $$$ that I could have spun... Then I drove back south to Bolinas where I want to take surfing classes this summer. (That may be a pipe dream though.)

Bolinas

Stinson Beach

My Dad's first sock is finished, and my brother confirmed he has in fact big-a** feet. And I started the second sleeve for the lacy cardie.

posted by Stella 3:11 PM

Saturday, April 19, 2003

Stella got sick yesterday and had to go ER.
I woke up with this headache but I thought it would go away once I got to work. My shoulders had been really tight from Pilates class on Wednesday, and then I took a spinning (on the stationary bike, not yarn) class on Thursday, which must have exacerbated it instead of improving it, and then Friday, it just escalated. I kept getting sick and I couldn't stand light or sound. I submitted my drawings to the architect though, and then I asked my boss if anybody drove their car because I wanted to go to the hospital. I must have looked pitiful because he jumped up and got out of his meeting and put his arm around me and said, don't be frightened and he wanted me to lay down in my office. LW (our office manager) got me a cab and off I went.

Thank God they weren't busy. I got a shot of Imitrex and then it s l o w l y subsided. I walked home about 6 blocks and I was so grateful to be able to do that. I was also very grateful they invented cell phones. It made me feel a whole lot better to be able to talk to my friend Jeannie's mom who said she would pray for me. And to call my brother in Germany. I don't think anybody ever prayed for me before, but that and the Imitrex was powerful medicine.

Today I'm going over to her house to bake some Easter cookies & dye some eggs. I want to take pictures of that and send them to my grandparents. Because every Easter they get totally nostalgic about how I used to be little and we dyed eggs at their house and hid & searched for them. Those are truly happy childhood memories.

I'm also planning to fnish the first sock for Dad today and I finished the first sleeve for the lacy cardie! Yeah!!! Working on the Devil Hat is probably risky to do on Easter, but all it needs is horns. I look silly wearing it, it will be a gift for someone.

Happy Easter everyone!

posted by Stella 8:15 AM

Wednesday, April 16, 2003

Look what I made tonight:

My first venture into beading! And now I can mark my stitches. Lets hope my hands won't kill me in the morning.

posted by Stella 10:18 PM

Apologies for the moody, grouchy entry on Monday.. I swear I am the moodiest person in the land. But I went to City Spinners yesterday and that made me feel better. I made a joke and people actually laughed. :) I am generally very uncomfortable with people but last night I felt like could be myself and they still liked me (sounds pathetic, I'm sure I have issues). I also plied and now I have more yarn to dye (soon).

I turned the heel on my Dad's first sock using Stasia's cool garter stitch heel. I'm worried that the sock looks really really BIG. My mom measured 28cm, and I knitted it 27cm long and 25cm around, so that it will stretch and be snug. It's a good thing I bought 3 skeins b/c this sock has amost used up the first one.

Regarding Cheesylove - I think Canadians are keeping my yarn hostage! I ordered from Royalyarn and Yarn Forward on April 5th and I got the Royalyarn order 2 days later but I'm still waiting for Yarn Forward. What are you people doing with it? Do they open and check out every single package?

And, here, the cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuutest website ever. It's Japanese but the point is the pictures. (I found the link on somebody else's blog but I forgot where.. so I can't give credit. Totally sorry.) It's called Pet Office.... sooo adorable, like eating Easter candy without the sugar rush!

posted by Stella 10:15 AM