What Goes Around

So, that anticlimactic sound you hear is me paying off my credit cards.

Two years and $9000 later, I am free of credit card debt! Woo hoo! Honestly, I am not even sure what I bought, other than some furniture for the apartment, which amounted to about $1000. What I bought with the rest? Anybody’s guess.

I definitely learned my lesson, too. Never buy what you can’t afford to pay back. Don’t live outside your means. Just because you want it, doesn’t mean you need it.

And so on and so forth.

I’m knitting on socks:

Lizzy Socks

These are Lizzy socks by Stephanie van der Linden (rav link). I am knitting them out of Socks That Rock lightweight in the Sapphire colorway. Even though STR is not my favorite yarn as it felts/fuzzes up like a mofo, it certainly comes in awesome colors, and I had this in my stash, already wound and ready to go. The second sock is actually a lot farther along – I’ve turned the heel and have completed the first motif on the instep.

The next socks in the queue will be for my sister.  She finished my quilt that she’s been working on for 1.5 years, and I owe her! She decided on her own to make me the quilt when I said, jokingly, that I would love a handmade quilt in “all the colors of the ocean” and the next thing I knew, she had bought fabric and was going at it gangbusters. I didn’t think that was extremely fair for me to get a free, awesome quilt, so I said I’d make her some socks/small items in exchange. She wants some leaf socks, so I’ll make her a pair of those, and I also want to make her some fun fair isle mittens.

A Week In the Life

I have been run ragged this week, and it’s not over yet! OY VEY.

Last Monday was the last day I was just at home with nothing to do. Oh, Monday, you were great. Tuesday I had a large homeowner’s meeting to record minutes for, Wednesday I had another board meeting to record minutes for, and Thursday I had a Chamber of Commerce mixer, and Friday I went out with my cousin to the movies. So I kind of haven’t been home in forever. Today I am off to Sacramento for a birthday party and tomorrow I am going with the fam to Placerville and a flower farm.

Luckily, next week is a short work week and I don’t have any meetings. Friday is the 4th of July and Saturday is my birthday. I’m hoping that the smoke from the 800 fires dissipates because I REALLY WANT to go peddle boating for my birthday out at the Lafayette Reservoir. However, we are being told to stay inside and not go out and breathe all the smoke.  I can understand this – yesterday I was out in Brentwood on a site inspection, and was horking up snot and ash for an hour afterwards. It was still fun, though, Phil and I went off-roading in his golf cart up on the hill, where I hadn’t been before, to survey the goat damage.

So, my cousin Amanda and I went to see Wanted, starring the fawn from Chronicles of Narnia and Angelina Jolie. It was totally not what I was expecting, but it still really great. Completely violent and excessive, which I have really been in the mood for. Earlier this week I got Shoot ‘Em Up from Netflix and THAT is an AWESOME movie, if you haven’t seen it and you enjoy a spot of violence and Clive Owen killing a bunch of people while running around holding a baby, then that is the movie for you! However, not for the faint of heart, so if you are easily bothered by gore and lactating prostitutes (hi google searchers!) then you should probably avoid Shoot ‘Em Up. I loved it a lot however and watched it twice, it was that good.

/end gushing

So I haven’t completely just done nothing. I got a couple boxes in the mail this week. I purchased Norah Gaughan Volume 3 and a couple of the new pattern pamphlets from Berroco and those came quite promptly.
I also finally got my box of stuff I bought in Texas, which had more yarn and all those beads in it. AND I was bad and ordered from the Loopy Ewe.

Recent Yarn Acquisitions

And I am working on a sock in Araucania Nature Multy:

New Sock

And a swallowtail shawl:

Swallowtail Shawl

I’m knitting this shawl in the Daffodil colorway of some Rio de la Plata sock yarn. I really like the yarn, it’s got a great rustic feel to it, and as you can see, the stitch definition is tops. I’m having fun diving into the stash and trying out the different yarns I have. I’m hoping to finish this shawl in time for my cousin’s wedding.  Not that I am going to wear a wool shawl to a summer wedding in REDDING but it’s a timeline goal anyway.

Now I am off to the post office to mail a check and my Netflix (Talledega Nights, which was funny but stupid) and get gas, drop off some stuff at the library, and go to Target.

Later taters.