Tweedy Crafty Skirty

Yay! I made something today!

I pulled something in my neck a day or so ago, and therefore am taking off from the gym, but I was feeling pretty lazy today so I decided to make a skirt. I bought this amazing orange tweedy wool fabric from Mood a while ago and never did anything with it. I fully intended to make a skirt one day with it, and as the fates had it, today was the day. The pattern is my own, made during my patternmaking class at Make. Sorry for the non-linkage, but I'm using Mike's Mac, and Safari and Blogger don't play so well together. Any ideas for making this easier?



There she is, resting on my bed. Isn't she a doll? She's got front and back darts, an invisible side zipper (I'm still perfecting the art of the top of the zipper, so any suggestions here are most welcome) and is a true A-line.



I did this awesome thing with the waistband that I'm super proud of. I took the idea from a dress I made from a different class at Make. I put bias tape on the right side of the skirt, and then turned it inward and secured it to the inside of the skirt to form a stable waist.

And now the portrait shots. Mike is out today so its me and the mirror. Um, both big mirrors chez moi are filthy, so I am sorry for the grime. The skirt is clean, I assure you. I even ironed it, and if you know anything about me, you know that is a huge deal.



This is my glamour shot, designed to make it look like I actually have hips that are a different width from my waist.



Hip hip hooray for my lovely skirt! I can't wait to wear her out!

Sexy Hair

Yesterday I got the sexiest haircut ever. I went to a new salon, reco'd by my friend Julie, and this gal was just amazing. First of all, she was supercute. I love when hair girls are supercute, as it makes me feel like I, by mere proximity, can become supercute too. Secondly, she was attentive and did exactly what I wanted. I even asked her what she would do if I gave her carte blanche, and she said she would do the same thing, as she wants to grow out some of my layers and give me length overall. Just what I wanted, by the way.



You may never see it straight like this ever again. I haven't had it straight in a number of years. Three, probably. Last night, Mike walked right by me at the bar. He didn't even recognize me! How cool is that. Mind you, this photo is after a night of boozing, and sleeping on it. And you can't tell (I hope) but I'm still just in my bra. No shirt yet for me! But what's the deal with my nose? Its looking rather bumpy and icky in this pic, but the hair looks fabu, so I'll let it slide.

Gotta run for a lunch date. But enjoy the hair! And pray for a return to knitting content soon!

Holy Crap

Oh, Internets. What's going on with my life?

I filed a formal complaint against my boss for her physical attack. I realized that I couldn't just let it slide and that an apology would be useless, as I am so afraid of what she might do next. So, formal complaint it is. And now I'm on a paid leave of absence while an Investigation takes place.

This is seriously weird. I haven't been to work all week. And I'm totally in limbo, though I realize that in all likelihood, I will not be returning to my job unless they fire the President. Unlikely, for sure.

I'm taking care of errands. i returned one of the three winter coats I bought. I went to the library. I visited a friend's new apartment. I paid some bills. I made a trip to the mailbox. I've gone to the gym. I've even showered. And today I'm getting a haircut. But it still feels so weird. I know I'm doing the right thing by standing up for myself but I partly feel like I'm making a big deal out of this. But, I do think that feeling comes directly from how my boss has browbeaten me in the past, making me feel like an idiot for sitting in the wrong chair. Its like she's brainwashed me into feeling like a complete moron with no smarts and no voice. And I know for sure that ain't me. So booya Madame President. Screw you for putting your hands on me. I doubt you'll learn a lesson, but I'll be damned if I don't try to teach you one.

Big Wool Hat

I made a hat today. Actually, I made a hat today, twice. I usually wind up making hats twice.



I love it. But of course, there's a back story. I made this hat before (so I guess that means I've made this hat 3 times). It was the very first hat I ever made, way back when I learned to knit in around 2002. It was made out of a coral-orangey color Rowan Big Wool and I was so excited. So very very very excited. I wore this hat for three winters, loving its warmth and plush-ness and everything about it. But, it was a llittle big. And this was before I knew that you could fudge patterns to make them how you want them.

But here's the bad news. I lost the hat. Last winter, while I was taking the M21 from my office to Make workshop for a sewing class, it must have fallen out of my pocket on the bus. I had been carrying a ton of stuff - my regular handbag, a bag with my sewing class stuff, a bag of stuff to stay at Mike's for the night (this was before move-in #2) and a roll of patternmaking paper. After walking from my office to the bus stop, I was so hot that I took the hat off and jammed it into my coat pocket. I arrived at Make only to realize that my hat was no longer in the pocket. It was a sad, sad day.

But that brings us to today. I didn't lose any time hatless last winter and I was determined not to do so this winter. Sure, I have other hats, but I loved this pattern and loved that hat.



Its "Madge" from Rowan's Bigger Picture. The color is shade 25, a very eggplant looking purple. Of course, it will match the scarf that I just can't seem to finish. I did some mods - The pattern calls for a garter stitch border before going into the seed stitch for the crown, but I wanted all seed stitch, all the time. I took out two rows to account for the slightly smaller size I was looking for from the last hat, and I made the hat. This is what I came out with:



It was big. So big that it covered my eyebrows. So big that it was dragging at my neck. And what did I do? Instead of being sensible and just ripping back to before the shaping and removing a few rows, I ripped back the whole darned thing. And started totally over. I think I have a fear of picking up stitches. And then I removed three more rows, for about an inch lost in length from the first run, and probably about an inch and a half from the pattern itself. And I think its perfect.

Mike thinks so too. He said, "It looks like a raspberry. I kind of want to eat it". Success!

Chester Copperpot

I have spent the day so far searching for and applying to jobs. I have had enough. Seriously. Fuck this place, and fuck the boss. Crazy fucking bitch.

Yesterday, at a work function, my boss, the president of this esteemed organization, put her hands on my neck and shoulders and shook a little. Aggressively. And then laughed it off.

I was stunned, to say the least. I just looked at her, looked at a coworker who was standing with us, looked back to her, and walked away. What I should have done was walk out, never to return. Or, at least, said quite loudly, "Take your hands off me. That is inappropriate." And then walked out. But no. I just walked around the corner to another hallway and collected myself, and then rejoined the meeting. This all occurred because I asked her where she would like me to sit for the meeting. Because, yes, I have to ask permission from my boss about which seat to take during a meeting. Because yes, she is totally fucking off her rocker.

The really shitty part about this is that she has already fired all of the HR staff, so there isn't anyone I can talk to about it except for her. There aren't any other senior staff members that I can talk to either, because they run their own programs and have very little to do with the core work that the President's office runs and are therefore useless. I can grin and bear it, or I can walk away.

I am ready to walk away. This is just ridiculous.

And hence, Chester Copperpot. If only I had that treasure map and could pay for my rent and health insurance without this crazy animal of a boss riding down my neck. I think I'll start calling in sick every day until I find a new job. This is just ridiculous.

Not a Good Sign?

My interview with the high-salary place was a week ago last Friday. So, two weeks tomorrow. A week ago Monday I sent in the requested references and writing samples. Yesterday I called the woman to follow up (left a VM. hate that!). And nothing. Is that or is that not a bad sign? I think its a not-so-good sign. I think that if she was totally gaga over me, she would have gotten back to me in response to my materials, or at least, you know, ever. And now I wait. Or do I wait? Of course I wait. But I guess what I thinking about is, do I wait with anticipation or hope for an offer? Or do I just put it out of my mind and know that I did all that I could, following all the right steps, etc.?

I don't know if I want the job. And I'm not just saying that becuase I don't think I'm going to get it. If she called me right now and said she's got a great offer for me, I don't know what I would do. I have so much freedom here, and so many liberties with regards to time, wardrobe, attitude, etc. There's no real incentive to switch places other than the fact that my boss is a power-hungry megalomaniacal psychopathic narcissistic depressive with abandonnment issues. But I know that and I can try to limit my interaction with her as best I can. Oy. Oy vey is what I have to say today.

Knit one more diamond on the scarfy scarf. Sloooooooooow. But I think I would like to try to finish this weekend. Just because. And I'm going to make myself a coordinating hat this weekend, too. I think I'll pick up the yarn tonight on my way to the bar after work. Yay! Bar after work!

The knitting on this scarf isn't going as quickly as I had hoped. I figured I would be totally done by this weekend that just passed, but no dice. I am about 8 diamonds into it, and not quite finished with the first skein of Kersti. But I like it. Its fun. I just find it hard to work two repeats in a row because the counting is a little tedious and I'm sorta dumb with numbers.



Here is another photo if you just can't handle that one.

And I think I decided what sweater I want to make, as my first real sweater project. Its from the Winter 2004 IK, and its the Mohair Cowl Pullover. It seems kinda cool, and an easy thing to do. From there I want to try a top-down raglan with an open neck. But I fear I am getting ahead of myself.

The cool thing I wanted to share is this:



They are handknit, from Turkey. A woman I work with is from Turkey, and goes each summer to do archaeology stuff. Last week she learned that I knit, and told me about these old women in her hometown who sit there in the streets and knit these slippers, and how they chat away and knit without looking at their work and make these beautiful things. Then, yesterday when we were on our way to a site visit, she presented me with this pair of slippers. Aren't they amazing? I just love them. The fit is very snug, and so totally warm and comfortable. I thought they would be itchy, but they are so smooth on the inside. I put them on as soon as I got home from the gym and didn't take them off until it was time for bed. Sigh. Warm feet make me happy.

Here, you can sort of see the construction. It seems like its two rectangles that are assembled together to make the part around the foot itself and the part that goes around the heel. Both are attached to a footbed, and then the toe is folded into itself.



I also love how you can see my whiter than white legs in this photo. Go Pale!

Work It Out

I'm too busy at work right now to hate my job. I guess that's some amount of relief, though it seems strange to me.

I had a great weekend. My Saturday class at the gym hurt so good, and I loved it. Yay for getting stronger! And on Sunday I had a great girl-day with my friend J. We saw In Her Shoes, which I thought was good (she thought it was slow) and then did a little shopping. I think J. is my shopping good-luck charm. I have a terrible time shopping, but whenever I'm with her, I always find way more than I can afford. Its a blessing and a curse, for sure.

Gotta get back to the grind... but maybe some photos of the scarf tomorrow. I'm about 7 diamonds in. So much for two a night - I knit two this weekend!

Curses

It doesn't work:

Your search - "megann needs" - did not match any documents.

Suggestions:

- Make sure all words are spelled correctly.
- Try different keywords.
- Try more general keywords.

Most of my life I went through much trauma from having a name nobody else had, or at the very least, nobody spelled it like I did. Sigh. No meme for me.

I called the cops last night. My neighborhood is sometimes the worst fucking ghetto you can imagine. Most of the time its great and I love it, but its often filled with people who flap their gums and argue in the street and blast their comforts into everyone else's personal space, usually after midnight. Like last night. I had fallen asleep. As in, I was already asleep. And what do I hear, that actually wakes me up? Music. LOUD MUSIC. From a car, parked in a spot, on the street outside my bedroom window. Now, normally the situation is some fucking asshole who double parks and talks to his friends while pumping shitty rap music at ninety million bazillion decibels. But this time, the dude was in. his. car. With the windows closed, because, you know, its raining. And his music Woke. Me. Up.

So, I turned my cell phone back on and called the 88th Precinct. The officer was very nice and said he'd send someone out to take a look. So, I turn my phone back off, get back into bed, seething, and lie there. Listening to this asshole's music. Mike had passed out long ago after a binge drinking session with a friend, so he barely stirred. And I was left, yet again, to stare at the fucking ceiling while everyone around me in the whole wide world sleeps. Is there no justice? Do I not work hard enough each day that I don't deserve to sleep? Do I have "wake me up every night" written on my forehead? Or rather, "just don't let me sleep, ever, so that I become the crankiest woman who ever lived"? Maybe that's more appropriate.

So, I, me, Megann with two n's, is the crankiest woman who ever lived. I have not slept a real night's sleep in about a week. And I hate everyone around me, I hate my job and now, I am just cranky enough that I even hate myself. So fuck you, world. And fuck you pillows. And fuck you, you filthy sonofabitch who woke me up last night. I hope you die a horrible painful death. Or at least get woken up yourself. Every night for the rest of your pathetic life.

Sigh. Progress.

The spell, she is broken. I am using my fabu camera and taking pictures of lovely things that I am creating with my hands.



This is the scarf, and I love her already. I wound up getting some Koigu Kersti for her, as Purl no longer carries Noro yarns. Say wha'? I fell in love with some Alchemy with the same silk content as Silk Garden but it was about $18 per skein and I was so not down with that. So, Kersti it was. And I am pretty darned happy with it. The colors are beautiful. I think they photo'd pretty well, with the beautiful purples and browns and such. And the pattern is so much fun to knit! The two diamonds took no time at all, and its very easy to follow. According to the pattern, 18 repeats make an extra long scarf (and we all know how I love love love extra long scarves). With 16 left, I figure a minimum of two a night would take me 8 days, right? With the weekend coming up I could definitely finish it this weekend. Yay for new scarves!

On to the next. This is the baby blanket from SNB, the first book, for Mike's soon-to-be nephew.



I am at the point where I will reverse the knit and purl panels for the second half of the blanket. I just haven't done it yet.

And this, my dear readers, is the famous blankie-shawl. She is knit in Knit Picks Elegance, and she is so freaking soft I just want to eat her. Or at least fondle her all the time.



As you can tell, she is too big to spread out over the needles, so you are seeing the center spine of the shawl. At the bottom is the neck side. The pattern calls for 17 inches, but I think I'm going to go longer so that it covers more. I'm in the 3rd skein of yarn and I bought 7, so I may have a ways to go on this one. It gets boring, as its all knit in garter stitch. But its so soft that I can overlook its.

On a professional note, I am thisclose to being ready to submit my MPA application. Just a few more tweaks on my essay and its good to go. I found out that rolling admissions are a good thing, even though they are spaced out over several meetings. So, they say about 5 weeks from submissions is a good time to hear. If I get it in this week (which I def. will) then I should hear before Thanksgiving. Which is good.

And I'm done.

Its Officially Colder

I am wearing boots today. This is a big deal. Not just closed-toe shoes, but actual boots, that zip up the side. Serious non-summer shoes. I always find it hard to make the transition. I love going almost barefoot when I can, and I just love wearing flip flops and sandals. Which is strange when you think about it because I always have cold feet, no matter what I'm wearing. One would think that with constant cold feet, I'd be a little wary of bare shoes. But no.

I love these boots, too. I just brought them to the cobbler last week to get them re-heeled in time for the new season, and I'm glad. I just love them. If I would only remember to use my darned camera, I could take a photo of them and share with the group. They are lovely, truly.

No knitting progress last night, as the love-of-my-life and I took it easy on the couch, with some much-needed snuggling tossed in for good measure. Gosh is he cute. And a good snuggler. This morning I had my annual visit to the gyno, and all is well. Whew. Not that I thought it wouldn't be, but I always like hearing that I am healthy. Its nice. Since I can't really take a lunch break today, as I only got into the office at noon, I will be going to Purl after work to pick out my Noro for the Edgar scarf in this issue of Knitty. I'm thinking Silk Garden, as I have never worked with it before, and the hat I made out of Kureyon was a little too scratchy for my taste. I hope that the silk content will smooth out the fiber and scratchiness. And, to my credit, I even checked for needles this morning so that I know I can start the project immediately. It turns out that I have to sets of size 8s, one a 16" circ that I'm currently using for the unfinished legwarmers, and the other 8s are long circs (32"?) that I"m using for the blankie shawl. Since I like to knit scarves on straights, I'll treat myself to a short pair of straight 8s.

And since I'm now dreaming of warmth (the A/C is still on in my dumb office - can these jerks get anything right at all ever?), I leave you with an older photo, from our LA trip this summer.


Ah, sunshine with my sweetie.

Ramblings

Pictures soon, I promise. I've just been lazy. But not so lazy as to have not made any progress on the blanket! G-d bless laundry day.

I made it to the pattern reverse mark, which means that I am 50% complete. It has been pretty easy going, and I'm sure that I will have it done in time to deliver it in December. Plenty of time. But now I'm growing bored with it, and I really want to make something small. This is my third large project in a row. First the shawl, then the blankie-shawl (in progress, I know, I know) and then the actual blankie. I would like to make a scarf. Or a quickie hat. I recently acquired the Scarf Style book, and like Ruffles and one of the crochet patterns (and I actually have the yarn for it already, which makes it an excellent candidate). I also like this scarf from the recent Knitty.

Thanks for the sock recommendations. I think I'll take what I've learned from my comments (thank you!) and from asking around and put it all together in an actual store and see what I wind up with. I hear that many love love love Nancy Bush, so that might also be a good place to start.

On another note, wish me luck with this job thingy. I think my interview on Friday went really well, and today I'm sending the requested references and writing samples. I hope that this works out, as it would be pretty cool. However, I'm trying not to get my hopes up, as it would be terribly upsetting to crash with the realization that I have to stay where I am for a while longer. But, at least I got my raise. I guess the lesson here is to be thankful for what you have. And I am.

Guilt

After feeling incredibly guilty about my list yesteray of unfinished items, I worked on the baby blanket last night. It was the first time I knit while watching TV. Typically, I have to look at the stitches, but last night I was in the zone, so to speak, and the rows just flew by. Perhaps it was the crappy Lifetime movie I watched that made it easier to focus less on both. Perhaps.

Regardless, I have about 3 more inches to go on the blanket before I have to reverse the pattern.

And I think I would like to try to knit socks. Does anyone (if anyone reads this) have any suggestions about good patterns to start with? I know I don't need any more projects gumming up the works right now, but I think Im' ready for the sock challenge/bliss that I've been reading about on various blogs.

Job update: I got the raise I wanted yesterday. In true Prezzy fashion, I was called into her office at 4:15 yesterday afternoon, unannounced, for my "review" which was really nothing more than a salary review with the back office budget lady there as well. It made me uncomfortable, which is normal as Prezzy inspires that kind of dread, both to have it sprung on me like that and to not even have a private conversation about it. Not to mention not even having a moment to prepare myself or collect my thoughts, save for the time it took to walk from my cube to her office. But, I got what I wanted. It turns out to be a 15% raise, and she made a big point of telling me that normal raises here are 3%. When you make as little as I make, though, 15% doesn't seem all that much in actual dollars. However, it will be the push I need to feel more comfortable about my finances and getting rid of that last bit of credit card debt in under one year, if I commit the total raise to the card.

But, this does raise some issues for me. I have an interview with another organization tomorrow. For a job that is a step up for me, a challenge, and sounds pretty interesting. I know I don't have an offer yet and that I haven't even been on the interview, but already I'm weighing my options. Is staying here worth it now that I feel like I have enough money to live on? Or am I still going to feel the same dread coming here, knowing that I have little room for advancement or opportunity? Is it better to just get out? Or to give it another chance with the new salary? I have the known-vs.-unknown syndrome going on here. I know that Prezzy is totally nutso and that's not going to change, but I do have a system here that helps me deal with it. At someplace different, there's no guarantee that things will be different, though in my humble opinion, they sure can't get worse. Any ideas here?

I think at the very least, getting the raise will help me feel more confident at the interview tomorrow, because I will know that I have something decent to come back to if it doesn't work out.

Oh life. How you challenge me. Keep it coming.

I Will Be A Better Blogger, and I Will Stop Eating Candy Corn Before 10 AM

I joined a blog ring today. Jess suggested a NYC knitters ring and I decided, hey, why not. I would like to meet knitters, as none of my friends do it, and it would be fun to knit with others. And, I would like to be a better blogger - I see this is a big push to blog more regularly. And if I'm knitting more regularly, then I will have more to blog about.

Updates (the list is rather depressing, as nothing is finished):

• Baby blanket - still where I left it, though I have a December deadline for the delivery
• Blankie Shawl - into third skein, and will assess how much more I want to do after that is finished
• Legwarmers - these are from last winter, and I think I'm going to rip them out and use the yarn for something else. I'm just not into them anymore, though I still think they'd be useful as I have big plans for making winter skirts
• Dress - still not finished, though I know it is ready to go

I still want to make a sweater and I'm thinking long and hard about what I want to do. I recently frogged an in-the-round poncho that I never wore and now have 13 balls of Sunshine. I think they would work into something very nice...

I'm still having the same retarded issues with my retarded job. Except now, my one treasured colleague, who regularly takes a bigger and meaner beating than I, told me that she is leaving. Well, she's looking to leave. She can't stand it any more, which I agree with. I don't know how she does it. And she has amazing connections and has already been putting her good networking skills to use. I give her another week before she finds her dream position. But, once she's gone, there is no buffer between me and the big bad evil gross nasty manipulative abusive Prezzy. I may as well hand in my resignation when she does. Things will only get worse for me.

But where do I go? What do I do? Do I stay in the nonprofit world and hate the next job I take? Or do I try and make a real effort to try something different, something in the private sector? I am just so stumped here. So stumped. Anyone know a career counselor?