Stress Reaction

If ever I needed proof that I function best under pressure, I have it now.

I have had some big life changes lately, and for a control freak like me, this is major; I left my previous employer of twelve years and joined a new practice. Between the ending of one job and the starting of the other, I have had a bit of a break. A two-week break to be exact.

I don't know about you, but in the day-to-day grind of work, I would often fantasize about what I would do with two weeks off (or hell, even one week off, I'm not picky). Well, very little, if any of those things got done. Motivation was zip, zero, and zilch. I managed to knit a pair of socks and watch about 3 and ½ seasons of Sex and the City. There was no spinning, no yarn dyeing, and minimal knitting; none of the big stuff got done. Nothing organized, dug up and/or planted. Nothing painted, polished or fluffed even. I think the vacuum might have made an appearance once or twice, but all the fancy attachments remained firmly attached.

Blogging inspiration was in the dumper as well, but when my non-blogging, non-knitting friend Terrisa called to see why I hadn't blogged in almost a month and to tell me that she was worried about me, I knew blogging re-entry was overdue. There are sock bags to be sewn. I have managed to narrow my selection of available yarns for Toasty Toes, though pattern choices are still a bit hazy. That's all I have to offer for now.

I do want to thank each and every one of my wonderful cyber friends who left good wishes for the new job, and comments and emails to check on my unusually long cyber silence. You all are the best. Seriously. The absolute best.

Back in the Saturday Sky groove!

On the new job front--I've spent the last week getting acquainted with the computer system and unpacking supplies. Monday the real work begins! I'm both excited and nervous! At least the hair looks fabulous!

O CAPTAIN! my Captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
There's Yarn Aboard, it's all for me, to spin this glorious roving!*

Though not all the way from Cathay, Sig. Polo did make the trek from New Jersey to Oklahoma in record time. And he was, of course, carrying valuable cargo!

Deb loaded him down with 4 luscious ounces of chocolaty Corridale, which seriously looks good enough to eat. Eight fluffy ounces of Natural Cormo and a variety of kool-aid packs with which to dye it. And 4 sublime ounces of Interlacements Silk Roving (yummy, yummy, yum)!! Amazingly, pirates did not ransack our intrepid explorer!

Marco has been loaded up and is off to his next port of call! Keep your eyes peeled! (Listen y'all: I barter with my husband to get out of wrapping Christmas presents, so this whole wrapping in brown paper thing? Serious show of love and support for our YA hostess! Just sayin')!!

PS. If I owe you a sock bag, they are sewn and in the mail!

*Apologies to Mr. Walt Whitman

My rear on the couch may know it's Saturday, but it took most of the day for my brain to figure it out. This meant I had to break out the tripod to get my Saturday Sky photo for the week.

And I have to say, I was thrilled by all the flattering comments about my hair (we'll just ignore the snarky commenter with the God complex), but in the interest of full disclosure, I have to admit that it only looks like that for about six hours every six weeks. Seriously, I figured it out. Six hours every six weeks means that 99.4% of the time it looks like this:

I'm settling into the new job, the kids are back in school and life is starting to feel more normal to me. This is good. I have what is probably a pathological need to maintain what I consider to be control of my affairs. Illusion? Probably. But that's how I get up in the morning, and I'm okay with that.

The job is good. Nice, professional people. No Unhappy Woman. I don't get the Sunday afternoon depression thinking about Monday morning anymore.

I'm working on my Toasty Toes socks, which brings me to the title of today's post. Logic says these socks should be working for me. The colors are perfect for fall (even the name of the yarn says fall: CTH Supersock in Cabin Fever). The pattern, I thought, was going to be perfect. It's Creeping Vines Socks by Evelyn Skae from the TownsendSocksKnitALong group on Yahoo. The pattern reminds me of falling leaves and bare branches against a crisp fall sky. All the design elements are there.

Maybe it's the Cherry Tree Hill, which would be a shame because I have a ton of it in my stash. I prefer to think it's the nature of a lacey fabric to bunch up and be completely unappealing until it's blocked. There is that small voice in the back of my head that questions the wisdom of a lacey pattern (even if it's only partially lacey) for fall/winter socks. But we're ignoring the voices in my head for the time being. I so want this to work!

In the interest of full disclosure, I will admit to fudging just a bit on this week's Saturday Sky. For example, it's taken with a cell phone (which I hate but was all I had available to me at the time), so the image is smaller and not as clear as I would like. But I thought the sky in this particular shot was just amazing. Another example of the fudge factor is that this was actually taken Friday afternoon. The appearance of the actual Saturday Sky can be seen here.

Mustn't forget the fun KSKS package the arrived this week. Ashley fashioned a beautiful bag in the loveliest colors and stuffed it full of wonderful goodies. There (were) two boxes of Hot Tamales (items listed in order of immediate use potential) a second small project bag (love the fishes, Ashley), two skeins of merino/silk KnitPicks Gloss in the Woodland Sage colorway and a skein of Socketta (cotton/wool) sock yarn all color coordinated and obviously thoughtfully chosen.

I've been feeling the call of the lace for a while now. You would think it had something to do with my involvement in the Amazing Lace, but sadly, it did not. There was too much going on when this enticing KAL started for me to participate (though I did sign up), and by the time things settled down, I was too far behind to make even a half decent showing. I was, however, inspired by a quiet yet fierce competition to knit this beautiful shawl. Not as a competitor, mind you. There is quite enough excitement for me in the knitting of this piece of artistry. With KidSilk Haze. On Addi Turbos. Ca-razy!! I know!

And spinning! There has been spinning! Teyani (and Cheryl, and Deb, and Karen) have been offering some cyber-support and generously providing me with my very own personal spinning companion(s). They so rock. With their expert tutelage and some awesome fiber prep, my spinning, I think, has taken a turn for the better. A T-U-R-N! Get it? I crack myself up!

Much improvement over my less than impressive showing with the merino, no?

Luckily, this is only four of the eight ounces I started with, so I'll get another chance as the spinning skills progress. (Don't you love that note of confidence? Me too!)