I had to fill up my Corolla yesterday and almost choked on the total – $30.05. This is one of the reasons I’m upgrading my scooter. I’m currently in the process of getting a Piaggio BV500.

We had gone to San Jose Vespa a couple weeks ago so I could look at the BV500 and the Vespa GTS. I decided that the bigger scooter would be better for highway riding, but needed to think on it… do I really need a new scooter? We went back on Saturday, so I could sit on it again and to get a price break down. I ended up putting down a deposit on a burgandy BV500 with a top case, windscreen, and cover. The sales guy is hoping it will be in sometime this week.

Because I’m getting a bigger scooter I’m also going to get a new helmet. I currently wear an open face helmet with a full visor. With a larger scooter that can go a lot faster than my Vino 125, I want the extra protection a full face helmet provides. So, I’m considering the HJC CL-15 and the Arai Quantum 2. I’m hoping to go to the cycle accessories store tomorrow and try them both on again. By the time I tried them both on Saturday I had had 20 helmets on and off my head; my cheeks were feeling raw from the cheek pads rubbing as the helmets went on and came off. Of course, it’s just my luck that the more expensive helmet seemed to fit better when I tried it on Saturday.

On the knitting front, I highly doubt the baby blanket will be done in time for the baby shower. I had originally heard that I would have till the end of April, but I recently received an invite for the 15th. Nope, definitely not going to happen since I also have my EAD final assignment due on the 15th and a cataloging assignment dealing with the Library of Congress system due on the 17th. I figure I’m good if I can get the blanket done before the kid is born.

When I got to work this morning I entered the building carrying my coffee in one hand and my bag in the other. This item carrying arrangment prevented me from removing my sunglasses right away (although I don’t tend to take them off till I get to my desk anyways… I hate fluorescent lights). This woman passes me in the hall and apparently couldn’t supress her good mood because she felt the need to look at me and say, “Well, a happy Monday to you.”

Thankfully, I’m an adult enough to supress my urge to smack a bitch.

I’m not sure which pissed me off more, her need to spread sunshine to complete strangers (i.e., me) or that she assumed that because I was wearing sunglasses in the building I must be in need of said sunshine spreading.

Between Happy Monday Lady and Bitch in a Black VW Bug*, my day got off to a get start.

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*When I went to get coffee this morning, I exited my car, which I had parked on the street, and proceeded across the road (a small 2 lane street in downtown Mtn. View). This lady in a black Bug comes barreling around the corner, looking right at me, and I seriously wasn’t sure she was going to slow down. And she threw in the added nasty look for free.

Today we are experiencing a brief glimpse of lamb, you know, “In like a lion, out like a lamb.” Monday, the Vernal Equinox, was 48 F and had at least two bouts of hail. Today, it is 65 F and blue skied. Tomorrow, it is supposed to start raining again.

I always like the idea that March came in like a lion and went prancing out like a lamb. But, I’m probably biased because my birthday is on the 29th, which means the lamb usually comes around in time for birthday fun. This year I’m beginning to wonder. Thankfully, all planned birthday festivities are at indoor venues — spa visit (hot tub/sauna then massage) and dinner at a fancy local French restaurant.

On the knitting front, the baby blanket goes apace. Now that I have gotten beyond the section of yarn that had been ripped out of the previous design, the splitting that was making me question my sanity has quieted down.

I need to try on what I have done so far on my Dublin Bay socks. I’m beginning to wonder if I’m avoiding it because I’m afraid they may be a bit too tight and I don’t want to contemplate the amount of time I’ve spent on them so far.

My STR Sock Club package arrived on Monday and The Husband allowed me to open it (membership is my birthday present this year). He was considering making me wait until next Wednesday to open it, but I convinced him that I already sort of knew what was in it since others around the Web had posted is contents. I may need to pick up needles to get started on the socks (I’m finding I prefer slick metal needles for small gauge socks that call for needle sizes 1 and below… 2 and up either metal or wood/bamboo is fine). I think I’m going to follow the instructions for feathering as I really like the way this colorway looks feathered rathered than striped.

And I am trying to forget I have a pretty lace shawl on the needles so that I can get the baby blanket done before the shower.

I think I’ve finally realized what my problem is (no, that’s not it). I’ve been feeling run down and worn out, more so than usual at this time of the year. I know most people would comment on how the weather has been “depressing,” all rain, hail, sleet, and even snow (Hwy 17 was closed last Friday due to snow… kids were building snowmen in the middle of the highway… that’s closed). But that’s not it because I love our winter weather; the rain and the gloom relax me (I’m 1/8th Norweigan, what do you want?). I think the problem is the timing.

It’s the 17th of March, and we’re being hit by the types of storms that normally come in December and January. The Vernal Equinox is on Monday, but you wouldn’t know it from the cloudburst (that’s what the news called it) we had last night. I love winter, but I’m ready for spring. The weather is just throwing my system out of whack.

At least I’ve started knitting again. I whipped up a quick bookmark for a friend’s birthday last weekend, and then forgot to photograph it before wrapping it up with a book and giving it to her. I’ve rebegun the baby blanket for a friend who is due in May. I had gotten about 2 inches of it done, then realize the pattern (Tilting Blocks) wasn’t working for me. So, now I’m doing something a little wobbly (Coral Pattern). I also decided to make the blanket bigger; I originally had it at 28 inches, now it’s 36 inches… I’m wondering when I will begin to regret that decision.

(Please try to ignore the fact that I took this in my work’s bathroom mirror.) I was quite happy to find the Olympic sweater had finish drying over night even as it poured outside. Rowen Felted Tweed softens so nicely when it’s washed. Now that I’ve had the opportunity to actually put on the sweater, there are some triffles. The sleeves, which have an underarm sleeve measurement of 18 inches, seem to be what one might call bracelet length, and I have no idea why. The sweater I made for The Husband has an underarm sleeve measurement of 18.5 inches and fits quite nicely. So, why does this sweater, with just a half inch less, land 3 inches from my wrist bone? My wrists aer getting cold. I am actually contemplating taking out the cuffs and adding some length. (Would that negate my gold?) Maybe I just need to let it grow on me. Second triffle is the seemingly abundant amount of material in my armpits. I have never made a raglan sweater before… is this usual? Or do I just have short shoulders? The only other thing I can think that would be a contributing factor is the number of stitches I cast on in the armpit area.

All in all, though, finishing was worth it. I have a sweater that is wearable, in a pretty color, and I made it.

Thanks to Steph, Kat, S.Kate, Emma, and Ken for making this all possible. And thanks to Franklin for creating the medal.

I wish I could say that I was able to wear my Olympic sweater today, but the storm that rolled into the area yesterday (and is still pounding us as I type this) has prevented it from drying as quickly as I had hoped. I think I’m also a bit shell-shocked over the whole Knitting Olympic experience. I feel like I should be knitting, but my hands cringe a little whenever I consider pulling out the lace shawl I had been working on before embarking on the Olympic endeavor.

I still can’t believe I got the whole thing done in 16 days.

I’ve been trying to think of what I have gotten out of this whole insanity. I certainly learned that if I put my mind to it, I can actually get a sweater knit in 16 days. (I also learned that I am rather glad I hadn’t tried to do a lace shawl; I would have either ended up more crazier than I already am or a drunk without a shawl cause I can’t knit lace and drink at the same time.) I learned that I need to sit down and write an email to the designer about some questionable sections of the pattern, namely the stitch counts of various sections (the pattern insisted I should have an even number of stitches while I consistantly had an odd number of stitches). I learned I like Rowan Felted Tweed, which is good because I only used 5 and a half balls of it for the sweater (which is slightly worrying because according to the yardage lised in the pattern it was supposed to take me 7 balls… but I got gauge). I’ve learned that I need to get back on the ball with organizing my side bar (I hadn’t realized I still had Ribby Cardi listed as a WIP; I finished it how many months ago?).

Now I just hope the twitching ends soon.

About an hour ago I finished my Knitting Olympics sweater….

I apologize for the quality of the photos; I think all the knitting made me go a bit cross-eyed.

Here it is 10:37 pm the night before I have an 8 am lace class at Stitches, and I’m awake and blogging about it instead of trying to get to sleep. Of course, a small part of me is excited and would probably have trouble getting to sleep if I were actually laying in my bed. Then, there’s the other part of me that just reminded myself that I still need to get all my supplies for said lace class together in one place so that they all go with me when I stumble out of the apt way too early on a Sunday morning without caffiene.

Why haven’t I already gotten my supplies together, you ask? Well, I’ve been working on cataloging homework all day. I am growing rather disdainful of AACR2 (the cataloging rules libraries use for those of you not slogging your way through library school).

I know I can be anal about things, but I’m not that anal. *gah*

Because I was in class till 4 pm on Friday with errands to run afterwards, I didn’t cast on untill about 6 pm. I hope I’ve casted on the correct number of stitches. The stitches are broken down by section with stitch markers inbetween. When I add up the number of stitches in each section, they don’t equal the number listed under total number. All the other sizes are correct. I decided to go with the number listed in the actual cast on, and assume that the total number is a typo. I was a tad worried when I read ahead and realized that if I had cast on the total number I would be doing an even number of increases; with the cast on number I had to do one row beyond an even number of repeats. Thankfully, the other sizes don’t coincide with an even number of repeats either.

By Saturday, my progress had me almost completely done with the raglan increases. Sunday I finished the increases for certain and stopped just short of dividing for the sleeves. From here I have to figure out how I want to cast on the stitches that will form the under arm. Usually people think off the backwards loop cast on method when casting on in the middle of a row. I hate the backwards loop method. I always end up with extra yarn after knitting the backwards loop stitches, which then results in a hole of some sort. This time I’m considering flipping the knitting around and using the cable cast on (the stitches are supposed to be cast onto the right needle).

In other news, I’m considering changing my photo hosting. Currently, the majority of my photos are on a site hosted in Britain. I’ve only ever really run into problems when the servers then are taken down at night (in England) for maintenance, which is usually smack in the middle of when I want to upload photos. Unfortunately, to upgrade to get better services would cost something like $80 with the current exchange rate. So, I’m thinking of switching over completely to Flickr, which would put all my photos in one location. I’m just not sure if I want to transfer links to the new hosting site, or leave them archived.

I went to the yarn store Saturday and swatched, bought the needles I would need for the pattern, and still hadn’t made out my mind. The announcement of a deadline to enter, however, has caused me to jump on the bandwagon. I sent an email to Steph this afternoon announcing my intention to attempt to knit Knitting Pure & Simple’s Neck Down Shaped Cardigan #241 in Rowan Tweed in 16 days. This should be interesting since cast on is supposed to occur at 2 pm this Friday, and I’ll be in class (EAD, for those interested) until 4 pm. The prof has warned us that there will be copious note taking, and I am wondering if she’ll think I’m not taking notes if I’m casting on a sweater… *sigh* It’ll most likely have to wait until I get home. EAD also meets on Saturday, then again next Friday and Saturday. And there’s Stitches. Thankfully, I have President’s Day off from work.

Stitches West is the weekend of the 18th. I am planning on hitting the market Thursday night when they open it to students since my next opportunity isn’t until Sunday afternoon. I’m also interested in trying to meet up with anyone else out there in the blogiverse who is planning on attending; I’m free Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday after 11 am. I know Kathy from SJ will be around on Sunday as well.