So much fiber, so little time

Jester on acid!

That's what I call this sock-to-be. Since I haven't decided on the next big project, I opted for socks and dug this 3-ply Corriedale handspun out of the stash. It's knitting up to be cushiony and springy.

Unfortunately, while Jeeves wasn't much tempted by the Keesmere blanket, two strands of yarn are proving too much for him. He's been evicted from my lap more than once for playing with the knitting.

Temporary weirdness

If things look strange on and off today, it's because I'm hacking the CSS file. Normal nonsense should resume shortly ...

Done!

The edging is finished and grafted, and ends are woven in! All I need to do now is wash and (minimally) block. I'll do that tomorrow, because I need to pick up another cardboard cutting guide to lay out the whole thing. It's at least 4 feet by 6 feet, if not larger.

I don't have another fiber project lined up right now, which means I'll probably do some spinning. I don't think combing is such a good idea with a seven month old kitten in the house.

Speaking of the kitten, Jeeves appears to think he's a cross between a cat and a flying squirrel, thus earning the nickname "Jeevel Knievel".

Homestretch!

I have finished the second long side of the Keesmere blanket, turned the corner, and knitted maybe a quarter of the last short side. Woo! That's pretty good, considering that the novelty of knitting backwards has worn off.

The interview went OK, I guess. The job reports to someone I have worked with before and like working with, but I sensed a weird vibe in the room. So I'm definitely not ranch-betting on this one, but at least I should know by July 8th. I'm hoping to hear something from the other application by then. It would be nice to have Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos on my side this time - you'd think they'd give a spinner a break :)

Little by little

Maybe things are getting better. I spent part of this morning getting started with the biotech company, and when I got home, I had a message that one of the places I applied to wants to interview me this week. Plus, I mailed the portfolio materials today.

I didn't work on the blanket edging yesterday, but I am more than a third of the way down the second long side. My goal for today is to get past the half-way mark.

Update: The interview is tomorrow. And for your amusement, here's a movie of the cats at play.

Improvements

There's a light at the end of the tunnel, and it may not be an oncoming train for once.

1. Cookie is feeling better. (Not to be too graphic, but long-haired dog and diarrhea are a really bad combination. The vet gave her a trim that helped a lot ...)
2. The kitty boys are play-wrestling and look ever so cute trotting down the hall side by side in anticipation of a meal. I've got to try to get a short movie of that.
3. The blanket edging is now officially more than half-finished. We've had a glorious break in the weather, and I've gotten in a lot of knitting. It should stay cool for the next few days, so maybe I'll have a picture of a finished item soon.
4. And the portfolio is almost together, except that I'm still trying to find the CDs with the calendars I designed a few years ago. Also, thanks to a friend, I'm meeting with someone about a short-term part-time job on Monday. Not a lot of money, but it's something I can do from home.

A good news/bad news kind of day

On the plus side, it's cooler and drier and will stay that way for a few days. On the down side, Cookie's sick with diarrhea. When it didn't ease up after 24 hours, we went off to the vet and now have drugs. Let's hope they work. Bear's rapid downhill slide began with diarrhea.

I'm trying to put a portfolio together. A graphic design job has been posted, and I'm collecting all that I've done in various media, from logos to DVDs to textiles, as a way of overcoming the "but, but, you're a mathematician" effect.

A bit of edging

Here's a bit of edging. I'm more than halfway down the long edge, and I'm definitely getting faster knitting backwards.

This edging pattern came from Sharon Miller's Heirloom Knitting, a book I grow to dislike more and more every time I open it. Her edging charts are backwards, at least if you're knitting onto a right-side edge. But maybe that comes from using nasty garter stitch laces.

On the edge

Heat be damned! I wound the new ball of yarn yesterday and started on the edging this morning. Since the blanket is so large, I decided it was finally time to practice knitting backwards rather than trying to turn the beast every row. So far, so good: the stitches are evenly sized, and I'm picking up a little speed.

Huey and Jeeves have started to play together a little bit. There were some kitty races around and under the looms this morning.

Jeeves, lounging

Gee, I think he's settling in OK :) He and Huey exchange the occasional hiss, but only if they get extremely close to one another. I think they'll begin to play together by the end of the month.

Also, Jeeves has learned to ignore Cookie's barking, mostly - a wise move, since Keeshonden tend to be more mouthy than most dogs.

As for the blanket, blech! I washed another skein for the edging, but it's too damned hot to dump the whole thing in my lap right now. The best I can hope for at the moment is winding the new skein into a ball.

Updates

The blanket is ready to receive edging! Of course, with new critter introduction, I haven't touched it since very early this morning.

Jeeves was splendid at the vet's office (who, bless 'em, squeezed me in in the morning. We had nasty storms move through in the early afternoon and I knew it would be hard to find Jeeves for a 3:30 appointment). His very mellow temperament is paying off, and he's already exploring the house. He and Huey have hissed at each other a few times, but mostly they're keeping an almost formal distance. All that's left is for him to use a litter box.

I'm about to add Cookie to the mix. I don't think she's actually realized there's a second cat in the house. She, in typical Keeshond fashion, is too fixed on the smell of extra cat food to notice! You know: black cat or black cat with white, bigger cat or smaller cat, who cares? where's the food?

Two and a half rounds, and counting

That's all that's left to go before the edging. Of course, that will take another 1.5 to 2 hours (depending on how many times I evict a pound and a half of Keesmere from my lap in this disgusting heat. Curses on everyone who whined about the cooler weather we've had up until now!).

I found another book by She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named on my shelves (Book of Fair Isle Knitting) and listed sold it on half.com today. I may also sell Allen Fannin's Handspinning, which is almost as annoying as The Big Pompous Book of Spinning. I've certainly had it a long time: it has a Kroch's and Brentano's price tag on it, and I think they went out of business just about when I left Chicago in 1987. K & B surely did have a good crafts section, though, especially back in the day when fiber crafts weren't the new yoga.

Oh yeah - everyone, meet Jeeves. He's a seven month old barn kitten, the tuxedo-marked half brother to Huey, and he'll be coming home with me tomorrow. Jeeves has a vet appointment at 3:30 to check for mites, mange, fleas, FeLV, etc. and get his first round of shots. Wish us luck for the introductions!

The boring bits

All 46 rounds of the lacy part of the border are finished, and I'm one-third of the way through the remaining (boring!) stockinette. I've also started the sixth skein, and I suspect I'll need to wash at least another to get through the edging. After all, the blanket is nearly four feet by six feet in size right now, and even a modest lace edging is going to take a whole lotta yarn.

Time to venture out to the living room - Huey is hunting a mouse that appears to be hiding behind the TV. That means I get to grab it when it's stunned and put it outside ...