Ticket to ride

I finished the back section and have cast on to move on to the left front; back to long 342 stitch rows! 

Colours #14 & #15 are so close in tone as to be nearly indistinguishable!! They are the most subtle shift in the entire sweater. I checked, double-checked, and triple-checked that I had changed balls!! 

The more blue stripe at the right is #16 and the actual centre back. 

 

This puts me past 1/2 way on the sweater part, so I will knit those long rows with the end much closer in sight. 

I have a new passport!!!! 

My previous one had expired and it was in my married name. I don't know why I put off getting another one; maybe because I don't have a deep sense of wanderlust, I love just being home. But Craig and I have talked about a few places to venture to and his patience and understanding of my homebody-ness made making this first step rather less stressful and daunting than it may have been. 
I have no immediate plans to go anywhere, but now when time and finances allow, I can go where my heart desires. Maybe a Stitches event ... anyone need help at a booth?

Everything else is rather status quo, which I like. Work and family are doing well, Craig and I are adjusting to a more traditional though changeable work schedule. My sleep pattern has sorted out and I wake up feeling rested. 

Green Day

I mentioned yesterday how subtle the greens are. Here is a close up of the twisted stitch patterning along the waist. You can see gradient quality of the greens here!! Frabjous is aces at this. 

 

I left the pic sideways as this is how the garment will be worn. 342 stitches per row makes for rather slow visible progress, but it's coming along!

A day late

I just knit until I was too tired, then it was the next day and I didn't want to lose a day knitting waiting for the sleeve to block, so I blocked it this morning before work.

  

I took a bit to get going on this piece. I was ultra aware of the gauge - I am normally quite tight in my rows, which would be problematic with this construction as the rows are counted and accuracy is crucial. Julie specifically said to go up a needle size, so I was worried about being too loose. 

It is almost spot on, the stitch gauge is a twitchy but loose, but the length is on target, so I'm not displeased. 

The puppies were steadfast companions.  

 Yes, Petey is sitting on his sisters head a in fine brotherly tradition.

WHMIS training after work this afternoon, so I'm just getting settled in to knit now. I'll get a couple of hours in, so all is not lost! 

Blur

I just finished two 60-hour weeks at DQ. It's been intense and chaotic at times, but satisfying. I am thoroughly enjoying the challenges and look forward to going to work! 

I am finally getting some real progress made on Rainbow in the Gorge. 

 Not a great picture, but you get a sense of the colour flow. It's a cuff-to-cuff construction. Not my fave, but in this instance it is perfect for showcasing the colour changes to full effect. I'll try to block it out a bit tonight and take a more impressive picture for tomorrow. 

Today I Pokémoned with my friend Jess (a perfect start to a day off!! We got caught up on all the things and I made a good start on my Gen 2 Pokémon), then ran around on a mission to find tortilla holders for work. We can't have our tortillas getting crunchy edges and DQ doesn't have a specific assigned container for this. 

It doesn't seem like it should be such a difficult task to find an 8" interior diameter container with a lid, and yet it was a challenge. But I wasn't leaving south Barrie empty handed!! I finally found what I needed at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I have to admit that that store intimidates me. I always just go to the front desk and ask for help to find what I need. 

Whilst on my mission, I found this gem! 

  

Blissful!! Especially after the long hours on my feet, this device makes my knitting spot all that much more enticing. 

My tulips have climaxed and I am in awe on the daily with the vibrancy of the colours and the delicate, frilly edges.  I am inspired to sort out a tulip bed this fall!! 

 

Oh!! I got more pretty yarn!!! Since my original Sweet Spot afghan  I have been wanting to do another Three Irish Girls strip. I have started another afghan, and I wanted to only use new Indie yarns, but Three Irish Girls is a fave of mine, their colour sense just calls to me. When I saw new colourways posted, I contacted Porch Swing Yarnsomniacs and when Bobbi Jo placed their next order, this became my Valentines gift to myself, and the opening of it was my reward for a particularly long couple of days at work. I'm not sure if Mister Snow (top, speckle), or Winter Birch will work into the afghan strip, but they spoke to me nonetheless. 

 

Okay ... back to the work of my heart and soul. 

Mail!

I've got mail, great mail to be specific!! 

  

Inside the box was lovely skein of the limited run colourway From the Ashes.  

From Teefury was my grab bag order. Even though I was hoping for another Dr Who shirt, I love the shirts that I received.

 

 The Hamilton Raise a Glass shirt is an incorrect size, so I'm not sure if they'll send another the same or if I can still hope for a Dr Who. 

I had purchased a vase of tulip bulbs by Bloomaker last week from Costco, and the bud are peeking up!!

Tulips are one of my favorite flowers, so this live bouquet is going to give me a great deal of pleasure. 

New Adventure

My knitting game has been off the past few days. I've started training at the new Dairy Queen Angus.  A 5 minute walk to work is going to be awesome!! 

Trying to adjust my sleep cycle back to a traditional day-walkers has been the challenge. I wake up in the wee hours and can't get back to sleep. I've never been one to get up when I can't sleep; I lay in bed and read on my Kobo. Upside is I've been getting a lot of reading in and am off to a great start on my 50 book pledge. I would really like to upgrade to the new Kobo Aura One  especially for the reduced blue light option, but it's not an inexpensive tool. So I will read my Kobo Glo to its last word, postponing a new investment as long as possible. 

I did my first swatch on 3.5mm interchangeable circular Marblz and it is a bit loose, stitch and row, even before blocking. I'm swatching now on 3.25mm lace Addis  It's measuring much better. I'm hoping to block them out tonight. 

 I just went to take a picture of them and the 2nd swatch is done too! Clearly my life is a bit of a blur ... I'll block them out before work today. 

My socks have stalled just past the heel. 

I do miss the knitting time that I had at ALP, but every job has trade offs. I think that in balance, Dairy Queen will be a forward move and I'm excited for this new challenge!

Craig is happy too. He has been supportive of my job options and choices, but it is easier to be on a similar work schedule. I'll be working evenings and weekends again, but short of one of us winning a large lottery, it's never going to be perfect. 

He surprised me with a singe rose when he picked me up after training on Saturday. 

 I love when he does this; it's so sweet; not over the top, just sentimental enough. 
The puppies greeted me thusly Friday morning:

 I know!!! Fortunately they just had at the pom pond; the hat itself is undamaged. I say "they", but I know that it was Petey. And he showed no remorse of shame at all, despite my clear displeasure. Those eyes though; I can't stay cross at him for long. 

Rainbow Prep

 I have wound, weighed, and bagged the first 3 colours for the Rainbow in the Gorge sweater by Sarah Keller. I also wound the last colour to use for swatching as it's a collar colour.  

 I barely got started on the swatch, but a start is a start. 

I finished my Neon Dove socks last night and have cast on a new pair! 

 

They don't quite match; it was close and I considered cutting off the few rows worth of grey to make the match, but I just couldn't do it!! Lol.  

I'm going to take advantage of this paid knitting time while I have it!! 

 

Ok ... 1/2 hour of knitting before I have to prep for work. Gonna get some swatching done!!