I’ve got a brother!

Born today, about six hours ago. Weighs 4.3 kg and 56cm tall. :D

I bought these really cute stitch markers today. Cheese and strawberries! There was a reason for wanting them too (besides the cuteness). I’m working on this sweater and my current stitch markers (cheap, plastic Lion Brand ones I got while back in Montana) just aren’t working. They’re too big and causing oddness in the raglan increase sections. So new stitch markers! o/ It’ll take awhile for them to get to me, since they are being shipped from Hawaii.

I’ve also placed another Happy Housewife order. I got the Berry Basket. And soap! Haven’t bought soap from there before, but I’ve heard really good things about it. I got Tea Time and Pumpkin Bread. I thought about holding out for more soap to go up, but after waiting like a month or so (the strawberry scents went up last month), I got tired and wanted the sniffies now. :D

I’ve just been to Belgium for a week visiting one of my sisters. Met up with old friends, met some of her new friends, shopped. I went to the Palais des Thés and bought three new flavors (two black teas, one red). On the same trip I went to a yarn shop and got a little under 1000m of laceweight wool in natural and about 300m of DK weight alpaca in blue-green. I also bought a cute summer dress from H&M (and socks). Yes, I knit socks (and wear them!) but during the summer, they’re too warm. And I don’t want them to get stinky when I wear sneakers and have sweaty feet.

We were invited to go to another party tonight, but I’m feeling kinda stressed about school stuff (which could be why I’m shopping so much) and spending today and tomorrow over there just wouldn’t help things. I have finished the story that’s due in a week, I just need to edit it and write the commentary. But I’ve got two more stories to work on that have to have be presentable drafts done by Friday and Saturday, so taking two days off just isn’t something I want to do. So even if I don’t work all day on these three things, I’ll get something done since I’ll be near my laptop a lot, instead 50 miles away.

Not much to say. Usual stuff going on:

1. Knitting Lots of stuff. Mainly socks right now. Still need to knit up a bookmark as a birthday present. Then I’ll be starting Pioneer from the newest Knitty. OMG this issue is made of win. I want to knit most of the patterns in there. I’ve already queued up Decimal, Absinthe, Cachoeira, Cirque and Sourwood to make after Pioneer (or at the same time). There just isn’t enough time in the day to make everything I want. And the cool thing about Pioneer is that I already have the yarn in my stash that I want to use. So yay, stash busting!

This is good, because I can’t seem to stop myself from buying some yarn whenever I go to my LYS. Like on Tuesday, before S&B at the pub, I got a skein of Trekking XXL in 305 (it’s pinks, need I say more?) and then four balls of Laines du Nord Royal Cashmere in brown. Still, all of that totalled £21.95 so it’s not like I’m going to go broke. £40-ish a month for yarn isn’t that bad money-wise. But I am trying my hardest not to reach SABLE (Stash Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy). So knitting up stash is good. Because that way I can buy more. :D

2. Cleaning Lately it’s just been surface cleaning though. We had the exterminator come again a few weeks ago because of the carpet beetles and that means I can’t vacuum for at least two weeks. Longer if possible. And it’s driving me nuts. I want to vacuum so I can put down the silk rug we had in the living room. We took it away for the party and the exterminator and I want to put it on a clean floor darn it. So mainly, it’s been laundry. And ironing. I’m loving the weather here btw. It’s been 10-16 C and sunny during the days which means that I can put the laundry out to dry instead use the dryer function. I prefer the feel of line dried clothes than dryer dried.

3. Writing Because I haven’t been able to clean as thoroughly as I’d like, it has freed up more time for me to write! I’m actually making progress on my school stuff. And as soon as the load of laundry that’s in the machine right now is done, I’m putting it out to dry and then staying out there to write the conclusion to my Young Adult story (it’s what I’ll be handing in in June as my coursework, so I want it to be done and ready for the critiquing by my classmates).

Speaking of classmates, one of the guys in my Children’s & Young Adult Fiction class is just… augh. Talks all the time. And I’ve noticed that he & I do not agree at all about what the aim is in our stories. Everyone else seems to get what I’m getting at in my stories, whereas he doesn’t. I’ve explained my point of view. But every single time he brings up the same points. Over and over again. I’ve just started to nod when he talks and write down what might be good points that I need to think about, but most of the time, it’s just information overload. He needs to learn how to distill his thoughts a bit. He’s just an odd guy in general. He told us one night that he’d experimented with drugs while he was still in uni doing his first degree in Philosophy. I think they’ve addled with his brain a bit…

I’ve already got my dissertation planned out too. And my Fiction coursework. Now I just need to actually write them. Oh and the coursework that’s due on April 20th too.

Laundry’s done!

I got this from Leanne.

What’s your bookstore? Waterstone’s or Amazon.co.uk

Hardback or paperback? Paperback. Easier to hold and cheaper.

Bookmark or dogear? Bookmarks all the way.

Keep, throw away or sell? Keep. I love my books. But if I really dislike something, I’ll donate it.

Read with dust jacket or remove it? With

Short story or novel? Both. I tend to buy more novels, but I love short stories too (which is one reason why I write them!)

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? Usually at chapter breaks, but that’s not always possible.

Buy or borrow? Would borrow if the local library had more than just romance novels. So for now, buy. And borrow from friends if I can.

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse? Browsing

Tidy ending or cliffhanger? Hmm… I’d say mostly tidy. A little bit of doubt can be good, but not when it makes the reader go: Bwuh?

Morning reading, afternoon reading or nighttime reading? All! Right now I read the most during my commutes on the train.

Standalone or series? Standalones

New or used? New.

Last five books you read: 1. The Suspicions of Mister Whicher - Kate Summerscale 2. The 19th Wife - David Ebershoff 3. What I learned from Knitting (whether I wanted to or not) - Stephanie Pearl-McPhee 4. Welcome To Deadhouse - R. L. Stein 5. How to be Popular - Meg Cabot

Next five books you want to read. 1. Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War - Nathaniel Philbrick 2. The Lady Elizabeth: A Novel - Alison Weir 3. Necroscope V: Deadspawn - Brian Lumley 4. Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer 5. The Widow of the South - Robert Hicks

The first novel you remember reading. Nancy Drew: The Secret of the Old Clock - Carolyn Keene

A book that changed your life Umm…

A book that made you cry (really cry, not just a shed tear) Umm…

A book that made you brood for days I know I’m going to sound like a broken record, but: Umm…

A book that made you laugh What I Learned From Knitting (whether I wanted to or not) - Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. Hilarious. Partly because some of that stuff has happened to me. Partly because they are really funny stories. :D

A book you have signed by the author Don’t have any

A book where you have drowned in the language Hmm… literally? Then anything I read in high school. Because it was all in French. Try reading Albert Camus when you’ve barely grasped the language and then writing an essay about it.

A book you have lost I haven’t lost any. Misplaced, yes, but I’ve always found them in the end.

A book given to you by your father Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J. K. Rowling. It was a birthday gift when I turned 14.

A book given to you by your mother Vaaran jäljillä - Leena Lehtolainen

A book given to you by a friend Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone - J. K. Rowling. From Wind

Five books you would recommend: 1. Eureka Street - Robert McLiam-Wilson 2. Little House in the Big Woods - Laura Ingalls Wilder (and the rest in that series) 3. The Undomestic Goddess - Sophie Kinsella 4. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone - J. K. Rowling (and the rest of that series) 5. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell

That’s what I’ve been doing today. Now all I need to do is vacuum and move the final things off the floor. The exterminator’s coming over tomorrow. Yep, the carpet beetles are back. Augh. I found one in the bedroom on the wall and the other in the living room on the phone. I wonder who it wanted to call…

Anyway, I let our landlady know immediately by e-mail. She e-mailed me back like 30 mins later and had arranged for the exterminator to come over. She’s made of awesome. Seriously.

I’ve done a little bit of writing for the thing that’s due on Saturday. Not the complete required amount, but a little less than half. I have edited the first sections quite a bit, so if my brain still feels a bit addled from the goo and antibiotics, I’ll just send what I’ve got so far and tell them why it’s shorter than it should be.

And it’s raining/snowing again. Last week or so it was almost +15 C! Why won’t the weather make up it’s mind and just decide that it’s spring? Really, it’d make a lot of people a whole lot happier.

I seem to post only when I’m sick. Huh…

But yeah, I’ve got an ear infection. Just been to the doctor’s and now I’ve got antibiotics. I hope they kick in soon. I’m still going to knit night tonight. I don’t feel that bad right now. And I’ve still got all day to see if I feel up to it.

I also asked about why my hands and feet get really cold. He checked my blood pressure, circulation and asked if anyone in my family’s got Reynaud’s. The conclusion? A spasm in a nerve. I think that’s what he said, my head’s so full of goo that it’s hard to think straight. Anyway, just another reason to knit more wool socks because nothing can be done about that.

I also really want to go to the dentist. Need to talk to her about my wisdom teeth. I don’t think there’s enough space in my mouth for the lower left one. Possibly the same goes for the upper left as well. I keep biting my cheek on that side when eating. Owwie. :( The right side seems fine though.

Lots of knitting progress. Started working on some Froot Loop socks with my Wendy Happy in the Aquarius colorway. I’m also making a pair of fingerless mitts from my handspun. And I’m itching to cast on a sweater. But I also want to make a pair of fingerless mitts for my sister and a chunky scarf using up my Wendy Roxy and Sirdar Harvest DK (this one’ll probably go to charity).

School’s going fine. Consistently scoring in the high 60s (a high 2.1) for my coursework, so basically the same grades as for my first degree. Now I just need to e-mail my dissertation idea to my teacher to see what he thinks about it.

My dad’s in FL right now with my grandfather. So I sent them this list of stuff that I’d like:

- Pancake mix - Maple syrup - Peanut butter chips (for baking) - Corn Pops or Apple Jacks cereal - Tootsie rolls - Downy Simple Pleasures dryer sheets (vanilla & lavender scented) - a bullet holder/case/container thingy (so that I can keep my sample-sized perfumes organized)

For some reason, this list made them laugh. Especially the last item. It seemed to be the funniest thing ever.

And I don’t get why. I’m being practical!

I’m procrastinating again. I’ve got to write two stories for my next Fiction and Children’s Fiction classes (well, rewrite two stories actually). I made myself a deal, I can do whatever until 3pm, then I need to go do school work. Then at 4pm, I get to stop and go on the WiiFit.

My knitting’s going pretty well. The first Bayerische is done and I’ve got a pattern repeat done on the second one. I’ve finished off my mom’s Mother’s Day present and I’m on the final color of the baby blanket border. I’m hoping to get the blanket done in the next few days. I’ve already got my grandma’s Mother’s Day present lined up, but I can’t say more about that since they read my blog!

I finished spinning up my pink-black-gold fiber yesterday. Now I need to ply it. I’ve also picked out a pattern to use my first handspun on. But I won’t cast that on until I’ve finished the Bayerische socks.

I finally got O’s last Christmas gift for me: Knitted Lace of Estonia. I’ve only had a chance to flip through it, but the patterns are really pretty. And I can understand some of the lace pattern names, which I thought was cool.

It’s nice and sunny here today. Still have some snow on the ground, but it’s going away. Finally. The slippery drive was really beginning to bug me. Monday was trash day and as I stepped out the door, arms full of trash, I go flying. Luckily I landed on my butt and didn’t hit my head on the step inches away, but yeah. -That- sure was a fun way to start the day. ¬_¬

Oh oh oh! The Wool Baa has agreed to carry my Instant Human mitt pattern. o/

Last week I was talking about hair with one of my classmates and she recommended this one shampoo that she uses. I looked for it over here and couldn’t find it, so she said she’d get me some for Monday’s class. So last Monday we exchanged money and product. Another one of our classmates looked at us and was like: “o_O Guys? That looks kinda dodgy…” What I got (and have used twice now) is this stuff from Schwarzkopf that’s supposed to make dull grey hair shiny silvery (not the aspect that I need). But it also reduces brassy tones in blonde hair. Which is why I wanted it. It seems to be working okay. :)

I made makaroonilaatikko (a macaroni casserole-y dish) for the first time yesterday. Turned out very well. I love the cookbook I got from my parents for Christmas. So many familiar recipes. ^-^ And I also baked some white chocolate chip cookies for O as a Valentine’s Day gift. They turned out all wrinkly and non-pretty, but they taste good. That’s the main thing, right?

I lurves my mailman. He actually knocked this time!

Okay, so yesterday I decided to buy some yarn (yeah, like I *need* more, but there ya go). The yarn is from The Knitting Goddess. Bought it yesterday, got here today. Love her service. Anyways, what I got was some 4ply 100% superwash merino in Cinnamon Trio and Indian Summer. The green hank is 2ply 59% cashmere/49% cotton in semi-solid Jade. Add in the shipping and the total came to under £25. Not bad. But but but! Joy, the owner, had included a freebie! It’s a lavender sachet pouch kit. :D

And at the bottom of the pic you can see my cupcake club. Yep, today was an excellent mail day.

Oh and everyone who asked about the yarn I’m using on my socks: it’s Lisa Souza’s Sock! Merino in Printemps. :) I’m using 2,25mm needles with it. Love the tight fabric that creates.

Just thought I’d share a few more pics with you all. (Yes, I’m procrastinating, still have to write something for teens that’s due tomorrow…)

It started snowing again this morning. The snow was falling when I took the pics (doesn’t really show, but I promise it’s there) and still falling an hour later.

And this is the Bayerische sock I’m working on now. All of those cables just make me do a happy dance inside. And it’s actually not that hard. Just have to pay attention every single round so that the cables don’t get twisted the wrong way. Which is what happened to me two days ago, but I was able to fix it. ^-^

Washing machine’s calling me. Need to go set it to drying mode. Yep, I lead a totally exciting life.