Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Serious Doubts About This Sari Silk

I've been knitting along on the boobholder but am having some serious doubts about the sari silk yarn. It is beautiful--the colors are so vibrant. However, the quality is sub-par IMO. There are some very thin areas in the yarn--lots and lots of very thin areas no thicker than a single thread. This will not hold up over time and wear. I don't know what brand the yarn is. It came to me a couple of years ago in a yarn swap. There are better quality sari silk yarns out there, though. I think this particular batch is destined to become the fringe on a fringe belt. (Take a look here for some fringe belt examples.) I think if I put enough strands together and perhaps twist them, they'll hold up sufficiently as part of a fringe.

Daughter and I went to belly dance class last night. It was great. I had more fun this week than last week. I was more relaxed and chatted with some of my classmates. Believe it or not, I can be a little reserved and shy in social situations. There's an exhibition dance on July 4, and the class seems to be focusing on learning the choreography for that. Well, it's going to be a while before I dance in public! I hear that we'll be dealing more with the basic elements of belly dancing after the 4th, and that's exciting to me.

Daughter plans to dance in public on July 4! She's picked up the moves very easily and is doing a good job. I'm impressed. We've been putting together her outfit--long, full black skirt, aqua harem pants to wear underneath, jewelry, a fancy headband and flowers to wear in her hair, coin scarf for her hips, and a type of blouse called a choli. I sewed the choli myself using a purple stretchy crushed velvet. It turned out very well.

I know a picture speaks a thousand words or something like that. I'll try to get some photos for you before long. For now, there are some walls calling to me saying that they need to be painted!

Friday, June 20, 2008

Friday

Even though I'm not working a paying job right now, there is still something magical about Fridays. I'm excited that we've got the weekend ahead of us to relax and do whatever we want--with a dose of chores thrown in, of course.

I'm still working on the bathroom painting project. I think I dislike this project because the room is about the size of a large walk in closet. It's cramped in there, and I don't enjoy being there. *sigh* I'm about to go down and put on a coat of primer and hopefully will get the wall color on this evening. Daughter is going over to her boyfriend's house, so I'll have some peace and quiet to do painting.

Thanks for the understanding about PITA guy and the textbooks. I ended up selling back three of them to the textbook company for the same amount that I'd suggested to PITA guy for ALL the books. You know, it would be a different story if this family didn't have the money to afford the books. If there were true financial need there, I'd gladly give the books to them. He was just being petty.

Did I mention that I'm making a Boobholder? I have several hanks of sari silk yarn and never have found a project for it. This project is working out well in the yarn. I'm almost to the point where I'll take all the stitches to waste yarn and see if the fit is right in the sleeves. I think I have enough yarn to continue increasing if necessary, so no worries there. This yarn doesn't really have a dye lot, and the dramatic colors are what makes it interesting. I'll try to get a photo later.

If you haven't made the Boobholder and are going to, please note that there is an error in row 14. It says to purl that row. Really, you should knit 5 on either end and purl the stitches in between to maintain the edging properly.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

This Week's Accomplishments

I've managed a few things this week, things that have been put off far too long!

Monday: You know that carpet tack strip thing that gets nailed around the edges of a room to hold down wall-to-wall carpeting? We have an abundance of it still needing to be removed. I managed to take it all up out of one of the bedrooms. Don't even get me started on why someone would choose to cover up beautiful hardwood floors with carpeting! I also got the strip out of the hall closet.

Tuesday: I continued eradication of the carpet strip in the master bedroom but still haven't finished that. There's furniture and junk to move and I haven't decided yet that I want to do that!

Tuesday was also the day that I vacuumed the upstairs (best way I know to remove dust and cat hair), mopped the kitchen, and re-arranged the furniture in the living room. I now have a cozy reading area far enough away from the television and noisy teenagers.

Wednesday: I painted the ceiling in daughter's bathroom and bought groceries! I also cleaned out the refrigerator in the kitchen (still need to clean the one in the sun room) and cleaned out the pantry. I even had time to try some yummy new recipes for dinner.

Thursday: This has been errand day. I returned books to the library--why on earth does the library not open until 10 AM?? I had to use the drop box instead of being able to go inside. I also went to Wal Mart (aka Hell) to pick up some caulk to use in daughter's bathroom renovation and returned a couple of items to Target.

This post would not be complete if I didn't stop and just bitch for a few minutes. At daughter's school, starting in middle school, we have to buy text books. A parent of a child a year younger than ours has called several times about buying our used books this year. (I swear, the guy is practically stalking me. If I don't return his calls immediately, seems like he's calling again.) Well, fine and good, but he keeps hemming and hawing about what he needs, the price, etc. I set a very reasonable price for the books (about 1/4 of what I paid for them) but he still wants to bicker. Sorry, dude, but I'm not giving these to you! This guy has succeeded in pissing me off now, so the books can sit on my shelf until they dry rot before he's getting them. Some people just seem to think the world owes them, and that pisses me off.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Tales of the Recently Unemployed

Yes, it has been April since I last blogged. Life has been interesting to say the least. Work was horrible. It was a constant "when is the next shoe going to drop" situation. I had become physically ill at the thought of stepping into my office. I'd sit in my chair on Sunday nights dreading having to go to work on Monday morning. It didn't help matters that my work is in my home. I was a regionally based manager working from home. When the job is enjoyable, this is an ideal situation. When the job becomes unbearable, it is a hell from which there is no escape.

My lucky break came on Tuesday when I received a phone call from the department VP informing me that my position at work was "redundant." That's business speak for "we don't have enough work coming in so we're laying off you and 12 of your friends." Trust me, people, it is a blessing in disguise! I'd been expecting this, but the timing was about a month earlier than I thought it would be. I've been in layoff situations with companies before, and it's usually the first ones out who are best off. That's when there's money (in most cases) to pay at least a small severance benefit. My last day of work was Friday, and I truly feel like the weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders. I can breathe again.

So...what's a recently unemployed girl to do with her time? I plan to have a life! I want to enjoy my family and friends and just do some things for me!! I actually had the energy on Saturday to get together with a couple of friends for a WWKIP. I'm going to belly dancing class tonight--first time! I'm working on a couple of home improvement projects. I'm also re-connecting with long-lost friends with whom I worked at previous jobs. As the t-shirts say "Life is Good."