Project Time

After a week or so of feeling bad about the termination of my contract, I decided it was a good time to get moving on some of my projects.

The City Limits sweater is in the final phases of the sleeves.  I am working them together to make sure I have similar sleeves.  Last thing I want at this point is to knit a sleeve and then run out of yarn on the second sleeve.  I should have this finished next week.

Years ago a friend and I bought loads of Knit Picks Palette with the intention of making a very color shawl.  The shawl was never cast on and the balls have been sitting in a bin for years.  After some thought, I decided to use the wool for an Astri afghan.  Arne and Carlos's pattern calls for DK weight.  Palette is fingering so I just adjusted my hook size accordingly.  The final product might be smaller than called for in the pattern, but it will still be colorful and lovely.

Another project I have in the works is making vanilla extract.  This could not be easier.  I bought bottles from IKEA, cheap vodka from the liquor store and Grade A vanilla beans from Amazon.  Following the instructions on a YouTube video, I split open the beans longitudinally and then cut them in half crosswise.  After putting a couple beans in each bottle, I filled with vodka.  Since I had extra beans and vodka, and we don't drink vodka, I tossed the remaining beans in the vodka bottle.  I'll be set for years with vanilla extract, even after gifting the pretty little bottles to my siblings and children.

Since I am not working, Ed has been giving me tasks to do.  (Funny how he seemed to avoid doing all of the tasks I asked him to do when I was working and he wasn't.)  He mentioned the other day that he hasn't had crepes to eat in a long time.  So the other morning I made a batch for our breakfast.  Honestly it was a nice treat.

Speaking of nice treat, Squeaks is happy that my daughter's cat has finally moved out.   Kristin and Nala moved out last weekend.  Actually Kristin moved out last weekend and she came back Tuesday evening to get Nala.  Squeaks is still suspicious that Nala is hiding somewhere.  I don't know how long a cat's memory lasts, at least when it isn't food related.  I'm guessing Nala's scent is still lingering in the house.

 

More Unnamed Shawl Pictures

Here are a couple more photos of the as of yet unnamed shawl.  

I sent this off to a friend as a late Christmas, early birthday present.  I asked her to let me know if any name comes to mind when she first puts it on.  Maybe I'll get inspiration for a name from her.  My hope is that she uses this when she needs a little hug.  Hugs are hard to come by these day, especially for her.  She is a widow and her two grown sons live out of state.  Despite having one of her three brothers live nearby, she is the sole caregiver for her 89 year old father.  Her days are filled with working and then taking care of him, and then if time permits, her own basic needs.

Plans for the mini-wedding are coming along.  After trips to IKEA, Hobby Lobby and Joann's, I think I have what I need for decorations.  Well, this is once my order from Amazon arrives today.

Ed and I have discovered that our little kitty is a television addict.  She will often sit in front of the TV with us in the evening.  Her favorite show is Nature on PBS.  We have to watch her though.  She'll jump up on the television stand and swipe at the creatures on the screen.  Last thing we need is to have our television knocked over by the cat.

Time now to do a little knitting and reading.  Have a wonderful day!

 

She Beat Me to It

A couple posts ago I mentioned about my job going sideways.  Well, it totally crashed and burned.  My contract was terminated on the grounds of  'Chain of Command', whatever that means.  I don't know exactly what I did to precipitate getting fired, but I have an idea.  The new boss I was assigned to back in November is a tyrant.  Over the past few months she has forbidden me from doing most of the things I had done for 4 1/2 years.  She didn't want me to use the skills that I was hired to use.  This past week someone from the business side asked me to do something, which is something I had always done for this person.  I didn't ask permission if I could help this person.  I just did it because I had the time and the request was an emergency.  I suspect that this is what got me fired.  Knowing the outcome, would I have done anything differently?  No, because I understand the urgency of behind the request from the business and I know that if I had asked permission, so much bureaucracy would have been imposed that the request wouldn't have been addressed in a timely manner.

My emotions are still a bit raw.  I'm glad to be out of the toxic environment.  I'm not worried about finding another job.  The vendor I contracted through was already working on getting me placed somewhere else.  There are a couple opportunities she's pursuing.  What makes me upset is that the harassing behavior of this tyrant is not only tolerated, but endorsed, by the CIO of this particular state agency.  My teammates still there will have to deal with her.  I'm sure on Monday when the tyrant tells the group that she fired me it will be done with malice in order to invoke fear.  Fear of dismissal and intimidation are her primary weapons to get compliance from her workers.   

It also makes me very upset that the inefficiencies caused by the toxic environment are ultimately hurting the people served by this agency.  They are the ones who are suffering because of the defect ridden code put out by the tyrant's favorites.  Bad code that makes it difficult, if not impossible, for the business people and providers using the systems to deliver and manage the services and supports that the clients need.

I was at that agency for 4 years and 10 months.  I feel I learned a lot and contributed a lot. The first 4 years 8 months were wonderful.  Up until mid-November I felt like that was somewhere I could work until I wanted to retire.  And my boss at the time said he wanted me to stay until then also.  Then a re-organization happened.  I saw the writing on the wall.  She just beat me to it.

Since I have some time off, my plan is to get a few of my projects completed.  But first my focus is Trisha's wedding. She and Craig are going to have a small wedding on February 13 and then a reception in December.

I made myself lemon blueberry scones for breakfast.  They and a cup of tea are tea are just what I needed.

Speaking of projects, I finished up a few lately.

First is a shawl of my own design.  I haven't named it yet or written up the instructions, but I plan to make another.  And I may post it online to sell.

It has a rectangular center panel with plain triangles on each side.  The color in the top photo is closer to the real color.  The yarn I used is 1927 Shetland I bought from my new favorite LYS, Yesterday's Ewes.  The yarn is a rustic 2-ply that feels buttery, even after a soak.  The cats love it, probably because of it's sheepyness. 

I finished another project, Love Notes.  It was a very fast knit.  I blocked it out a little bigger to give me more ease.  I made it with Urth Monokrom and Valley Yarns Southampton.

I have City Limits (Tanis Fiber Arts) still on the needles.  The sleeves are left.  I'm casting on the Pajama Cardigan by The Autumn Acorn.  I'm also starting to crochet Astri by Arne and Carlos.  I have a huge stash of Palette from Knit Picks to use for the blanket.

Now that I have all day to do things I hope to get some areas of the house organized.

Moving Along into 2021

Happy 2021!!!  Let's hope this year brings more love, tolerance, understanding and acceptance.  It's not starting out so great, but I'm hoping that is just carryover from last year.  Kind of like a hangover.  It's time to get the toxins out of our system and start making a better world for everyone.  

Since the world continues to be off limits, and I'm spending almost every waking hour in my house, I decided I'm going to set some goals for myself.  I'm going to try new things, be more disciplined with my knitting and sewing and read more.  I'm also going to spend less time mindlessly playing games on my phone and surfing social media.

My first 'try something new' was making yogurt in my Instant Pot.  It's actually quite simple, just two ingredients.  A friend walked me through the process, which took most of the fear out of it.  I used the cold start method since I was using ultra-filtered milk.  My friend told me that the longer you let the yogurt ferment, the tangier it gets.  I'm not a fan of real tangy yogurt so I cut things off at 7 1/2 hours.

The next morning I enjoyed a bowl with blueberries and granola.  It was quite yummy.

Next time I might let it ferment a little longer.  It makes a lot so I need to figure out if I can make a smaller batch next time.

After all of my Christmas gift knitting, I decided I wanted to make something for myself.  After a quick scan of my stash, I pulled out the yarn I bought to make Love Notes and cast on.  I heard that this was a quick knit, which contributed to my decision.

Squeaks agrees that this was a good choice.  She finds the yarn particularly soft and cozy.  Her approval means a lot since she is a connoisseur of mohair.

Speaking of Squeaks, we've noticed that she enjoys watching television.  The other evening we watched Nature on PBS.  The show was about squirrels.  She took a front row seat to make sure she didn't miss a single second.

Time to move along and begin my day.  Later is another bridal shower for Trisha.  She and Craig have officially postponed their reception to December, but they are still getting married next month.  Details aren't finalized.  Stay tuned for pictures.