Not a vacuum

March the 2nd.

That is my date of release from the evil workload. One way or another, it all ends then and I will finally be able to give in to the urge to lie on the cool tiles of the kitchen floor, weeping softly out of relief, knitting and eating cookies. It is the day that I will get more than 5 hours of sleep, take a bath for more than 30 seconds and the day that I will clean the living room. Actually? Screw that. I’ll clean the living room March the 3rd. I’m taking the 2nd off. I am so overwhelmed that last night I dreamed of not making the deadline and everyone yelling at me. It was awful. The house is trashed (no…really) the laundry is undone, my husband is lonely and the children are wild and strange. I used double sided tape to fix my hem yesterday before I went out, and that was only because I couldn’t find a stapler. The children and Joe are asking very gentle, tentative questions. “Is there going to be dinner?” “Are you ever getting off the computer?” “Have you slept today?” “Did you eat that entire box of chocolates?” “How is the twitch over your eye?”

I have stopped answering. They have started cooking.

Yesterday a friend called about dinnertime , and I set the timer for 15 minutes. (This limiting of social interaction is also painful, but necessary.) I was explaining to her about the mess, the dirt and the soul crushing, and while we were talking I was working around the kitchen ( just trying to keep the level of filth down enough to prevent a typhoid outbreak) and she heard a loud machine noise. “Hey” she said gleefully, “Is that the vacuum? You must be doing better”. This is someone who has seen the house in the last week. She sounded so relieved.

“No” I replied dejectedly, “It’s the coffee grinder”.

“Oh” she said quietly. Then she started to laugh. “That’s such a bad sign.”

Still, it’s not all bad. Everybody needs a little down time, and Tuesday was for spinning. Admittedly, Tuesday wasn’t for much spinning, but I got part of this bobbin done.

Totaleffort

This photo is designed to distract you from the pathetically small amount of actual spinning that got done. It represents the sum total of the gansey effort thus far. I have some clean, carded roving, the singles on the bobbin, two skeins of finished, washed 3ply, and just to prove to you that I am serious about this rather unlikely collection of objects becoming an actual sweater…

Kg

See? I’m thinking about it, I haven’t read the book yet (March 4th) but I’m hoping it was a good choice. Anybody got an opinion? (You know, stuff like “Wow, I love that book, it turned me into a gansey knitting/designing maniac and the sweaters I knit now are so beautiful that people inhale sharply out of the shocking beauty of them”)

In other news, I am approaching the thumb placement of the MSF mittens.

Msfm3

(Why, I ask you. Why the hell did I go out into my backyard into the snow to pose this picture of this mitten that looks EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE LAST TWO. What kind of a twit doesn’t just save herself the trouble and recycle a previous photo. Who’s going to know?)

Rest assured I will be posting pictures of my intended thumb location tomorrow so that It may be checked by each and every one of you to prevent me from making a knitting mistake so big and so mind numbingly stupid that I would have to change my name and move to Belize to escape the pointing, whispering and public ridicule that I would be subjected to for the rest of my life. That’s the good news.

The bad news?

Grey

Sure wish I could find that ball band. I have one more place to look for more, and then (since I don’t have the *&^%$#!!! ball band, which I am sure is here and could be found if only there was someone in this house who was willing to give up some time to rip the house to shreds looking for it.) I’ll be shredding one of the first ones.

To distract you from my lost ball band, mismatched mittens and discouragingly low spinning output, I give you more thank you gifts.

Margaret has three beautiful skeins of Collinette “Firecracker”

Firecracker

That the random number generator says now belongs to Erin V.

Look what Carolyn is sending to Daniel B. (Who I happen to know has a knitting girlfriend…and may knit himself for all I know)

Msfsm

These scrabble stitch markers crack me up. I love them so much. I’ll admit that I harbour a secret fantasy about getting enough of them that you could spell out your sentiments on your knitting. You know, like L-O-V-E-L-Y or B-O-R-I-N-G or D-U-M-B-A-S-S (on a certain pair of mittens….)

Remember the lovely and charming Cate? She’s sent along some good things.

Cateyarn

Catemag

Her gifts are not those beautiful tykes, (although I’m sure Cate has moments when packing them off as “prizes” seems pretty attractive….) but a copy of Spin-off Magazine, and two skeins of her very own handspun, both going out to Wendy O. who I am quite sure regrets not receiving the children.

Debbie is somehow parting with this roving,

Roving

which would be brilliant for thrums (should the recipient not spin -or be inspired to pick up spinning the absolute minute she gets this) How ’bout it Kristie F-D? You spin?

Look at this:

Deniseyarn

It’s handspun from the very generous (and funny) Denise. The random number generator says that it’s going to Kerrie who I know will love and enjoy it.

Finally, I have to thank Teresa. She sent me the sweetest little present

that I adored. I was tickled beyond all reason, but it was this part of it that got me through yesterday….

Wpsm

A wool pig stitch marker. Take me now. My life is complete.