Crazy Pants

I just wanted to stop by and say that I am, indeed, alive. Tonight is the opening of my opera, and one of my best friends and fellow knitters has been staying with me this week, so it's been amazing. It's also been incredibly busy, which is why I haven't posted much. But, I will be back soon with pictures of VKL and all of the goodies I got there! In the meantime, send me good mojo for this weekend's shows!

The Time Has Come

Y'all. I am at Vogue Knitting Live. The marketplace opens in six minutes. I'm wearing Esperanza. The hotel is gorgeous. And there are free lectures that I just found out about. I am going to take a million pictures, and I'll tell you all about it tomorrow!!

Victory

Esperanza is complete. I have three rows of plain knitting, and then I cast off. I can't believe she's done. It's been hours of work, and I'm so happy with the result, so far. I can't wait to see her blocked! Completing Esperanza is extremely meaningful for me. I cast her on as a symbol of hope, and as she grew, so did I. Things are so much better in my life than they were the day I cast her on, and it's so wonderful to have a physical manifestation of all of the work that went into that change. I can't wait to share pictures of her, completely finished. My Green Hope has grown into something truly lovely.

Tip of the Iceberg

Well, tomorrow afternoon is my graduate school orientation at DePaul. Unlike in undergrad, where everything was carefully spelled out, and mailed out, and charted out, I know almost nothing about what's going to happen tomorrow. I know that I'll schedule my classes, and I may have to take some placement exams. May. I have no idea. Aaaaah. But, once I get my classes scheduled, I can really get started on Operation Barista--I am absolutely determined to get a job as a barista in my neighborhood. There are at least a dozen coffee shops within walking distance, and I know that it's the right job for me. I love the smell of coffee, I love the atmosphere of coffee shops, and I love the benefits that places like Starbucks offer. I also love that I'd be able to walk there before/after school and from home. So, hopefully that will work out for me, soon, and I can have a yarn budget again! Have I mentioned that there is a yarn shop right by our apartment? I need yarn money!!

*ahem* Anyway, I've been working away at Esperanza. I reached row 80 today--which is technically halfway, since there are 160 rows, but it's actually nowhere near halfway labor-wise because each row is so much larger than the one before. But, I'm enjoying this project so much that I really don't care how long it takes, as long as I get to wear it to Vogue Knitting Live. Here is another sub-par picture of her progress:

I never think to take knitting pictures during the day, lately. I promise I'll get a good one soon. There's so much pretty scenery around here, I really should go out and take some pictures.

Oh, also, I ran a lifeline through my knitting today using the hole in my interchangeable needles for the first time. I can't even express how much time that saved me--or how much time it could have saved me in the past. The best part is, if you're using a spool of thread or dental floss, you can actually leave it attached and just knit the lifeline through, breaking it when you're done--eliminating any guesswork about the proper length of the lifeline. Magic!!

P.S. Also, I just realized today how close I am to Lorna's Laces. Immediately afterward, I began contemplating plans similar to those about Skywalker Ranch in the movie Fanboys. :D Just kidding. Mostly.

Baby Steps

I finished the first chart of Esperanza today. I'm surprised how quickly I
managed to get it done, given that I've been spending about five hours a day learning my new role for the opera. I have to say, I am really enjoying this pattern. I wish I had tried working with lace weight sooner, because I'm really enjoying it. I know that the going will get slower as the shawl gets bigger, but I'm loving every minute of it, and it is helping me unwind in just the way I hoped it would. I think that sometimes, when people are placed in a situation where many things in their life are changed, they start assuming that everything has changed. It's been like this for me, at least. I think that, after moving to Chicago, there was a part of me that thought knitting had changed, somehow. But, if anything, it is more helpful now, and I am in a town that is even more knitter friendly. Speaking of this, amazing news! In October, I am going to Vogue Knitting Live!!!!! Somehow I had managed to forget that this event happens in Chicago, but I was reading the Yarn Harlot's blog, and it was mentioned in her tour itinerary, which reminded me! I got a three day marketplace pass, and a ticket to the Yarn Harlot's lecture! This will be my first knitting event, and I am so excited! Ysolda Teague will also be there, and I'm hoping that there are Ravelry gatherings like there usually are at the knitting events. Maybe I might even get to catch a glimpse of Bob? One can only hope. Anyway, my goal is to complete Esperanza in time to wear it to VKL. One of my best friends, who I've been teaching to knit (she is a natural!!!) will be in town for the event, which is going to make it even better!!

So, I need to keep trucking along on Esperanza if I want her to be done by then. I leave you with a picture of her in the yarn bowl that my friend Amanda made for me! I've had it for quite some time, but I'm just getting around to using it because I thought it would be most useful when I had my own place and could put it on the floor. Silly me, now that I have my own place, I still use it most on the bed. At any rate, I love it, and it works beautifully.