Transitional Anxiety... And Friday Favorites

Thanks Emy for all of the great yarn advice!! I do have a yarn store in town but I haven't had much luck with the owner. It is possible that I just need to get to know her better and then she'll warm up a little. She did get me started on socks and that was great... though she seemed skeptical about whether or not I could hold two needles in my hand, let alone attempt a sock, but she did help me figure our what needles I needed based on my gauge and she helped me fix the fact that I had been knitting "backwards." Maybe I'm just intimidated by the amount that I don't know about knitting and yarn. I think I just need to go in there armed with my book and some birthday money and put myself in her hands. I have been buying a lot of yarn on Knitpicks and I feel sort of guilty about that - in the same way that I feel guilty for buying cheap books on Zooba instead of the funky bookstore down the street.

My rant the other night was just a rant... like I said, I know that the yarn they used for the picture is not the only yarn in the world that can be used, there is just so much I have to learn. I tend to knit what I already know I can knit... bigger picture, I tend to do what I already know I can do... so that I feel confident. I'm close to the ledge on this one... there is a sweater in me waiting to be knitted, I can feel it. I just need to make that final leap of faith.

I'm not a rigid person (am I?). I'm a go with the flow kind of gal - I just like to know the currents that are carrying me and I like to be prepared for what's ahead. I love the empty-page possibilities of a new semester. I love the new notebook and unused pen, clean backpack and new-shoes feeling. Of course, the first thing I do is scan the syllabus and write the important dates/assignments/tests into my planner so that I can see what else will be competing for my time. But that's not rigid, right? It's the transitions that get me. It's not knowing what my class schedule will be. It's not knowing what shape my days and weeks will take. It's that nagging voice in the back of my head that says "you're in too deep, there's no way you'll be able to do all of this. get out while you still can." And not just about school - work and home and knitting. And that voice is quiet most of the time. It's just during the transitions that I can hear it. Once I decide on a pattern and buy the yarn the voice will be quiet because it will be too late at that point for a warning. The project (or semester or whatever) will be moving ahead and will either fail or succeed and that's all there is.

(In other news)

The husband is going for a job interview today. There are several openings and he is way qualified and it's going to be great, but he tends to stay in the shallow waters too. I didn't think I was all that anxious about it - it's more or less a sure thing - but I find myself with sweaty palms and a churning stomach. He's going to be great, the whole situation is going to be fine, it's just the transitions that get me. We don't know what kind of schedule he'll have but it's probable that he'll be working evenings, which throws our family-time routines into the blender. I know (more or less) what my school and work schedules look like (but not my practicum schedule - ack) and we know definitely what Bean's school schedule is, but we don't know what his will look like so it's hard to settle back down into something resembling stability.

Friday Favorites:

Favorite lunch: Subway BMT on garlic bread (don't come too close!)

Favorite lotion: Hempz Cucumber and Jasmine Herbal Moisturizer (I could bathe in this stuff)

Favorite birthday present (so far): Personalized (handmade) wooden knitting needles from K

Favorite mother-daughter moment: latex gloves and "ew ew ew" faces at the funeral (read: dumping in a plastic bag and rushing out to the garbage) of Laze the Hermit Crab followed by a swearing off of all sea foods (especially shrimp).

Favorite project on the needles: Crusoe, Crusoe, Crusoe... by Sunday I should be wearing a pair of the best socks in the whole world

Favorite project that is LATE LATE LATE: The baby blanket that has never been seen on this blog. The baby blanket that was my re-introduction to knitting. The baby blanket that has been DONE except for the weaving-in of ends for MONTHS. The baby blanket that is for the baby of the person who taught me how to knit in the first place and is due today and is actually going to be born ANY DAY NOW!!! (I asked her husband how she was doing today and got a little too much graphic info about the state of things). I'll try to finish this weekend and get it in the mail on Monday... I'll post pics of the blanket (and the baby shower in a box) after she gets it.