I’m going home to Alaska for a week. I’m leaving next Wednesday, the 6th and I’ll return to Vegas on the 12th. This is a mental health excursion. I have hit the wall with everything here and I’m completely overwhelmed.

So, I’m packing my knitting, a couple of books and my iPod and heading back. I intend to spend the week just doing nothing. Enjoying the comfort of home. I want to dig my toes into some wet cold sand on the beach, preferably Bishops Beach in Homer, but I’m not sure I’ll make it all the way to Homer. I’ll take the water off the bluff in Anchorage though. I want some Chinese food from New Segaya, and a mocha from Kaladi Bros. I’d like to browse the stacks at Title Wave and maybe even check out a few of the local yarn shops.

I’m going on a tight budget (like $12 basically.) but that’s okay because I’m going mostly for things I can have for free: trees, fresh air, family and familiarity.

I’m hoping to get a few of my WIPs completed or at least farther along. Right now I’m taking a break from the ribbed halter I’ve been working on to whip up an iPod sock real quick. The back of my iPod is getting all scratched up, so I’m using the little hank of Artyarns super Marino I got for my birthday. It’s not really enough to do anything else with, and it’s a really pretty colorway, greens and purples.

I should be able to finish it up today. Pictures to come when it’s done.

So a few firsts for me: lace patterns, seed stitch, several shaping things, picking up stitches and sewing in a lining (that doesn’t suck.)

So the yarn I used was Knit 1 Crochet 2 “Merino Gold” (you may recognize this from a dog sweater posted earlier.) I had about three fourths of a skein left over from the dog sweater, which was just barely enough to finish this up. It’s a pretty dusty blue with gold thread in it.

This is a full bag view so you can see the lace detail and the button. I fudged the button hole a bit, and did it with crochet instead because I couldn’t figure out how to do it in knit. The pattern tells you to CO 2 in the middle of a row, and I think I cast one weird, because it was SO not working when I tried to do it in the row. But, binding off then picking up the stitch with a small crochet hook and just chaining three in the middle of the row did the same thing.

Hanging up. I’m trying to stretch the handle a bit.

And here’s the lining, it’s a soft white with gold dots on it. I sewed it in by hand and no one is bleeding!

Finished just in time to take it instead of my big purse when we go see Gym Class Heros tonight. It’s pretty small, but it fits my cell phone, chapstick, business card holder and ID. Which is all I really need.

So, I’m not going back to the EBar. Basically what happened was this: in the two days that I worked there I went from ‘in training’ to full time employee on the floor busting my ass, asked to stay late, had my schedule changed three times, scheduled for six days in a row without asking me, etc. Basically I went immediately back into the same shit I just got out of at It’s a Grind.

So, no thanks.

I’m working on plans to maybe temp for the summer, save money and take the fall off to just go to school. I’m also working on my budding knitting/crochet stuff to sell shop. And…I’ve even got something in the works that relates to baking for hire. More about that when I get it all ironed out.

I think I’m just done working for other people. I just get taken advantage of, and…quite frankly it sucks. Especially in this town for some reason. I grew up in Anchorage, Alaska. Seriously, you just don’t get taken for granted this way up there. Everyone has a healthy sense of respect for their fellow Alaskans/co-workers/human beings. Las Vegas is the most humanity deprived place I have ever encountered. I’m a student of cultures! This is ‘culture’ is despicable.

Ack.

Moving on. I’m going to work on some things I have hanging off the knitting needles right now, and then this evening I’m going to bake some cupcakes and attend my dear friend Pj’s house warming party. I’m even going to wear a dress.

Before that, here’s some pictures of completed stuff.

This is the first dog sweater I made, it’s done in really pretty blue super marino wool with gold metallic strands in it. (Allie is modeling it.)

This is the chest piece side.

This is the same pattern in Carons ‘Shadows’ yarn, so soft and fluffy. Definitely a winter sweater though.

This is a little raglan baseball tee I did in Debbie Bliss Cotton DK (colors were off white and teal.) It’s on the bear because when I put it on the dog it looked funny, I think it’s a smidgen too small for my dogs.

A little too off the shoulder and trampy for my full bred regal Schnauzer. (Dixie models this one.) The collar still needs to be done, I think I’m just going to single crochet it, instead of picking up the stitches to knit. I think I might be able to take it in a bit with crochet on a smaller hook.

This is a long time coming, but this is the cozy I crocheted for my Mom for her mp3 player I bought her in….uh, March? Its just half double crochet in the round to make a little sack shape, then I attached a loop at the top and a ring so she could clip it to her shirt or keys or something.

This is a tank top I embroidered for my swap partner for the “I love coffee/tea/cocoa” swap on Craftster

This is the bag I knitted for the same swap/partner. It’s Lion Brand Thick n’ Quick with a double cable on both sides. It’s pretty small, but would do well as a wristlet.

I also lined it with some vintage green and orange-y geometric patterned fabric. This was traumatic for everyone involved. Mostly my sewing machine. The sides are crocheted together using single crochet to make it stiff so it holds it’s shape.

This is one more little tiny Chihuahua sized sweater I did in Sugar and Cream cotton, it’s really obnoxiously bright. I think I’m going to send it to my Grandma Linda because she has a pack of Chihuahuas that need obnoxious sweaters. Think “Ugly Betty” poncho for a little dog.

The recipe for the tea cookies and biscotti I also made for this swap are coming up next….

I got a job. Here’s a little back story:

I quit my last job for a myriad of reasons. One of those reasons was that I was only making 9.00 an hour as a manager. (Plus being grossly taken advantage of in other ways, like working OT without getting paid, etc.) When I went looking for a new job, I was looking to get out of coffee and to work only part time. Mainly these requirements where because of the sour taste the last job put in my mouth about working in coffee, and being so overworked there I just didn’t feel I could handle working full time anywhere again.

So, after looking for a job for two weeks, and having a few unsuccessful interviews I found an ad looking for a part time barista at the espresso bar inside Nordstroms in the Fashion Show Mall (the fancy one with the space ship thingy out front on the Strip.) I decided to apply as a back up in case nothing else came through. Well, I applied Monday night at about 9 p.m. and on Tuesday morning at about 9 a.m. they called me for an interview, for the same day. So, yesterday afternoon (Tuesday) at 2 I went in for the interview. I was offered the job on the spot and they offered me 9.25 an hour based on my experience and to show good faith that they will not take advantage of me like the last job. Which…is awesome. After three months I’m eligible for benefits, which include life insurance, adoption assistance and 401(k) and profit sharing. They also accept ‘ life partners’ as eligible for benefits and my employee discount. So, we’re working on getting Mike recognized as my life partner. That way in a few months we can get him some insurance too.

Nordstroms is a pretty awesome company to work for, according to everything I saw today in orientation and everything I’ve read. Even working in the espresso bar I still get the same discount as someone working on the sales floor. So, I think it’ll work out. I guess we’ll see. I start in the actual cafe part tomorrow.

Meanwhile, I have picked up yarn and stick(s) for two days….

So, I haven’t been sleeping. And I’ve had a headache for going on four days. Nothing helps the headache, and I’m pretty sure it’s making it hard for me to sleep which in turn is making the headache worse.

But, while I was laying in bed this morning, willing myself to sleep for at least another half an hour my cell phone went off. I have an interview tomorrow at a salon that needs a salon coordinator (fancy title for a receptionist.) so after that call I was feeling pretty good so I just got up and decided to make myself a cup of coffee.

As I was stirring the sugar into the coffee, my phone rings again and viola! I have an interview this afternoon at the cafe inside of Nordstroms in the fancy mall on the Strip. So, that’s pretty freaking awesome. Two interviews means a) that somebody somewhere may actually want to hire me and b) I could possibly have a choice of where I want to work.

The stack of things I need to take pictures of is getting pretty large, so hopefully this afternoon when I get back from my first interview I can get the camera situation taken care of and start getting some pictures. I really need to send out the package to my “I love coffee/tea/cocoa” swap partner. I have everything done except sewing up one little thing. But my sewing machine is out of order for a little while until I can get to the craft store and get some new bobbins. So, I’m not sure what I’m going to do about that. I made more than was required so I suppose I can send without adding the last little thing, but….I want it in there!

Well, I’m going to go get in the shower and get ready for my interview.

I knitted until I felt that my eyes could no longer hold themselves open. And then I went to sleep. I slept for nearly 10 hours. I feel much better today. Less tight in the chest. Less whiney, less self pity-ing. Yesterday I started drinking in the afternoon to untighten my chest. It didn’t really work, but it may have helped me sleep, so it served its function. I have this sense of impending doom, despite not having a legitimate reason for it. I’m just not used to being unemployed. Even when I’ve been unemployed in the past, I’ve always had something else going on. Babysitting for someone, volunteering for something, school, organizations, etc. Now, now there is nothing. I have nothing. The semester is over, I’m not in the Honor Society anymore, let alone running it. It’s just me, the Discovery Channel and knitting.

I will continue to knit until I find a job. I will knit until my fingers turn blue. I will knit and knit and knit and knit until I have enough things done that could qualify as ’stock’ and then I will post them in my etsy.com store and hopefully start making money from that.

I have more than four large containers full of very nice, very expensive yarn that I have collected over the last two years. I am working through that yarn churning out dog sweaters (I’m on sweater number four in as many days) and soon, I will progress to things that people can wear too. But I am learning the basic anatomy of a sweater by making dog ones. Last night and today I’m working on a basic raglan baseball tee. I’m using Debbie Bliss Cotton DK so it should be nice and lightweight and soft.

Anyway, this afternoon Mike (DH to those not in the know.) and I are going to my cousins baseball game in North Las Vegas, and I think we might take Dixie with us. (Allie is in heat, so she doesn’t get to go outside, lest we end up with bastard puppies.) Tomorrow is Mothers Day, so I’m going to breakfast with my Grandma and then probably lunch or dinner with MIL Carolyn. I ought to buy some cards for all the mothers in my life.

Sadly, and this may be part of the reason I’ve been so down lately, I’m still not speaking to my own mother. I love her very very much but things just got….so wildly out of hand that I couldn’t deal with it anymore. I feel like an infant not speaking to her, but I just don’t know what to say.

Well, regardless of the cause, I’m tired of feeling like poo. So, I’m going to go make some more muffins, have a cup of coffee and get to knitting again until it’s time to go to the baseball game. Where I will continue to knit, and root for my cousin and have a merry time.

Pictures of finished dog sweaters and various other things when I get all the pictures of my inlaws trip to Mexico cleared off.

The dogs woke me up at 7:30 a.m. Now they are napping and I’m awake. How is this fair? Seriously, having dogs is a lot like having kids. Anyone who tries to tell you differently doesn’t treat their dog right. So, thus far I’ve had a bowl of Cheerios and done some blog surfing. Mike had a meeting with a client this morning, but as soon as he gets home I’m going to the bookstore to put in an application. My cars check engine light is on so I don’t want to drive it right now, so I need his car.

After the book store I’m going to start a new project. I’m not sure which one, because I’ve got several stacking up. Actually, before I start a knitting and/or crocheting project, I really need to dip the biscotti in chocolate so I can finish them off. Once the chocolate has hardened I need to freeze them, because I’m going to send some off to my swap partner with the other stuff I made for her.

And now I’m off to shower and begin the process of flattening my crazy mop head.

So, I quit my job. The long and short of it is this: it was sucking my will to live and I was losing sight of the things that are really important to me (my Grandma/family, my dogs and crafting…oh, and school)

Grandma is not well. She’s okay right now. But…well, it’s a long story. Suffice it to say that 50 years of smoking an average of two packs a day has caught up to her.

Now some crafting news! I know ya’ll were just chomping at the bit to read some crafting news. Well…

In my nine days of unemployment I’ve done quite a bit. I made a cable knit bag, then lined it using a sewing machine. A REAL sewing machine. Now, during this foray into sewing I did stab myself twice, break the needle on the machine, have to rip the lining out twice and managed to sew up the wrong side. But, in the end, crafty Dani prevails. The bag is for a swap partner. (And I’m going to assume she doesn’t read my blog.)

I also made some fantastic homemade biscotti, and did a weird little chocolate cookie with tea in it. The weird chocolate tea cookie thing turned out really freaking good though. So, maybe, when I get around to it, I’ll post the recipe for that too.

I’ve also taught myself to knit on circular needles, increase and decrease in knitting, and got the dogs groomed. I dyed my hair, twice. Twice because the first time in came out a sort of weird pinkish color, and not a cool pink. That’s what I get for trying something new….

Oh, and here’s some older projects I did.

This is a half double crochet hat with crocheting around the post mock ribbing. This is for (and modeled by) a swap partner in Australia. I used KnitPicks silk twist.

This is a pillow cover in double crochet, with a button hole and flap to pull the pillow out. It’s done using Sugar & Cream cotton yarn.

This bag is just a canvas bag that I dyed with Kool-Aid, and then embroidered.

Close up of embroidery.

All three of these went to the same swap partner. When my in-laws get back from Mexico, I will post the pictures of the bag from Hell.