The Return

I'm back in NYC and hopefully I can finally settle in without any problems.

The time at home was great. G-ma LOVED her new socks. She loved the brown and cream colors. I also finished painting the kitchen and the most important thing I learned is that you will exercise muscles you never knew you had. The muscles at the base of my neck hurt so much when I was done.

I was to claim some treasures my father unearthed while cleaning out closets. The first was an old handheld television I got when I was in my teens. It still works and will come in handy if the power goes out.


Another was this Vogue pattern from my mother. This was her first ever Vogue pattern which she never used. The cover is all beat up but the pattern is in great conditon. I love the dress but don't think I'd have occasion to wear it. I will make the coat though.

Here is a picture of the Karabella tank. I'm not sure what to call it but I'll come up with something.


Here's a close-up.


It may not be easy to see but each of the joins in the lattice pattern has a bead . The neckline and armholes are accented with beads as well. I was trying to challenge myself when I came up with this and it was a definite challenge in patience.

The train ride back was 12+ hours and I figured it be a good time to fix the Miss Saun from last year. I've never worn it because I was not really happy with the length. I want it to be floor-length. I have been putting off making the changes because I wasn't looking forward to taking it apart at the bottom. I am almost finished and then I'll have to weave in all the ends. When it's finished I'll take a pic of the new and improved dress.

So It Goes*

Long time, no see.

I'm back in Cleveland. Why you ask? Well....My new building is having electrical issues. They rehabbed a bunch of pre-war apartments, adding 4-5 electrical outlets to rooms that may have only had 2. What they forgot to do was rehab the entire electrical system to handle the load. It's not a problem until everyone tries to run their ACs.

Here's mine. Isn't it pretty?Never the less, I came home for a week or so to give them time to fix the problem.

Here are some pics of my living room/kitchen/everything smashed into one room.

Thankfully, I have a bedroom too.

And the view from my window.

I took my first train ride to come back home. It was 12 hours, which wasn't so bad. It gave me a chance to read and knit. I finished "The Devil Wears Prada" which was better than the movie and I started my first Kurt Vonnegut book, "Slaughter House - Five".(*My post title comes from the book.) I'm trying to read some different things and I found these at a used book store. Books for $3-5 are a nice thing.


The trip home has been a hidden blessing. It has given me a chance to spend some time with my family which I'm enjoying. The last time I was home I was able to see my G-ma. She was wearing the socks that I made her from some Regia Tip & Top Cotton. She likes to walk around her apartment in socks instead of house shoes. She told me that the socks I made in Lorna's Laces had a hole in them. While pretty, the yarn is just too soft for her.


I started these on the train ride back. It's more Tip & Top Cotton that I got from Elann last year. The stash is coming in handy. I'm going to take them to her tomorrow. I have another skein in black & white to make but I probably won't get those done before I leave.

I finished my beaded top in the Karabella Cotton. If it's not raining, I'll try to take a picture today. In the meantime, I'm going to get back to my current project. I'm helping my parents by painting the kitchen. Nothing like the smell of latex paint to get ya going. I'll take pictures when I'm done.

Live from NYC

Hi everyone! I come to you live from NYC courtesy of some "borrowed" internet.



This has been one crazy ride. Here's how it went.


June 20 - Last day at work & my sister flew into Raleigh to help me drive my truck
June 21 - (my birthday mind you) I hired people to pack the truck and drove up to Cleveland.
*Special Note 1: Let me just say that hiring people to pack/unpack the truck is the best idea ever!
*Special Note 2: West Virginia is the state that would never end. It may look small on a map but don't be fooled. The pics above are some my sister took from the truck.
June 22 - I moved some things into my parents storage unit and my sister took my favorite couches to Chicago.
June 23 - Mamacita and I drove to NYC, had the truck unpacked, did a little supply shopping, got something to eat and passed out.
June 24 - Mamacita flew back to Cleveland
June 27 - I flew back to Raleigh to clean up and see my friends on last time.
June 30 - I drove Jay-etta to Cleveland; her current chill spot
July 5 - I'm flew back to NYC.
*Special Note 3: US Airways is the worst airline ever!

This little adventure has taught me a few things, the best of which is that I have the greatest family in the world. I never would have made it through all of this without them.

NYC is okay but I'm really not used to all this walking. I've been walking and sleeping alot. Today's adventure was going to buy an air conditioner (how I miss central air) and getting a local bank account. Tomorrow I'm going to try and get my cable/internet set up and make curtains for the windows.

Right now I'm a little un-emotional about NYC. I think cause I'm so overwhelmed by it all. I'm sad because my apt is so small. Nothing matches because I had to cram a 1100 sq.ft apt into one that is probably only 450. I really miss by sofa and chair. I'm also trying to get used to the local concept of grocery stores and non-chain stores. I know I'll be more excited when my place is fully organized and acquainted with my local stores.

In knitting news....

I have had a chance to work on the top I'm making with the Red Karabella cotton. I should be finished this week. My place does get decent light so I should get some good pics when I get ready to take them.

I'm still looking for a free place to host my free patterns online. The links will be down until I get that all figured out.