It occurred to me that since I’m now part of , I should probably put up some actual sock knitting content. I’ve been working on a pair of socks from Tofutsies. I haven’t bothered to remove the lifelines from the first sock. I think it’ll make it easier for me to match up the socks if I use that as my gauge of exactly when to turn the heel on the second one.
These socks are just plain stockinette with a short row heel and 2×2 rib leg. The yarn in these is so busy that working a complex pattern seemed pointless. These socks are taking forever because I only work on them intermittently. That’s fine, it’s not a race. Maybe by Autumn it’ll be done.
In the meantime, it’s Jayne hats and knitting kits nonstop. I updated the reviews page, which is now way too long, so I might have to cut some, much as it pains me. Oh, and a client asked for a “making of” on the Jayne hats, so I sent him some pics and such for his prop replica site. Here it is. Neat, eh?
Had a good time in Dragonrealms this morning. We’re trying to show Plat some extra love this month, so I was there running an event. Very fun! You meet the nicest people in Plat. I think I’ll make an extra effort to run another session this month. It’s very energizing. Or maybe that’s the orange mocha I picked up this morning to be sure I was awake enough for this. I guess if I crash in an hour or so, we’ll know!
The day did improve. The Brownies all had a great time riding, including my girl, who got to brush, help tack, and ride a horse without being led. She was pretty tired before her turn to ride even came up, but she really did a fantastic job. I could not be prouder. As she said after she dismounted, “Tonight, I’m going to dream about horses.”
Get to bed very late. Sadly, this was after midnight, so it does count as part of today.
Be awakened at 5:45am by my daughter, who climbs into bed and takes my spot. I stumble down the hall to feed the cat and get some cereal together for my child. The light in the den is burned out. I find a fluorescent bulb (we’re trying to go green) but have trouble getting it out of the packaging. As my sleep-clumsy fingers open the blister pack too forcefully, the bulb crashes to the ground, shattering. I get the broom and reflect that it is not yet 6am and I am already doing housework.
Stop by my bank and attempt to send money to a vendor. The bank says it has to be a wire transfer. I point out that I’m not doing it for the recipient to pick up, but putting it into their account. They say that’s different, then, and I am sent to the front counter. After a long wait, I am told that no, it does have to be a wire transfer. Which they don’t do on weekends. And which costs $30.
Yeah, no.
I try Western Union. They don’t go direct to accounts. I realize I have to suck it up and do what I should have done in the first place: dig out my password to my online banking and do it that way. That, however, is tabled when my co-leader calls me to say that although we are in the midst of a drought and I thought it exceptionally unlikely we’d get rain anytime soon, it is drizzling where she is. She is 5 minutes from the horse stable where we’re going to be this afternoon. I put in a call to the stable to see what they do in case of rain. I have yet to hear back.
It’s not even noon, and already this day BLOWS.
Nowhere to go but up, right?
We heard from Emily’s occupational therapist yesterday that she’s closing her practice and going to work for the school system. She’ll still be taking clients in the afternoon and on weekends, but her own personal space and staff will be gone. She doesn’t know what her rates will be yet. And so, we bid fond adieu to the days when someone would file my insurance for me. I never had much luck doing it on my own. I’ve asked the office manager there what her secret is, and as near as I can tell, she a) is in an office and knows all the rules and regs by heart, and b) is a bulldog. I’m a bulldog, so I’ll have to work harder on part a there.
I’ve ordered my cards. I went with “custom knits and knitting kits” and a matte finish. I only ordered a thousand, so I figure if I hate it I can always order something different next time. Believe me, that thousand will go faster than you think. The cards should be here by Tuesday. As to care cards, I’m considering more compact formats such as square cards or mini moocards. I don’t really know enough about them.
Emily’s Brownie troop will be going horseback riding tomorrow! As usual, I haven’t gotten a great response back from the rest of the troop, but I know we have at least four people making it. One is nervous about horses, so while she wants to try (and I will gently encourage her to do so) it’s possible that I will be spending my time walking around the stable with her while the other folks ride. My co-leader will be there, barring catastrophe, so that should work out just fine. Emily is very excited about this.
I heard from another Simutronics GM who knits and is getting into spinning. We’re planning a yarn store excursion while we’re in St. Louis for Simucon July 26th-29th (though we’re arriving on the 25th). Also, I think we’ve got enough knitting/crocheting/spinning/needleworking players to have a nice little knit-in during the weekend. I’m going to bring my wheel, a couple of drop spindles, maybe my hand carders, and some extra fiber so folks can try their hand if they want. Anybody who’s going to be around will certainly be welcome to sit and knit. I’ll be glad to teach folks, too. I’m looking forward to the trip!
It occurred to me that since I’m now part of 
