'Eye' Can see clearly now

Do you know that in the last week or so I have gotten very little knitting done? What I have accomplished in the last week I usually can do in one or two days. I've been so busy, with what seems like nothing. I taught my first class last Saturday. I'm not going to blog about it, but it wasn't bad. Not great, but not bad. And because now you are probably wondering what could've
"gone wrong" I'll tell you this: The ladies who took the class were all really sweet, and the owner and her Mom were just as nice as usual. And that's all I think I'll share about it here in "blog world"

So I hit a knitting slump. Or rather, a finishing slump. I still haven't seamed up the ella-rae t-shirt sweater. And being the anal gal that I am, I can't start another sweater (which is up next) until I finish this one. I think what's making the seaming less desirable is the fact that when I knitting it, I use two balls of yarn at once, alternating every couple of rows. That did two things. 1) On the ends, I am having a hard time distinguishing between the sts and the yarn that was carried 2) I guess I pulled a little too tightly at one point and on one side you really have to pu;; to get the pieces to line up. And I can't count the sts because of the extra yarn. Yes, I am overthinking and complicating something simple. I'll blame it on PMS.

Then of course, there's the "I feel like doing something different slump". I haven't made very many hats, and I've never done any bead knitting. So when Grumperina's Odessa hat came around, I figured why not. I had the yarn and the beads. So I made it. I started and finished it on Superbowl Sunday. Show's how exciting my life can be. Woo. I really like the end result. More importantly, I really liked using the beads and feel another addiction coming on. I prestrung the beads but next time I'm going to try the crochet them on method. And then I went and ordered the supplies to make Mary-Ella. Someone made several of these and after seeing them on her blog, I was tempted to cross to the other side. 11/0 beads, 0000 double points, teeny ass crochet hook, and thread. Clearly, I'm nuts. If I were doing the knitting Olympics, this would be my project, 'cuz I have a feeling it's going to kill me!





And a close up for good measure. You can't see the bead colors very well but I think they are similar to hematite (is that right?) color wise. They sort of reflect blue to yellow to purple to green, depending on the light. I have two more balls of Rowan Cashoft dk in lime green and red so of course, I'm going to make two more. The green with clear beads, and the red with black beads for my Emily. A ladybug hat if you will. I feel like a huge follower, what with me knitting the same pattern more than once, and both times the pattern is by the same person. But I really like the hat, before at the Knitalongs popped up.


So did you notice something different in the first picture? I'll wait while you look.....
Yes, those are glasses on my face. Prescription glasses. I spent my day running around like a mad woman trying to find an eye doctor that could see me today, find glasses, and get them made today. Why the urgency? Get comfy, it's a long story and I feel chatty tonight (Once again, what's new?) I've had glasses since I was a teen. I tried contacts, but that was a waste. I don't like anything in my eyes. When I take a shower, I have a cloth nearby to wipe my eyes when I get water on my face. I don't like it. when I had contacts, it would take me an hour to get them in. Not kidding! So...I never had glasses I liked. Money wasn't around to pick the best, and with my odd little head, nothing suited me. So it was always "Get these and move on". Ugly glasses on a teen-ager? Yeah, I stopped wearing them. My vision is not bad, it's just barely enough for a prescription. I always wear my glasses when I am driving at night, if it's raining, and at the movies. Other than that, you never see them. I always said when I had the money I would find a nice pair and start wearing them. I'm still waiting for that money. Anyhow! The goblins broke my glasses on Sunday. The goblin shall remain nameless but he's closely related to a grown male who shares my bed and drives me car sometimes. The car where I leave my glasses in the console. The car that I left them in perfect shape, and then they somehow managed to twist themselves between the time I left them, the Goblin used the car, and then I used the car!
So I had fun today! And thank God I have some killer Vision Insurance (That's a quote from the Optitritian's office) I got a lot of help from the lady at Pearl Vision, and picked out to pairs. The one's in the picture are what my Mom calls "Lisa Loeb" glasses. I have always wanted some like this but never found any that fit my face. Until today when I looked on the kids rack. Told you I have a small head. I also got a pair of plain ol' wire rims just to have around. And Holy shit glasses aren't cheap! It's been 8 years since I bought my last pair and I don't remember them costing so much. The frames weren't so bad, but the lenses! Good thing I intend on wearing the new glasses all the time! I won't tell you how much I spent, but how about an analogy if you want to do the math and know the answer. (This is for us nosy types.)

Say Koigu costs you $10 a skein, and you need two skeins for a pair of socks. I could make 42.5 pair's of socks with the full price of my total, before insurance. After insurance, I could make 27.5 pair's of Koigu socks. Yes, my tax refund will pass 'Go' (The Bank) and go straight to 'jail', otherwise known as Visa. *sigh*

But I have great glasses now. And that hat...It didn't look half as good without the specs. :)

How's that for a Tuesday night ramble fest? Bore you to tears? Mwah!