Socks in the desert

Anyone know where I am knitting... Bill (Dad) and Jason know but does anyone else?

Things I have been knitting...

So yeah, we suck at keeping up with the blog.
I am currently working on a knitting project which is very close to my heart, when I was little my dad used to take us to see Gilbert and Sullivan operettas and I've always had a fondness for amusing plays and musicals. So this month my sock club came around with a truely awesome sock... it is modeled on a song from G&S's Iolanthe.

The design is modeled after the Lord Chancellor's robes (black and gold) and aspects of the design refers to the song that he sings about his nightmare... with of course a knitterly pun... clocks on socks (like fox on box) are the little cables that run down the side of the ankle but in this design the little cables are actually clocks!
So I finished one sock this weekend while watching the Stratford festival recordings of Iolanthe, HMS Pinafore and of course the Pirates of Penzance!

Oh I've also been knitting some other things...

Been so long....

Well, it's been nearly a month since the last post to Flamie Stuff.  It's not because it has been a boring month; in fact, it has been a very busy and exciting month.  When I returned from Vancouver with my work visa, most of the anxiety was relieved, but a lot of hassle and setup still needed to happen.  I'll save you the boring details, but I'm finally setup with payroll, have received my first payment, am setup for medical/dental benefits, and am working full-time.

On April 6, Dad Martindale came and visited.  We had a fantastic time with him and enjoyed an amazing time in Death Valley (I'll post separately about that... soon... I promise :P ).

My laptop started to flake out on me, so I've ordered and received a new laptop.  I went all-out on this one and so far I'm very happy with it.  For those that care, it's a Dell Studio XPS 16 (1645 to be more precise), Intel core i7-720QM, ATi Radeon Mobility 4670, 4 GB ram, 500 GB HDD, 1920x1080 WLED Screen.  Zoom zoom!

Rowan's been super busy with her Ph.D.; working hard, going to conferences, TA'ing, and doing the stuff that graduate students do!  She's also been a knitting manic and finished approximately a million projects ;)  I'm sure she'll post about that eventually.

Anyways, that's the end of my government mandated 15-minute break, so back to work for me.  Love you all!

YATTA!

YATTA!  I have my TN-VISA.  That is all... engage happy times and celebrations all around.  YATTA! YATTA!


YATTA video... watch now you must :D

A free pattern.. recycled knits!

These mitts are a great way to recycle old beloved socks! When the heels/toes wear out beyond repair (or if you hate darning), simply cut off the foot of some old knitted socks (and save as a nifty little pop can/beer cozy!) frog the gusset and heel part of the sock. Grab some needles (I use 2.75mm for most of m socks but if you always use 2.5mm, go for those) and then add a cuff to the "ankle" (work either in garter stitch or in a K1/P1 or K2/P2 rib, whatever you did at the top of the sock!) and you have yourself some gauntlets and you have recycled some old knitted socks!

The socks pictured have a Feather and Fan lace pattern (from the book socks, socks, socks).

Drama of the past few days

Many are probably already aware of the exciting, busy, hectic, crazy, absurd, and tiring roller-coaster ride that Rowan and I have been on recently, but for those that aren't here a bit of a summary.

Those that have been following this blog, know that I've been waiting on some papers, so that I could cross the border and finally get my work VISA.  Well, Tuesday of last week, I finally had those papers in my hand.  Rowan and I booked flights for the next day to Canada to visit with Vissers and friends in Kingston for a few days, before crossing the border back into the US, where the processing would (in theory) take place for my work VISA.

Well, everything was going fantastically, we had a great time in Kingston and were dropped off at the Toronto International Airport by my brother on Sunday morning.  Armed with my passport and the documents from the (large, well known, and well respected) University I will be working for, we approached the pre-flight border guard and asked for my VISA to be processed.  He kindly directed us to the secondary inspection point (as expected), where another guard received my documents, took finger print scans, a photo of me, and we took our seats.

You should see that smiling face in the photo they took (I have a copy of it): bright-eyed, full of hope and excitement, ready to start working hard, and happy as can be.  We didn't have to wait around too long before they called me up.  The border guard read over my petition letter, and when finished, looked up at me and told me that I would very likely be denied my work VISA.  A few questions later and I was asked to sit down while she went to speak with her supervisor.  Needless to say, when she came back nothing had changed and I was ultimately denied the VISA.

So, Rowan and I continued on to the US under the VISAs we had before.  Such an amazing week, but that couldn't change the great disappointment we both felt for the next few days.

Now it's Wednesday and at least I have some better news to report.  The international services here at the University was just as surprised as we were that my VISA was denied, so they figure it must have just been the border guard that I got, as my VISA is pretty much a no-brainer and should have been accepted.  This means that my petition letter will be re-worked and I'll be sent out to try again in a day or two.  Hopefully lightning doesn't strike me twice...

Fisher Men's Vest

I've had some time to knit again recently, and have been making great progress on my sweater... it's now a vest!  Next step will be to knit up the collar, then onto the arms.  Definitely still love the yarn colour and the pattern.  See for yourself.  Don't mind the dazed look on my face.  These photos were taken pretty soon after waking up this morning :D