Giving in to the knit gods

I did it. I caved. I totally overestimated my commuting time to work on Friday and wound up getting there 25 minutes early. Of course there was no way I was going to just sit in the back until it was time to clock in*, so of course I had to wander around the bookstore for a while. And of course that meant I had to wander around the crafts section, and of course hone in on the knitting books. Then something caught my eye -- that beautiful "20 % off - Members save an additional 10 %" sticker atop two delicious knitting books -- and I just had to have them. They were a deal, so I couldn't just leave them there right? Here are the two newest additions to my knitting library, at the low, low price of just under 21 bucks:



I so wanted to just sit down in the cafe and thumb through the books (i.e., publicly drool over future projects), but alas, it was almost time to clock in. I knew that if I took them to work with me, even if I did lock them up in my locker with my purse, I'd probably find times to sneak to the back and look through them, and that would not at all be conducive to actually getting work done and being a good team player. So I was a good girl and used my powers of foresight wisely: I promptly locked my books in my car, in the freezing parking lot. There was no way I was going to sneak out of work without a coat on, so I was safe from myself.

I've been working steadily on J's scarf for the past week. I made it to his house before he did on Wednesday night, so I knitted wildly for about an hour (while watching the original "Iron Chef" -- don't get me started on the dubbing -- on Food Network). I had to stash it in a grocery bag the minute I heard the garage door opening, because even though he's specifically requested a scarf in a dark gray, of course I don't want him seeing even the yarn until it's finished and he's opening the box in which it's been wrapped. This is the same reason I'm not posting any update pictures here either. I've gotten a little over two feet done, but I've discovered that I'll have to go back to the LYS for another skein. The two I have might have made it, where it not for the fact that I'm planning on felting the thing, and I know it'll lose significant length when I do. I'd much rather use even a part of a third skein than fight with it after it's been felted. I've decided to finish the scarf before I return to the mystery project, since it's one that'll knit up quickly (and isn't nearly such a pain in the ass as 7" by 6' seed stitch scarf).

While I've been knitting like a madwoman, I've been a horrible reader lately. I was all excited last week because it seemed like I was gaining momentum again with Villette. I even took it to J's with me for the long weekend, but there it sat, undisturbed, for the duration of said long weekend. Plus, I'm trying to catch up on my Newsweek reading before the new one arrives tomorrow, so that's become my bus reading of choice. This is so not like me to have a book just sitting there, unfinished -- especially one I'm enjoying. I guess my one reasonable excuse is this: Villette is not Jane Eyre. I suspect that Bronte really poured all her creative energy into the latter, which is probably one of my favorites. In essence, it's a relatively simple story: how an unwanted, plain, but good girl makes a life for herself. Yes, there are some rather absurd elements (mad wife in the attic, anyone?), but they are relatively brief and usually not when I think of when I think about this book. Villette just seems to me to be trying to fit into too many genres or too many literary trends. And what's with the fictitious country? As if anyone can't figure out immediately that she's ridiculing the French, my goodness.

Random rant for the day: I was all excited about wearing my new little jumper and two-tone shoes to work today. I even wore sneakers on the bus because I was worried it would rain and ruin the shoes. Then I get to work, slip them on, and discover that with hose on, they're about a half a size too big (I need pads to put in the front), and as a result I kept walking out of them as I walked around the office. To add insult to injury, I guess the seaming along the side wasn't done very well, and they've completely shredded my hose around the insides of my feet where the side of the shoes end. Grrrr.

*I suppose I should explain my cryptic references to work. By [week]day I'm a proofreader for a (ahem!) rather large employer in the city, but by evening and weekend I'm a retail maven at a national women's clothing store (let's just say that it's one that has several divisions, and I work in the younger/trendier/cheaper one). I started at the end of the summer when I was still looking for a full-time job, but now it's just a part-time gig to fund my clothes-whore habits. For a while there J kept asking if I was actually keeping anything I earned, or if I was just spending it all on clothes (gotta love the discount!); I figure I've only spent about half on clothes by now. Of course, what I haven't factored into my calculations is how much is being spent on yarn...