Beach Day

Hey Everyone!

A few weeks ago I had put in to take PTO this weekend to make sure I got my storage unit moved. With some help I got it done a couple weeks ago.

This was all before this weekends weather forecast was even a thing. It turns out that Friday was almost 90° here in the valley.

Beings that I already had requested the weekend off (Thursday – Saturday shifts) to use rain or shine, I got paid for the days I was off and did not accrue any corrective action steps for going to the Beach on Friday. And yes, I was laughing at my coworkers who were stuck at work, the whole way to the beach and back.

It was 63° and perfect right on the beach, and about 67° on the highway, which was a few hundred yards up from actual beach. It was a perfect summer (in spring) day at the beach.

Thursday I had worked on my first sock from the passprt Mediterranean mystery kit I had ordered from Forbidden Fiber Co, part of the time while watching Mamma Mia. The colorway of yarn from this kit seriously gives me Mamma Mia and & Santorini vibes.

I always seem to have a hard time coming back from the beach, even if I go for a day. I don’t know why leaving the beach affects me so much, but it does.

My beach day, and going through the towns I lived in while I went to college on my way to and from the beach have definitely made me think about my life and the direction I am going. I never would have thought I would be where I am today, and each day I want to be a better person and to make a difference. I am still trying to figure out how.

When I was 5…

When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was 5, I wanted to work at the zoo with the animals. Oh to be 5 and not care about money or how much school it will take.

I had a friend who worked at the zoo (but not with the animals). It was only part time and didn’t pay the best.

Being a vet take 7 – 9 years of college and no guarantee of a job at the zoo.

Socks, Work, Lunch Dates & Cabela’s

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It has been a crazy couple of weeks. Work has basically been all consuming at this point and has been kicking my butt. The insanity has been real.

I got a long weekend with the snow days, and had another long weekend this past weekend because I started my new schedule this week.

Over the weekend I had gone out with a good friend of mine I met through a previous job, working at World Market. She and I have kept in touch over the years that we have been gone. It’s been almost 2 years since we worked together. We went and got coffee and then had a late lunch at a French restaurant down the street from the coffee shop we went to.

It was a great afternoon, and great to catch up with her.

I also finished up the first Vintage Santa sock in the pair I am working on. I also cast on my first Shamrocks & Clovers sock since my yarn arrived on Saturday.

While working on my knitting projects I binged watched “Wednesday” on Netflix as well as the Murdaugh documentary, post double murder convictions and sentencing. I had caught the last few days of the trial, verdict and sentencing via the legal commentary channels I watch on YouTube.

Today was my early start day at work. It was a long day since I didn’t sleep the greatest last night. I did stop at Cabela’s after work, since I am kind of obsessed.

Last Day at Work

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Yesterday was my last day at the store I had been a freight lead at for 10 months. I spent my last week of freight split between freight and signage.

Yesterday, before I left, I was given a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

It was super sweet of the store. I definitely was not expecting anything based on my experience at my first store.

I spent the past week and a couple days training for my new position at the store I have been at for the past 10 months. It was nice getting to start learning my new job at the store I am comfortable with before going to my new store. So I am going to my new store with a bit of training under my belt.

With the Sheep or Something

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When I got home from work, I had sent my brother the following message.

“Today feels like one of those days where I should be driving on the other side of the road, drinking my 6th cuppa of the day before going back out to working with the sheep or something”

It is a rainy, wet, rather dreary day. As I was driving home from work, it was one of those thoughts that it was like “what could I totally go for right now”, tea, yarn, sheep, and Scotland are the passion.

I have been training for my new job this past week. It’s definitely been a steep learning curve. I have also had a bit more time to knit in the afternoon. I am also enjoying having a bit more energy than I had while working nights. I am sure the 3am – 4am mornings will catch up with me, but this period until it does has been a nice reprieve.

Nordic Noel

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Last night I finished the second sock in the pair of Nordic Noel socks that I have been working on.

The yarn is a sock set I ordered from Bumblebee Acres Fiber Farm, and it’s on the coquette yarn base.

Over the past year and a half projects have taken forever to finish as I have been working nights and slept during the day so it has taken pretty much everything I have to just get through the routine of eat, sleep and work. I am hoping once I am back on days in the next couple of weeks that I will be able to put in a little bit extra time to knitting in the afternoons, after work.

I am definitely hoping the new position I accepted and will be starting soon will be what I need as I transition out of night and freight, as well as focus on what the future holds. Over the past few years my faith has taken a backseat to choices I made, as well as taking the jobs I have had where I have worked nights over the weekend. The way the schedule works for my new position, I will have Sundays off, which is a huge blessing as I have realized how much I have missed practicing my faith and how important it is for me to be around other like minded individuals.

Believe

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Yesterday I finished up the pair of Believe socks I had been working on for the past month. Before finding the full time job I have, it used to only take me two weeks to knit up a pair. Besides work, sleep has basically become the most important thing….so knitting has unfortunately taken a back seat…though I would love for that and the job to change so we will see.

Believe is the colorway and it is on the resilient sock base from expression fiber arts. I don’t know for sure but I think this colorways name was inspired by the song Josh Groban sang for the movie “Polar Express”.

We have seen our temperatures drop and then moisture come in so the roads are currently an ice rink. Work called inclement weather so I get to stay home at least tonight. I am kind of hoping that tomorrow will be inclement weather as well, so I can be off the entire Christmas weekend.

Call the Midwife season 11

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Happy Thursday!

I had taken a couple nights off of work last weekend to go do something fun. It was nice to have a couple extra nights off, though it’s back to work tonight.

I had ordered Season 11 of Call the Midwife, and it arrived last week. Since I have been off, I binged watched the entire season / series in about 2.5 days, as well as rewatched the Season 9 Christmas Special.

While there are other ways to watch Call the Midwife here in the states, the easiest for me is to just order each season once it is released and watch it when I have time. I had also gotten into the show a few seasons into in and had no other way to watch it besides on DVD. Now that it is on Netflix, I have also noticed that there are little edits here and there and the episode isn’t the same as the U.K. version, which is what comes on DVD. I also enjoy going back and rewatching previous seasons as well.

Call the Midwife is one of those shows that I thoroughly enjoy. Over the past ten or so years, since I got started watching Downton Abbey, I found that I enjoy British TV shows.

While I have been off and watching Call the Midwife, I have been working like gangbusters on my Road to Rhinebeck socks. I finished up the first one and I am now on the foot of the second sock. This pair will be done in no time, and then I can start Christmas Socks.

Crackling Fire Socks

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This has been the year of life being insanely busy.

I finally finished the pair of crackling fire socks I have been working on for a while now. I finished the first sock about three weeks ago. I finally finished up the second sock today.

The yarn is one I had ordered from Bumblebee Acres Fiber Farm a year or two ago. The yarn base is the bubble sock base. The colorway is “Crackling Fire”.

This year has been one of those years where I feel like I am going a mile a minute, and like I am just in the passenger seat along for the ride so to speak.

The rest of this year and going into next year I am really trying to slow down and live a simpler life. I am wanting to get more socks made and projects done. I also want to find more crafters who are also content creaters before Rhinebeck next year so I have a better idea of who’s who in the community.

I am also trying to work on me, and getting back into consistent content creation myself. Working graveyard full time these past 14 months and moving almost a year ago has really taken a lot out of me, and away from the things I love. I am still trying to find the balance and routine of how it goes. I am definitely hoping that as things continue to settle in, and possibly changing jobs out of freight, I can get back to doing what I love. Which really is all things yarn and knitting related.

Alaskan Yarn and Life Update

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Last week a new to me indie yarn dyer came across my Instagram. Some of the colors, I couldn’t resist buyer. This yarn shop is called Bad Sheep Yarn and is based in North Pole Alaska.

My order arrived today. The colors are even better in person than pictures could show. It makes me want to go to Alaska that much more.

I am so excited to get to work up all the new yarn I have picked up recently. With the way that Gas prices and inflation keep going up, I need to work on the yarn I have. Since I am wanting to go to Rhinebeck, I am saving my money so I can go. We will have to see how the next 15 months go.

Besides the inflation and rising gas prices, the area I live in is apparently back in the high covid risk. Masks are being highly encouraged in indoor spaces and non essential public gatherings should be avoided, regardless of vaccination status. While I don’t know what to make of it all, I am pretty ok with staying home for the most part besides going to work and my doctors appointments. I wouldn’t be surprised if we eventually see another mask mandate here in my state. Since I currently work at a grocery store as my primary job, I do most of my grocery shopping at work, so I don’t have to make too many extra stops.

With that being said, with spending a lot more of my free time at home again, thanks in part to dealing with a chronic health condition, I will hopefully be posting more and have more content for you all.