Here's a short update and some pictures from my vacation

OKay, So between me and my travel buddy (aka colleges roomie) we have about 200 pictures. I still don't have hers so basically I only have the pictures that I took before I lost track of my camera bag (later I found it in my knitting bag)... This also explains why there aren't any pictures of myself sweating it out in nature. Once I get those I will post them in a sideshow.



The trip was great. The highlight of the whole thing was our ride. Oh yea, two hot chicks driving a sexy read Kia Sedona. If you aren't familiar with the awesome Sedona check the 2008 specks here.

My trip started off in the Redwoods north of Eureka. There we saw lots of moose, two ponies in a shutdown Motel 6, Paul Bunyn and trees. The roads out there were crazy!! Basically all dirt roads that are really 1 1/2 lanes rather than two. This wasn't too bad unless some California hillbilly came speeding around a blind turn while your going in the opposite direction. All in all it was great! We spent the firs night in a regular campgrounds but the two nights afterwards we were on a beach sight. I think that form here on out I am going to try to find beach campsites. Sleeping on sand is way better than sleeping on rocks.

On both days of the trip we were able to take hikes through the forests were crazy! The trees are huge and you feel like a dinosaur can pop out at any minute. It was almost enough to forget that our hikes were about 4 miles long... but then I would remember once my heart would visibly start beating out of my chest. We also had time to go to a tied pool. That was nice just because there was hardly anyone there. The only other person that we saw at the beach other than the park ranger was some guy who was poking things with a stick. THAT was entertaining. While the ranger was standing next to him he seemed fine. You know, listening intently and all that. But once she left he had a stick in his hand and he was going to town. Now I don't know about you but I can poke sea anemones for only so long before I begin to feel like maybe I should stop. This guy looked like he was not leaving until he got every anemone on the beach. For all I know he's still there!!!

After three days in the redwoods Emmy and I drove up to Portland. I think that i took pitures there... I will post about that later...

During the tirp I was able to make a lot of progress on my sweater. It actually looks like a piece of clothing now! Pretty much every night I set a sight some time to work on it. Currently I am set back a little because of a minor bike accident. So sad.

Soo much to say

Right now I am writing this entry from my hotel in Portland. I love my hotel sooo much. I kinda don't want to leave. Portland has been great. The weather is really nice and the buses and light rail have arrived at an amazing frequency.  Today I went to a coffee shop, the Yarn Garden (which is not an actual garden), went to the Japanese Garden (an actual garden) and saw Avenue Q. It was a great day really. Portland is relatively easy to get around in. Today while looking for Washington Park I learned that the light rail train going to NW 24th does a loop and doesn't actually go to the park. Oh well, it did stop right in front of the hotel. 

Visiting the redwoods on the CA/OR border was great. I took a lot of pictures but I think that they might all look the same...green. The roads to the camp grounds are crazy. But luckily Emmy (my travel buddy) can manage the driving a KIA Sedona (aka the KIA Sedona-mess-with-us) like a pro. Tomorrow we head back down south to Crater lake. So sad. I will miss Portland. 

Flipping Droped Stitch!!!!!

Sorry to say this, but I am not making an effort to clean up my language. In fact after discovering a huge knitting boo boo it may get worse for a couple of days. So all this weekend I was on a knitting marathon. I really wanted to get the yoke of my sweater done before I left for my trip. HA! not happening. Before I began to divide the yoke (i.e. separate the armholes from the body) I counted the number of stitches in each section. To my surprise I realized that I was about four stitches off in all but one section. That means that I somehow dropped about 16 stitches!!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!! That is not good. I don't even think that I can fudge it by just making 16 in the last row. Damnit, so I guess that means that I will not start working on the body of my sweater this week... and I will do some major forgging tonight.

2008 Attempt at Orange sweater

Alright. There are a lot of people who remember the joy that I had at my first attempt to knit a sweater last year. And I am sure that there are plenty of people who remember how sad I was when I realized that it was not going to work out. I am pretty sure that I was angry, depressed and hated the yarn that I used for a solid six months. But it took me over a year to get up the c0urage to look at the darn thing. I knew that there was no way that I was going to re-due the sweater and fix it. The fact that the original orange sweater used four different stitches was enough to turn me off from that idea. I mean come on now, even re-duing a sleeve would be enough to make me waant to slit my wrists with a couple of US 1 dpns. So instead I am taring the whole thing apart to make a new (and way more simple) sweater.

So I started on the Gathered Cardi (pattern from Knit.1 magazine) on Tuesday and so far I think that I have made a great amount of progress. I finished the collar and I am working on the increase rows (I am already changing the pattern by adding two buttons rather than one. That way I will have one of them a litter higher than the original pattern suggest). Although I am getting a little bored with the project already I am curious to see how it will come out. The pattern suggests using cotton yarn. I am using merino wool (but I have felt to guilty about have $100+ of yearn sitting in a bag for a year) so I really have no idea it my completed project is even going to really shape the same way. Well. I am starting it now and I plan on taking my porject of my vacation. Yes! I will show pictures of yarn in many inappropriate places such as tents, moving vehicles, possibly brewpubs and definitely in a hotel room. Hopefully I will be able to make it out to a yarn shop while in Portland. I really want to take advantage of the fact that they don't have sales tax.

Possible Vacation... Possible Knitting Project

Alright now. I have begun to plan for a possible summer vacation in June. Yes, a whole week of staying in a car with my old college roommate. Traveling to campgrounds and hopefully making our way to Portland. My job is to actually plot out the Portland part of the trip and well.. figure out what to do while in the car. My old college rommie gets to plan out the campgrounds and plot out an actual driving route. Since I cannot drive at all I have to figure out a way to stay awake and entertained.

So that means that I will have the opportunity to do two things: Start a large knitting project and get a good selection of books on tape (CD I mean). I think that I might actually try to tackle sweaters again. I grabbed a copy of Knit.1
last month and saw a really cute sweater on the cover (the third one pictured here). When I opened the magazine I was delighted to see that it was all pretty much knitted in one piece . You start with the collar and then work your way down, leaving out the sleeves. I figure that most of my issues with knitting sweaters are that I don't like making swatches so working with multiple pieces really gets in the way. One of the girls at my knitting group also pointed out that I would be able to test out the size as I go along! Which I think us the best part! I don't think that I am going to have a green one... and I know that using cotton would be seasonal... but I get chilly... So either I am just going to have to use some sort of wool, or I an finally going to have to learn how to sew in a liner.

This project has also inspired me to buy new knitting tools. At first I was thinking about getting a nice knitting bag. But it was pointed out to me that many of the bags that I was interested in were purses that were being marketed to knitters. I have a problem with buying $60 purses... I mean I only bought my Timbuk2 bag because its water proof on the inside. And I really think that my freezer bag method really works well fir me. SO! I have decided that I am finally going to invest in a set if Knitpicks Interchangeable circular needles. Yes! I think that I am going to go all out and go for the wood set. I have never really been a fan of metel. That might change if I ever decide to knit socks or whatever else metal needles are better use for. Hahaaa! I think that I am just getting giddy from the thought of it all.

Now, for the books on CD. There are a couple of road trip staples that my old college roomie and I have. It started out with Harry Potter. Then we moved on to the ChickLit "Shopaholic" Series. Because of the time that has passed since we last were on the road with one another. So we will have to listen to the last book of each series. Woot Woot!!!! A lot of people think that books on CD are boring. But if get the right ones then its not too bad. Generally anything with a bad guy or a ditsy main character will do. Ahh, how I miss yelling at fictional characters. Although I think that Barba Walters "Audition" might be a good book to read on my own. It might cause some unwanted drowsyness on the road... Well, at least until you get to the Star Jones & Rosie O. chapters.

If all planns are able to go through and goes well I might actually have a fun summer!

How much can I actually say?

Alright, I did it. I kept my appointment.

Battled public transportation during the Bay to Breakers and yes, I even wore disposable undies. The only picture that I can show you is this blurry one that I took in the bathroom. So I arived nearly an hour before my appointment to that I could apply the topical numbing cream. The woman told me that it was a good idea since it was my first time. So she haned me a small container with the cream and a tiny plastic baggy. The bag had the undies. I was informed that I should take about three minutes to rub in the cream wherever I had hair. This should have given me a warning about how much the my wax lady would take off before I could get a chance to stop her. After I throughly washed my hands and threw my civilian undies in my purse I headed to the waiting room. It was nicely painted and quiet. They had muffens and juice just sitting out for anyone to eat. It was great! So I waited and read and took two advil as suggested by other bloggers.

The lady who did my wax (or should I say the lady who waxed me?) was very nice. I think that her name was Katie. I let her know that it was my first time and that I had no idea what was supposed to happen. She talked me through every step. I pretty much just wanted to not think about what she was doing and drown out the sound of her removing the wax strips.... that was hard to do. It was funny because the first thing she asked me was "so why did you decide to try bikini waxing?" It seemed to official.

Today I am okay. It was more shocking than painful (thank goodness for the numbing cream!!!!). After reading a tone of bad reviews were ladies said that they couldn't walk after getting a bikini I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to walk. But I am fine. No pain or soreness. So all in all it went well. Will I get addicted as Katie warned me? I don't know about that.

Yep! I made an appointment

This weekend I have decided to do something not-so relaxing. I have scheduled my bikini wax. The thing about me talking to anyone whose business is dealing with the private parts of others I get all nervous. You know, you want to know specific things but you don't want to be crude. So, the place where I am getting my first below the equator wax job is expensive. BUT based on the reviews this should be good: Clean, professional, soothing, and they have numbing cream! Yea, that is really my main reasoning behind choosing this place. I know that it is going to hurt like a bitch. So any place that sells numbing cream at the counter (hence saving me time looking for some on my own) is worthwhile. Although I have found another location that its about 20 dollars cheaper and has consistently good bikini wax reviews, they are sans cream and a little more small time shop. If I am not completely traumatized by the whole thing I will go there next time... if there is a next time.

Prep tips:
http://bellasugar.com/678438

Lessen the Pain helpers
http://bellasugar.com/1089791