Humming along

So I've been swatching. Yep, the pattern I bought is so good that it gives you a sample swatch to knit first. I can tell you it has been interesting. Shhh I think I did part of it wrong so I am pausing to see if I should just carry on or fix it. I mean it is only a swatch that I will be ripping out anyways. Think of it as a guideline.

I have managed to finish a pair of socks and a pair of slippers. The slippers I made a bit big so I can throw them in my purse and take to people's houses and wear over my socks. I am going to have to fix them I made them a tinge too big. The socks are lovely though.

I also swapped out my broken hard drive on my old laptop. Now I just need to take it to get the operating system installed and I may be back up and running. Is anyone else missing pictures of my knitting here?

I went to a knit night at my LYS and was ignored by the resident cat. She just had to put me in my place for ten minutes. She came back and jumped up, and we had a lovely cuddle/petting session. At one point in time she was looking up at me while I was rubbing her chin, I have not seen a cat look that happy for a while. I know I have not felt that particular joy for a while. To say that it was nice is an understatement.

I am planning on going to different knit night tonight. Alas there is no resident cat at this shop. I wonder if they have a suggestion box. Is "Needs more cat hair" a valid complaint/suggestion?

I tell you it is hard getting used to a new grocery store. You don't know where anything is and they don't carry any of the brands that you're used to. It is amazing that I can cook dinner here ;)
On the plus side the check out girl asked if I wanted to use a $10 off coupon. Yes please. So dinner with a discount!

Getting to the new normal

Well we are getting there slowly. We rearranged the living room into more of a living space. The downstairs bookshelves are full of books and I've vacuumed. I guess this place is really starting to be home.

I am still looking at kitties but took a bit of time off from it. It has proven a bit harder than I thought it would be. I think I needed time to adjust before really being open to two new totally different furballs. I needed to get to a place where I am not replacing Gus and Jack but opening us to new family members.

Plus we've had a few 100+ days here and I needed a bit of space to myself. Did I already whine to you about the lack of AC in our apartment? Well it is better now since I am adjusting but still, it is hot. Well not right now but you get my drift.

We've been out exploring and having some fun. We've been to the coast. It has been long enough now since the cross country drive that the 45 minute drive to the coast did not even phase my car and me.

I found a lovely new yarn store and finally bought yarn for something I've been wanting to knit since I saw it, Catkin. Hmm maybe I am missing the furry bodies more than I knew, CATkin? Anyways I went a different direction than I thought I would. I like a bold color with a muted neutral with this, but I ended up selecting a very pretty but not as bold blue and a lovely grey. It was from a somewhat local to me dyer. Hey I love trying all the talented peoples yarns. What better way to get to know the area than yarn? I'm sure I will be casting on soon.

I've got three different socks on the needles now. I also used one of my Too-Hot-to-be-Home days to spend some time at the library updating my knitting journal. It is up to the start of the year, ahem the start of 2015, ahem. Yeah I was very far behind!! (Still Am!!)

We found another location of Powell's books near us. I love Powell's books, the new books can be sitting next to the used ones. I always like to flip through and get a old copy. I got a book that I had been looking for but none of my libraries had, and a new card game for us to play. Our friends in NY had introduced us to the card game FLUXX. So I talked the Hubby into getting the Monty Python version and enjoyed it.

Plus it got us talking over lunch and I told him there is a board game museum here. He promptly looked it up and we were off to play. Guys, it even smells a bit like a basement. I talked him into a tea hostess game, yep he missed me, and I played a submarine game with him, yep I missed him.

I found my ipod and am able to listen to audio books again in the car. Yippie! So I started back by listening to My Grandmother Asked Me to tell You She is Sorry by Fredrik Backman. He is also the author of A Man Called Ove, which I still adore and may listen too again soon. I don't love this story as much as Ove but I am enjoying it.

Well I think that is about as much of an update as I can give. I do believe I should get ready to go look at some kitties. Wish me luck!

Is it real?

The transition is (sigh) ongoing.  We have created increasing pockets of sanity in our apartment. The kitchen is coming together now that I found the silverware and we have more that two place settings. The bedroom is still getting there too. The clothes are hung and we've been sleeping in the bed since day one. Ahh bed you feel so good after a long day of moving things from here to there. 

I'm starting to get to know the neighborhood. I've been to three different grocery stores and sadly none of them have a decent stock of scone mixes. We found an acceptable one but nothing to write home about. I don't think I will be making any special trips for it.

The farmer's market is just a few blocks away! The fruit is amazing. I didn't think I liked blackberries till D had to get some. I may have tried to steal them away till he distracted me with peaches. That was after we had some great tacos, beans and rice. Yep they have lunch vendors too. I think most of them do, but next week I am trying Ethiopian food. I may just have to sneak down to the English baker and get some scones before church. Oh the choices I face...

I stopped into the LYS under the guise of needing the yarn D bought me wound. What? I can't make my swift work right now. I'm trying to figure out how to fix it so it will attach to a table again. We all know how urgently I needed that yarn wound up?!

I've got a library card and have checked out some books. That always makes me feel better. We also did a library tour because why not, it is my home away from home.

D is pretty happy to be getting home cooked meals again. The zucchini was just too good to pass up too. I cooked it up with some other veggies, poured it over some rice and threw on some mozzarella and called it dinner. I think it was so good that he called it lunch too.

I have found the camera and the cord that connects it to the computer but I hate doing it that way. I am hoping to talk hubby into a new laptop soon. I really need to pull out the old brick and find out if she is really dead. She was a fine computer and served me well for many, many years.

Tomorrow I have to take the car in for some service and look at that it just happens to be down the road from a cat rescue organization. Wow it is almost like I planned it that way. We went to Petsmart last weekend and chatted up some people. I think once the house is set to rights I will need to hear some delicate feline feet running around. 

Well I guess I should go unpack a few more boxes, either that or I could knit a few rows...