The End of an Era

The company that I have worked at for the last eight and a half years has closed it's doors. I'm part of the small contingent of employees left to close out the accounting records and take care of some of the loose ends.

I'm grieving for the people that I worked with for so long and for all of us that have to reenter the scary world of looking for work in an unstable economy. I'm also strangely optimistic about the future. I personally need to get back in touch with who I am. In the last year, I've had to go on high blood pressure medication, anti-depressants and for the first time in my life, I'm having trouble sleeping through the night. The chest pains that I've been experiencing since I first learned about the closure have also been a wake up call.

It's time to move on.

Socktopia Olympic Team 024

Socktopia Olympic Team 024, originally uploaded by minervanicole.

Socktopia Olympics - first pair done!

Q1 2008 016

Q1 2008 016, originally uploaded by minervanicole.

So, what do you do when you don't like your first dye job? Why dye it again, of course. I went for Kool-aid since I don't have a clue what I'm doing and I like it. I wish the purple (grape) had the depth and brightness of the other colors, but I'm willing to cut myself some slack for my second dye project.

Bellatrix is done!

DSC00304, originally uploaded by minervanicole.

Bellatrix is done! I love them, don't you?

Knitting 004

Knitting 004, originally uploaded by minervanicole.

Here's a picture from the company photo shoot. The theme was "On the Ball" and I informed them that knitting was my sport. These pictures were the outcome.

I need a project on bigger needles

I made a conscious decision to test my knitting skills by moving on to more complex patterns, but I failed to take the boredom and monotony factor into account. Bellatrix socks on size 2 - okay they go fast but still take a toll on the eyes. Lanaknits Lace Tank Top - size 3 to get gauge and 200+ stitches each round. Both of these follow on the heels of the Lanaknits Lacey Little T - size 4 and the Lace Tank Top from No Sheep For You also on size 4. I need some serious instant gratification on some bulky yarn and I need it now!

Bellatrix

Bellatrix, originally uploaded by minervanicole.

Here's my current passion and chief distraction. I love these Bellatrix socks in the Death Eater colorway I bought from shelbyB on Etsy. The way that the dropped stitches makes the stripes undulate it so cool! One sock down, another to go!