On a Tuesday Afternoon

My school has been pretty much silent for most of today.  Grades 4, 5 and 6 all went to the Yeosu Expo and left us subject teachers behind.  It's nice having a day to do nothing ... although, I think would have liked to use this day to clean up the apartment and do the dishes.  They are all waiting for me in the sink with their groupie fruit flies (gag). 

But instead of doing useful things around my house I spent some time loving on my sock yarn blanket, which has grown from the 3.5 squares I showed you in my last post to a whopping 59 squares.  Only 697 left before I'm done!  I'm really hoping that Santa brings me a whole bunch of mini skeins this Christmas. 

The toilet paper was the only thing I could find to use for scale.

I also got to spend some time chatting with two of my dearest friends back home.  Both of them have been dealing with some crap, so we talked about that.  And then we talked about all of the overwhelming feelings I am having about packing up and leaving Korea.  I love my friends so much ... no matter what is going on in their own lives they always manage to make time to make me feel better about all my first world problems. 

As freaked out as I am by the thought of moving  back home for good, I am also really looking forward to it.  I will miss a lot of what Korea has to offer in the job world (low responsibility, low work load, afternoons free, no paperwork, great salary) but there are a lot of things that I am looking forward to never dealing with again.  Like how this morning, the Office of Education sent out an email stating that they were going to change the way the end of contract bonuses will be paid and that it is going into effect for next month (when the bonuses are supposed to be paid) and will effect everyone who is staying regardless of the fact that they signed a contract 12 months ago that says they will get the bonus next month.  Because who really wants to be able to plan on things like bonuses, anyway?  Losers, that's who.

Also, I'm really looking forward to eating some good Mexican food.

It's raining, it's pouring ...

Lucky for me there is no old man in my apartment snoring.

Even the baby across the hall who cries all the time (I feel so bad for both bebe and parents) is being quiet today.

I found out yesterday that my sinus infection has turned into bronchitis.  On doctor's order I've stayed home the last two days to rest.  It's been lovely.  Other than the coughing part ... I could live without that.

I finished up my April knitting project ... a bebe blanket for another dear friend who is expecting.  So today will be spent figuring out what to knit for May.  Maybe some new hand mitts for my mom.  Or a stuffed something-or-other for my god-bebe.  I think it might be her turn.

Gone 'Round the Bend

Two things:
1.  I'm sick again.  (This should come as no surprise to anyone who has ever known me in real life).

2.  I have gone round the bend.  No joke.  And I have the photos to prove it:

It finally happened.  About 6 months after Stephanie started her sock yarn blanket (rav link) I start mine.  That Stephanie is a bad influence.  Everything she does I end up doing.  But, I guess if I'm going to get peer pressured into doing something I guess it's better to knit socks than do something stupid like get hooked on heroin.

So.  This blanket is not heroin.  So why do I think this is an insane thing?

Because these squares are about 7 centimeters across (just shy of 3 inches) and I want to make a blanket that will cover a big person.  So, if the short end of my blanket is as wide as a twin bed (which is about 99 centimeters) that means that I have to knit 14 of these bad boys.

I know that you're thinking that 14 doesn't sound like a lot of squares.  But let us also consider that a twin bed is 190 centimeters long which means that on top of those first 14 squares, I have to add another 27.  And then I have to fill the whole thing in for a grand total of 378 squares 756 squares.  If it takes me an average of 30 minutes to knit a square (while watching a Downton Abbey, of course) that means that I will be spending approximately 189 hours 378 hours of my life knitting this blanket.

That, my friends, is a lot of knitting.

So, let's recap:

1. Sickness = so not news.

2. Blanket = insane.

3. Super Awesome .GIF = made at makeagif.com

4. Caroline = good at math today (woo!).

Looking Forward ...

In no particular order, here are something things that I am looking forward to in the next few weeks:

• Consistently warmer weather.
• Running more.
• Finishing the baby blanket that I am knitting and ...
• Shipping it off and ...
• Hopefully knitting another baby something to go with it.
• Keeping up with my newest project 750 Words (you should all get on that bandwagon)
• Going through the apartment and packing things to start sending home.
• Payday!!  For obvious reasons and also because it means that I get to ...
• Order yarn for my sweater knit along with my knitting friend Stephanie.

This is the sweater and the yarn I want to knit it in.  GAH.  Just even thinking about it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

Levenwick (rav link)

Madelinetosh Vintage Tosh in Well Water

Have you ever knit something with Madelintosh Vintage Tosh?  Because if you haven't, and you happen to be a knitter, you really should fix that.  It's is something of the most wonderful yarn on this little planet.  SO soft and warm and the drape ... don't even get me started.  Just don't do it.

Ryan thinks it's super itchy which is just so sad for him and also makes me so happy that I am not wool sensitive at all.  This is the same kind of yarn I used when I knitted Brian's sweater and I have been dieing to knit with it again.

I mean look at that.  LOOK AT IT.  The color ... the drape ... the fabulousness of it all.  And for anyone that's interested, that sweater is The Cobblestone Sweater (rav link) by Jared Flood with Madelinetosh Vintage Tosh in Fig.

Yup.  That's what I'm looking forward to the most.  New yarn.  And also getting to knit that sweater while watching quality programming like Downton Abbey.  Really, the only thing missing from all of this about 16 cats.