Mixed feelings.

I don't even know what to write, how to express what I'm feeling.

House is a little chaotic right now, everything everywhere, out of place, on its way to a suitcase, laundry drying, empty spaces of the furniture and appliances we've sold so far.
Boxes being taken out, labeled and packed, suitcases completed and stored in a room. Closet getting emptier and emptier.
Deciding what to take and what to leave behind is hard for me. I know I should be putting a lot more hours into the packing and cleaning so I don't have to do it rushing at the end. And I'm not procrastinating... is just that I can't bring myself to pack and choose because it means the end of this life.
I know it's being hard on both of us, it's being difficult to say good bye, to let go. I'm trying to enjoy everything the best I can... the last mornings in our place and the sun getting in through the window.
Having less and less food in the fridge and pantry is also hard. Posting your furniture on line for sale is hard. We sold the couch and the coffee table over the weekend, there is a big clear space in the living room now filled with odd things.

We still have to go through some logistics on how to ship, pack, etc... some things... I'm stressed.

And sad.

See you soon, S.

New look for Wires and Yarns... and different things.

You may have noticed that I'm en the process of remaking the looks of the blog.
I wanted something cleaner and wider... I'm happy so far but still need some tweaking.

I have a few things I want to talk about...

- my eyes are really, really bad... :o(
It makes me sad. I'm not sure what it is. I've had allergies since I moved to this town and this year I started in January when we installed our tree in front of the shop... And I used medicine and tears drops in my eyes all year. A month ago the medicine drops got to an end and, as all the trees have lost their leaves, I thought I was safe just with the tear drops.
Well, I don't know if it's that or not, but my eyes are killing me. ALL DAY LONG soooooo dry and itchy and sore. The past 3 days have gotten worse and worse. I have an appointment with the eye doctor on Monday at 8am. And it's so painful to open them in the morning... or keep them open, that's what I feel like going to sleep so much lately. Because that way my eyes won't bother me.
It hurts to have them open, cold air and heat from the car vents hurt, it hurts to focus to crochet, it hurts in the computer... it hurts. My eyes hurt.
You know you are bad when all you can dream about is that you have an eyelash in them that you can't take out, or that a friends if walking you through the city looking for a pharmacy to get drops while holding your hand because you literally can't open your eyes.... those were my dreams the past 2 nights.

- The other thing is that, since January, we've been in this unending quest (well MG) for a job. MG's contract here will come to an end next year in late January... which means that we'll have to leave this lovely place and sadly, my friends and yarn-shop... For those of you who don't know, I spend a good chunk of every day in the yarn shop, hanging out, teaching crochet, helping customers, making sales, samples and starting new and exciting projects... I can be found there, usually 6 days a week, a lot of them from opening to closing. And it's absolutely amazing!!!!
Anyway, so MG's job ending means that we need to move, and most of all, FIND a job and a place to move to. And let me tell you.... it is not easy!!!!! at all!
We've sent who knows how many applications to tons of different places, for one or other reason it hasn't worked. Some interviews, calls, paperwork... but at the end, nothing has panned out.
Applying in the States this days when you are not a citizen is a very long shot... and applying in your country while being in another doesn't make it any easier...
So I'm having good thoughts about this and I know soon he'll find something wonderful and we'll go wherever we are needed.

See you soon, (when I can see without hurting)
S.

A sad pie... Strawberry pie....

Aren't those strawberries gorgeous??? We got a huge box, I think it is 4 lbs of strawberries...

So I decided to make a pie... last week, when MG was out, I had more food that what I needed and I a lot of fruit that would have gone bad if I didn't do something (I think that's totally bad written, but I couldn't think in another way to say it). Any way, last week, I made a strawberry pie and took it to the yarn shop. And It was Awesome!!!!
Delicious, sweet, pretty... total strawberry explotion! I took this picture before we finished it... everyone at the shop loved it...

So this week, I thought about doing a strawbery pie for the kids in the lab (not really kids, they are college students, but they happily eat all my baking adventures).

It came out nice and good looking, as last time.

So MG and I tried it before he took it to the lab, and it was AWFUL!!!!!!
Last night, before I made the pie, I had been preparing dinner and part of it included onion and mushrooms.
I washed the cutting board and knife and I made sure to scrub it really good so I could cut the strawberries....
Well, I don't know why but the pie was totally onion-y and horrible...
We agreed that it wasn't good or nice to take it to the lab like that. So we had to get rid of it. It was super sad!!! So no strawberry pie for now...

Here's the recipe I used... I totally recomend it!

See you soon!
S.

Maybe a little off....

I'm not sure what is it.
I am happy, very very happy... I've continued doing my excercise... not every day but I'm working hard on it, and I'm not hating it which is very good. I've been trying to eat healthier and drink plenty of water, but...
I feel off.
Even when I'm happy, I feel out of energy and not very inspired to do my crafts.
I've been doing them. I haven't stop crocheting or knitting or doing jewelry or photography. But I just feel blah. and I don't know why and I don't like it.

I hope soon will be better.

Until then,
S.

Not so nice day.

My morning yesterday was wonderful. I was at the Church were the Spinners and Weavers show would be held at 10.30am. My friends were already there.
I helped them mark the spaces where the different booths would be and then helped them unload their different things from the cars and then set up their booths.

I was amazed at all the things they carry and have to set up a nice display of their handmade things.
I have a friend that is a knitter and a weaver, another one that just knits, and one more that dyes yarn in delicious colors and makes soap.

People started coming later to set up more booths, quilting, baskets, felting, a lot of weaving and knitting... it was fun to watch the inside of a show.

After that I was going to go to the yarn shop and then come back when the show opened to the public in the evening.... but when I left there, I started to feeling bad... my stomach hurted and was upset and luckily I was just crossing the street from my house, like a block and a half away... to I run to my house and started feeling ill.
I talked to my mom and she said it could be an stomach infection and gave me all the recomendations that moms give.
After a while I layed on the couch and I was feeling so poorly and awful that I started to cry. I wanted my mom and she was so far away!!!! and I called MG but he didn't answer because he was in a seminar.
I was very cold and trembling and all my skin hurted and was so sensitive to contact with anything... I think I ran a fever for 2-3 hours in the afternoon/evening.
So I couldn't go back to the show... I just stayed in the couch and watched TV.
MG came home soon... thankfully!!! but only because he was a bit uncomfortable too, and he had pain in his back after some bad movement the day before... not nice.

Anyway, today we are better... he is off to the lab, and I'll rush to go to the show quickly and then to the shop as I am teaching a Christmas tree ornament class today!!!

See you soon!
S.

Happiness and frustation...

I can't tell you how excited I am with my cardigan porject...

It had grown nicely, steady and pretty... VEEERY pretty!!!

You can clearly see all the stitches and the patterns are defined. I have 7 stitch patterns going on at the same time, so it's a major challenge for me that I'm not really a knitter. Although after this one I might consider myself one!!

I go to the sleeve and worked succesfully on it... (the growing part to the right)

And since the body is worked in short rows respect to the neckline, it actually makes the neckline to be a LOT smaller and have considerable few rows than the body, which makes it to curve which in consequence make the cardigan to shape itself without really shapeing...

I've been working on it for 3 weeks and I'm very happy with it... right now I'm more than half way to the back...

But today... I realized that I've made a HUGE mistake!!!!
I can't understad how or why but I increased in 3 different rows in ths same place, resulting in 3 extra stitches along one of the patterns, and an extra stitch marker on my needle that I ab-so-lu-te-ly cannot remember puting....

And I've knitted 16 rows when I realized it!!!!!!!! can you imagine!!!!!!!!!!!?????????

I'm so in shock!

I was at the Yarn shop, so we took those stitches out in an attempt of seeing if we could hide the extra yarn behind somehow, but I think there's no good choice...

I will have to rip off those 16 rows!!! I'm scared.
I don't want to take it back one stitch at a time but ripping off 16 rows of different stitch patterns is just painful!!!
I don't know how to explain it, but I'm sure you understand...

I'm off now... MG just got home, plus we are getting down with a cold, he's worse than me but I'm afraid I'll get there too... headache.
I'll rest with a movie...

See you soon!
S.

Down...

Hello dear space and dear friends where ever you are...

I'm sorry but this will not be a happy posting... Some times, and I think most of the times, a lot of us in blogland block ourselves for those down days and not write about them... is not that our life is perfect and happy all the time, is just that we chose to focus on the bright and happy and not tell about the not so happy days...
(by the way, I must be tired and I can't think in English very good right now, hope what I write today makes sense... because I kind of feel it doesn't, like is not well written)

I feel like crying... I don't know why, I've just been down all day.
I had an amazing weekend:: I spend my evening on Friday at the LYS and the same on Saturday afternoon, almost 5 or 6 hours of knitty time with nice ladies... then I had a Saturday date night with my dear MG and he took me out to have sushi for dinner!! Yesterday was a perfect and happy day spent in my pj's with MG around... working on my scrapbook albums, and knitting...

And today.... I don't know, I'm simply not happy... and it's not exactly that if that makes sense...
I'm happy and utterly thankful for all the things in my life... I can't ask for more and my life is pretty much perfect... but I'm also sad.
I don't know if what have is that I'm homesick... I am going to Mexico in 3 weeks (yei!) and I'm really excited about going and spending 2 great weeks with my family... and all the time I'm thinking in how great it'll be and all I want to do in that time... and I'm enjoying so much my life here right now!
I'm finally (luckily) getting to that point where I have things to do, places to go, and people to see... I finally have some friends to hang out with and have lunch or do things together. I've come to know the city and places and I really love this place.

Besides all that, I'm in my best self moment in my relation with MG... I'm totally and completely inlove with him, more deep and stronger than ever!!! and that is absolutely great and makes me really really happy! I love him so so much!

And still, today I just want to cry...
Maybe I'm tired, maybe I'll get sick and my body and mind are down, I don't know... but I feel sad...

I went to the yarn store today because I'd made a mistake in my sleeveless tunic and I needed help... and it was all wrong!!!! I knit continental and I knew that I twist my stitches, but when they analized how I knit, I do 3 things wrong on each stitch... I was making a really (even) dense fabric, with twisted stiches and using a whole more yarn than I was supposed to... and on top of everything, my knitting was not straight (I forgot the way they told me that is called) but my rows of knitting were going to one side instead of going straight down... and I needed them straight down to this project, because otherwise the triangle points on each side of the "skirt" wouldn't be at the sides....

So very sadly we unraveled the whole thing... They said they would teach me the rigth way to do it next time I go to the store.... I came home and looked for continental knitting on youtube, and tried a practice swatch.... it feels like I've never knitted and I'm learning all over again... and as every new student, I put a lot of tension and pressure and now I have pain again in my hands... I had to stop because of it and I just feel so frustrated right now...

So that frustration, added to the crying feeling from before during the day, are not a very good combination....
I have to go, MG is here and we have to go groseries shopping... hope I'll get distracted!

Thanks for reading if you got all the way trought it!

See you soon!
S.

The Phone Call...

Yesterday was one of those days where MG and myself were both very tired, so we went to bed early.
MG was a bit frustrated of ending up in bed at 10pm on Saturday (we usually don't get there before 12), but there we went and fell asleep pretty soon...

4:30 in the morning and our phone rang... I got up quickly to answer it, not knowing the hour, and my heart was pounding hard and quick as happens when you are waked up suddenly from a deep sleep and also because the phone was ringing in the middle of the night and usually that means something is not right!

So... it was my brother, which was also strange, to tell me that they (mom, dad and him) were in the hospital because my mom had fallen and broken her foot and she needed surgery and they wanted to let me know.
I talked to my mom too and what happened was that they were getting home from a party and she was unloading the car, so she had her hands full when entered the house and she stumbled with something and rotated almost 360° on her foot so it cracked.

She went into surgery and we eventually went back to sleep.

At 8:30am my dad called again to let me know that she was out of surgery, still in the recovery room as she had general anesthesia, and he had talked to the doctor and he said that she had also broken her ligaments and they had to put some screws and metal rings on her! she'll be fine but she can't put weight in her foot for at least 6 weeks and she'll need therapy and rehab...

I'm so glad that we have this phone! It has a local number from Mexico so they can call anytime and just pay for a local call and we can call anytime and it's included in what we pay, so I can talk to them through this... and that makes me feel a bit better, though I feel awful of not being there and with her...

Thanks for reading...

See you soon!
S.

Ready for the trip....

I won't post any pics today... it's late, I'm lazy and sleepy, had a very full of things weekend and last day for errands today...
Several goodbyes, tons of hughs and some tears (I'm a crying person)...
All ready and packed, a loooooot of yarn squezed into a suitcase, the size that you can carry-on on the airplane.

So everything is good now... I'm a bit sad of leaving my friends and my family without knowing when (or if) I'll see them again...

I really hope it'll be soon!

Anyway, this is what it is.... I'm very happy-super excited-heart skippy of being hours away of The Reunion with MG... I know he has missed me... I for sure have missed him a LOT, and we are less than a day apart... around 14 hours to see him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Am I lucky or what????

I'm off to bed! I have to be charged for tomorrow... hope the excitement will let me sleep!

See you soon!
S.

Sadness

I've been in my home country for 2 weeks now, I love being here and seeing family and friends has been such a blessing and a great oportunity.
Grandma was very sick and weak 4 weeks ago, and she recovered almost completly the next day after my arrival. It's great to see her ok, and fighting.
My friends are awsome and I'm very happy talking with them and catching up in the tiny bits of life that we miss being apart.
I've enjoyed tons my parents, my family, had amazing times with my mom.
Very cultural days including 2 plays at the theatre and museums and a lot more.

But this has been also a very difficult time, because I need to renew my visa so I can go back to MG's arms, and I've been asked for a specific paper at the Embassy that we don't have and isn't the easiest thing to get.
So we have been struggling with that, having some-very-stressful conversations over the phone, and thinking in everything we can do to get that paper so I can go back with him.

This have me stressed, and anxious, but the worst part is that it has MG worried, stressed and it's not easy for him to talk with me... so I miss him a lot. We haven't had fun conversations over the phone, and we bearly spoke this week... and that makes me feel so sad... and husbandsick.
It's so frustrating not being able to sort things out and have a solution for a problem. And it's awful not to be together to at least have a hug or hold hands to comfort each other.
So it appears that I'll be "stuck" here for at least one more month, a bit more that we had planned as my plane was booked for next Friday.

I really, really hope that this will work somehow... but right now, I feel a bit empty.
I'm missing MG so much, and I get worried and sad that he is too.
All this makes difficult for me to enjoy my people and I kinda feel guilty from while to while of had coming, for being here... and it makes difficult to him to enjoy and focus on his new job.

Hope to see you soon!
S.