By the side of the road

Today is tutoring day, which means I still haven't started riding the bus, as I have to leave straight from campus to get to Hancock Park (I may be mixing up neighborhood names here) in time to review multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, and other things of a matherly nature. Matherly. Will rethink that one.

However, as I was driving up Wilshire today, I noticed a fire truck. By the side of the road. With lights flashing.

Hmm, I thought. Wonder if there was a car accident.

I continued to drive, letting people merge over. As I glanced toward the sidewalk, I noticed this:
1. A crowd of people
2. A car stopped mid turn
3. A shaken girl, standing next to a man with his arm around her
4. Paramedics
5. A man lying in the street, blood coming from his mouth.

Wow. People joke about traffic and bad drivers in LA. Until you see someone not moving in the street. Then it really hits you - these car things? They're for real. This isn't the 6 o'clock news, this is 3 blocks from where you live.

I read Blink, not too long ago. One of the stories that really stuck with me is how sometimes you can catch alot from a glance. And how sometimes you can miss way too much. Maybe the guy didn't get hit. Maybe he was going to be ok. But still, very shaken.

So I'm going to Stitch and Bitch tonight, to hang out with people and get this off my mind. And to work on my new socks.

And the fuzzy blue socks! After so many socks made, this is the first pair I've made for myself. And they're fuzzy. And blue. Did I mention they're incredibly fuzzy? Hehe :) 

My favorite part - the buttons. Because they match so darn well 

Finally done - the Red Riding Hood Scarf from one of the Hollywood Knits books (I could get up and figure out which one, but eh. I'm lazy) 

Fabulous blog

I ran across Threadbared a few days ago and have to share - it's hilarious. Esp. the Barbie crochet patterns.

Brought a whole slew of knitting with me to work today. Today is reaction day. For those of you who don't know what that is, it basically means I get in freakishly early, spend 2 hours setting up a reaction, another 2 waiting for it to finish, and the rest of my life removing solvent. Hence all the knitting. Along with a few DVDs, I'm set to be entertained. Very very close to finishing my fuzzy blue socks (woohoo!), also finally done with Red Riding Hood scarf (will post pictures soon. As soon as I can figure out who to con into modeling it)

Sadly, all these early mornings have gotten me into the habit of drinking coffee. I know what you're saying - A grad student not addicted to coffee? I'm working on it :) Just need to learn how to not make it taste awful. Apparently those years of tea drinking have not made me a master coffee brewer....

I gave in to temptation and walked down to Wildfiber last night (since Wednesday is their open late day) to browse the yarn. Although my self-imposed budget does not allow for any more yarn until I clear out alot of it (ie, until I can fit all the yarn in bags, on the floor, and on the shelves into those 4 drawer systems I have for yarn), I vaguely remember Wildfiber having a good sale room. Not any more. I know it's hard for yarn stores to make a profit (though I suspect this is slightly easier in LA than smaller cities) and yarns are inherently expensive. But their sale room has gone from 50 to 40 to now 30% off. Not really much of a discount anymore. Sigh. They are a great place for the hand-dyed and specialty yarns though!

Looking forward to SnB

Here it is, only Monday morning, and I'd rather be knitting. After a long drive this morning, I'm exhausted. And I'm only at work until 2 today, at which time I leave to start my tutoring rounds. A PhD student in Biomedical Engineering, tutoring a 3rd and 5th grader in math. As my ex said, "I'm not sure you're qualified"

The thing is, I'm so over qualified I have a hard time remember what I learned in elementary school. Don't ask how long it took me to remember how to multiply fractions. I found myself wishing for my trusty Casio graphing calculator with menu that only 5 other people in the world (one of them my younger brother) can use. Haha, take that TI!

No major knitting news to speak of. Picked up the blue and fuzzy socks to finish up. Thinking about jumping on the bandwagon and making the Claptois from Knitty with my new personally dyed yarn. Trying to talk my friend into coming to SnB with me tomorrow. Though she doesn't knit, I told her she could wind some of my yarn. Aren't I a good friend :)

In non knitting news, I impulsively decided to chop my hair short again. Still getting used to it! But it'll be nice for summer (though I use that term loosely - LA doesn't seem to have real seasons. At least not near the coast!)

My yarn, all wound up! 

My yarn from the yarn dying class at Stitch Cafe, right after I finished dying it. 

Wearing the shawl before I part with it :) 

So many WIPs...

Finally finished the Red Riding Hood Scarf, in the process of blocking it. I'm not sure what made me think knitting a scarf in May in LA would be practical. I'm pretty sure that thought never crossed my mind, come to think of it. Also picked up the needles for my second blue and blue sock (though I still need to put the heel in the first sock!) Going out to Knit Cafe to pick up my yarn from the yarn dying class last weekend - very excited! I'll put up some pictures as soon as I figure out where I put my camera....maybe it's in lab....hmm.

If only I could knit in my car...

I love my new car. Mostly because it hasn't broken down on me yet. Unlike the Jetta...well, the Jetta never completely broke down...it just had a multitude of issues. As I drove into school today, I realized how little knitting I was doing these days, now that I wasn't riding the bus. It started off as a "I just had knee surgery, I can't possibly walk 5 blocks and 2 flights of stairs to work" But it's been 7 weeks....I think I'm just drunk on the power of the handicapped permit.

I took a yarn dying class this weekend and am completely hooked. Sigh. Where in my small studio apartment could I dye yarn...hmm....As if I really need more yarn right now :) Mom got the shawl and loves it (hehe, she called me an experienced knitter. Cracks me up!) and has put in an order for another! Now if only I could finish all these other projects....

I'm enjoying this whole knitting ring surfing thing. I added Stat Counter to my other blog and found out that someone in Santa Monica has been Googling me....sometimes it is possible to know too much!

And all pinned out. The pattern looks alot clearer with the flash than it does in real life. I'll have to tell my mom to have strobe lights around her when she wears it. 

And a close up 

Finally done - the shawl for Mother's Day. Pre-blocking! 

Finding a better calendar

Or just actually looking at mine. I started the Flower Basket Shawl from Interweave Knits, thinking I would have plenty of time to finish it before Mother's Day. Think again. While I've made great progress in the week I've been working on it, it still won't be done in time to ship up to Napa. Sigh.

I'm sure this also has nothing to do with me starting another new project (a scarf with a hood) for the flight up to Napa last weekend. I'm sure that hasn't been preventing me from working on the shawl at all!

Hope to have some more stuff done soon to post more pics!