I've been a bit quiet recently due to job uncertainty and the related stress. I even called in sick to school on Wednesday due to the stress. I started a new job at a subsidiary of my company on Friday. Nothing was firmed up until 3pm on Thursday. The new job is interesting and uses a different set of job skills, most of which have been dormant since early-mid 2004, so these next couple of weeks should be interesting in terms of catching back up. Only major downside to the job right now is that is twice as far away from home, but I'm not sure I'm really allowed to complain about a 10 miles commute. Very few people I know are lucky enough to have one under 20 miles.

At knit group last Saturday, the half done body side of Catherine was frogged and I haven't restarted it yet. After frogging the piece of Catherine, I worked on my Danica scarf which I finally picked up again (after starting it early this year). Danica frustrated me initially as I hadn't learned to pick up stitches yet and my approximation was overly complicated. Now that I've done two pair of socks with gusset heels, I've figured out how pick up stitches much more effectively.

This week I didn't feel like working on either Catherine or Danica, or my other projects, so I started a new project: the Turtle from The World of Knitted Toys. So far, it is going well. MJ finished a gorgeous shawl at knit group today and then started some really bright socks that are totally her. TOK is working on a log cabin blanket and it is really starting to grow on me as something I should add to my list of projects. (Hmm, I think I've lost count of how many things that I want to do.)

After knit group, Linda drove MJ and me to a couple yarn shops, one of which was in Manitou. I'd not been to either yarn shop before, but car pooling to them was a wonderful idea. The parking at each is non-existent. The store in Manitou is focused, primarily, on handspun and hand-dyed yarns. The bright socks MJ started are using yarn from this shop. I found some really neat yarn in the Manitou shop and came home a little poorer, but happier of course.

Pictures can't do the yarn justice, but this is what I found in Manitou:

The green squares near the bottom are three of the shell pieces for Turtle.

(Unfortunately, Linda didn't kidnap me long enough. I got home in time to mow the front yard.)