Don't Worry. It really pisses me off when people say that to me, because it can be so condescending. Like, don't worry your pretty little head about some valid concern that you have. I'm a worrier, okay? There have been a couple of instances when I've been told not to worry recently at work and it has me very worried. Worried about looking for a new job. No, I don't think that I'll get fired (touch wood), but I've been thinking about moving on for a while now. It's all such a drag that I want to pull the covers up over my head and only come out for issues of the New Yorker or yarn.

Speaking of yarn, my stash is out of control. It has taken on ridiculous proportions. The main reason for this is Stitches, aka when Kirstin bought enough yarn for the whole year. There have also been things bought on the interweb. I got in a wee bit of trouble when three packages showed up in one day. In my defense, only two were yarn. I've got to go on a yarn diet and I'm serious this time. I know, you've heard it before. If you had a peak at my stash on Ravelry, though, you'd understand the reason for my consternation.

I also recently declared a no new projects policy, then quickly broke it. So, I'm adding some fine print. Socks don't count. I finished my Jitterbug socks and quickly started on a pair of socks in Dream in Color Smooshy yarn. The label says that it is Chinatown Apple color, but much *internet research* leads me to believe that it's Strange Harvest. I'm thinking of giving the resulting socks to a friend. I've really got to befriend more people with small feet! I'm on a real sock binge at the moment, so I think the sock exemption is necessary. This might be as successful as my "smoking in Europe or while drunk does not count" policy, but we'll see.

Today, I was watching the travel channel and knitting, when a program about Stockholm came on. I really had no idea that Sweden was so beautiful! That comment probably has the Norwegian ancestors spinning in their graves, but Stockholm seems much lovelier than I'd expected. It probably doesn't hurt that they shot the program in the summer. So, Scandinavia goes on my mental travel list. I've already seen the ancestral home in England, so maybe I should learn more about the other places in the family tree.

All the while, I worked on the Picovoli. It's almost done, and I cannot tell you what a relief that is. If I had to tear anything else out of this yarn, it would have turned to permanent yarn ramen. It's good yarn, and not a hard pattern. I think it just needed a bit more attention that I gave it. For example, I noticed that the shaping in the back is wonky. Not lumpy or zigzagged, but the darts both run in the same direction instead of being mirrored. At this point, I really don't care. Yarn abuse? Maybe. I am making an artful ribbed edging around the hem so that it doesn't roll up and make a donut around my waist. I'm also going to crochet around the neckline to stabilize it, and make little sleeves. I tried it on today to assess the length and was really pleased with the sweater. It is very similar to a t-shirt, but somehow looks more sophisticated. That's probably the sheen of the cotton and tencel blend yarn.

Not everything has been a drag lately. I won at bingo again. I gave most of my winnings away, keeping a little stash of Smarties for myself, and giving Bianca a pair of light up glasses. They could easily go from library to rave and look implausibly good on her. Who knew that yellow plastic novelty glasses could look good?

The next day, I was off to brunch with Lisa and the Loopy anniversary party. There was quite the turnout at the party. Knitters can't resist a sale that also features free wine and cake. There were a lot of other Ravelry peeps there, as well as Franklin. I can't believe that he isn't on Ravelry yet, especially considering that his blog has its own Ravelry fan group. Franklin was fairly busy with his 1,000 Knitters shoot, but I had a chance to talk to him for a while. He even remembered me from the yarn tasting at the start of the summer, which gave me a dorky thrill. If you don't read the Panopticon, I highly recommend it. I spent most of the evening sitting in front of a wall of Manos del Uruguay. It sounds like a wallflower move, but I got to talk to a lot of people. You see, I was sitting next to the wine.

I didn't drink any of the wine, but I was still exhausted the next day at work. Did you know that I work Saturday mornings? Or that I am not a morning person? Too much partying the last couple of days really drained my battery. Maybe it was a yarn fumes hangover. I can't party like a rock star anymore.