The waiting is the hardest part...

Well, I had hoped that my next post would be some really good news about how I was officially accepted into the Masters program I applied to. I was accepted as a provisional student by the department, but that requires approval from the Graduate College of the university. After I received an email that stated I was added to the program's ListServ, I sent an email to the department asking them to confirm my acceptance. They replied back that the Graduate College would be making a decision very soon, hopefully that day.
That was Thursday.
After obsessively checking my email on the hour all day Thursday and Friday, I finally gave up around 3:00, since it's a holiday weekend and the university is one time zone ahead of me. Now I have to wait until Tuesday.

I actually have some FO's, but I'm also waiting for my new camera to arrive. I ordered it from Dell, and the docking station was shipped out right away but I had to wait for the camera. The shipping on this thing has been seriously screwed up. Now, I know it's my fault that I put the wrong zip code in, but the first package found its way home all right! In looking at the tracking history for this package, it was shipped on 5/17 with an estimated delivery date of 5/16. Yeah, DHL is right on top of it!

So I call DHL to give them the correct zip code, and get all this crap about how I have to contact the shipper to get the address changed. I politely inform the girl that I don't want to change the address, I'm just correcting the damn zip code! She tells me that she'll put in the request, but can't guarantee that they'll deliver without a written statement from Dell. So I ask her why did they deliver the first package that had a bad zip code with no problem? (Incidentally, that package was shipped on 5/1 and delivered on 5/2). She couldn't answer that.

I finally got a phone call on Thursday (yes, it was the LONGEST Thursday of my life) saying that my package was with the delivery driver and would be delivered that day. I get all of my packages delivered to work since there's always someone there to sign for things; we are on a first-name basis with our UPS driver, who already knows all of our last names. Why Dell didn't ship this UPS will forever remain a mystery to me.

5:30 (our closing time) rolls around and the DHL guy is a no show. I check the tracking that night and it says that they tried to deliver at 6:41, the place was closed and they will attempt the next business day. Okay, Friday, get to work, check the tracking and the package is out for delivery. Is it too much to assume that if you are attempting to deliver a package and the place is closed, you would then make note of the POSTED business hours and return the next day within that time frame!!!??? According to the tracking information it looks like they didn't even bother to make a delivery attempt.

So here we are on Saturday, and surprise surprise, it says the package is with the Delivery Courier! I'm not holding my breath though, the place closes at 2:30 on Saturdays.

Spring Fling Goodness

Well, I thought I'd received all my packages...

I got a package from my Knitty Spring Fling Secret Pal! The package was lying on my doorstep when I stopped off at home to drop my son off; good thing, or else I wouldn't have seen it until much later...

Check out the loot!
Firstly, stuff to make socks with:

A pattern from a fellow Knittyhead to make ankle socks, plus everything to make the socks with! 2 balls of Cascade Fixation and some DPNs! Also in this picture is a lovely book of handmade paper. One of my friends suggested I use it as a journal for all of my knitting projects...when I get to the end, there should be lace!
Also included were some cute items:

I really love the sheep-y measuring tape. Everything came in this cute bag...
complete with a crabby scrubby!

THANK YOU SECRET PAL!!!
All I can say is that my Secret Pal must be a veteran of these things! This package was thoughtful and lovely and surprising all at the same time! Oh, and she left some clues about who she is, she lives in Portland and has a blog, and is currently working on projects from No Sheep for You. I'm off to do some research to see if I can figure out who my excellent benefactor is...

It's raining yarn!

Coming to work yesterday there was a package waiting for me, my Webs order...and then today I got all the rest of the yarn I'd ordered, from Knitpicks and 2 cones of Peaches n Creme I ordered from a very nice lady on eBay:

It's almost
too much yarn.

I finally made a decision on the baby blanket, it's going to be knit on the bias in randomly generated colors of Knitpicks Crayon. In case you couldn't see in in the picture above, here are the colors I chose:


My priority right now is to finish the wedding gift dishcloths (at least 2), then the baby kimonos, then the wrist warmers, then the leg warmers. Then the blanket. Wish me luck!

Provisionally accepted...almost!

I finally got a response from U of A...They are recommending me for acceptance into the program, dependent upon approval from the Graduate College.
Wow.
Everyone I've spoken to says that it's just a formality, that the graduate college just needs to rubberstamp my application since it's the department that has already accepted me, but I'll wait until I get official word. I don't want what happened last time to repeat itself, where I got an acceptance letter from the university followed by a rejection letter from the department. In the meantime, I'll just knit and wait.

Noob goof alert #2

I was doing so well with the Mason-Dixon baby kimono, I loved the way the yarn-overs were making a nice little lacy pattern on the edge...

Yep, right on the edge. It was only until I started working the second half that I realized that there was no possible way I could do the yo at the end of the row to make it match up. Poor little kimono will have to take a trip to the frog pond. At least I don't have to frog the whole thing, just up to the shoulders. I'm setting the darn thing aside anyway, to finish the wedding present dishcloths. The Peaches n Creme cones are finally on their way so I want to at least finish the first dishcloth before they arrive.

And when I restart the kimono, I will remember to do the yo one stitch before the end at the neck edge.

It's been a busy week

It's been a very busy week, with very little time left for knitting. We spent last weekend driving up to LA and back twice so Jarred could participate in Displace Me, an event through Invisible Children. He and a friend spent the night in a cardbord shelter, and they had only water and saltine crackers. The event is supposed to simulate a refugee camp in Uganda.
Driving back the next morning to pick him up, we learned that DH's Tia, who had taken him in when he was in the seventh grade, had finally passed on. She had been in the hospital since mid-February. This woman was a fighter; she'd lost her kidneys 25 years ago and defied all odds to make it as long as she did. Last we'd heard, they had moved her out of the CCU and into a private room so we all thought she was improving. Now I have no idea what to do with the afghan I started for her. Is it wrong to finish it and give it to someone else?
My goals for May are to finish the 2 baby kimonos, I'm almost done with the blue one actually, and knit at least 4 dishcloths for Jarred's band teacher. He's getting married in July and the wedding shower is at the end of the month. I'm planning to knit dishcloths in the school colors, with a musical note pattern.
Oh, I'm also waiting on some yarn I ordered from the Webs sale...something for my Spring Fling Secret Pal, and yarn for legwarmers.