Controlled Chaos

I've been pretty scarce around here again, mostly because I'm presently overwhelmed by life.

A week from tomorrow I take off for a conference in Austin, TX, at which I will be giving my first real presentation in front of people I don't know. I've done plenty of poster presentations at conferences and given many talks to groups of familiar people, but never a 'real' talk in front of a 'real' audience. Of course, it doesn't help that I'm still analyzing part of my data, or that I had to move out of my office for next week because of remodeling.

Actually, half the people in our research group have been displaced and the contents of their offices are piled in all the remaining available spaces. This is not exactly conducive to productivity. I guess the good news in that when I return from the conference I will have a repainted, recarpeted office full of custom built furniture. This was supposed to be a reward for us, but with all the comedy of errors involved in ordering and scheduling, it feels more like a punishment.

To counter all the craziness at work, I've been taking refuge in my knitting. Talk about chaos.

I've finally reached the intarsia at the top of the sleeves for CPS. I started off knitting the sleeves at the same time and was going to work on them one at a time when I reached this point, but now it just doesn't seem necessary.

While this may look like a total nightmare, it's actually not that bad. The Jo Sharp yarn doesn't get tangled and the lengths are short enough that butterflies aren't necessary. I weave in as I go. The extra concentration this requires is very calming. I can work my way across, tiding everything up in a way I can't manage with the rest of life right now.

There's other knitting going on as well. I'm almost don't with the third block of my Manos afghan [have I mentioned that?]; I've been knitting catnip mice for the cats of all my friends and neighbors; and yesterday I sat out in the front yard and knit on a sock. More front yard sock knitting is on the agenda for today. Today is one of the most gloriously beautiful autumn days I have ever seen.

I was cleaning out the memory card in the camera and found a few pictures I never got around to showing.

These are some of the mice (unstuffed) that I sent for the Mouse-a-thon. I hope they serve the cause well.

Here's Molly next to the minican that came with my awesome new trash can. Molly likes the way it make her look like a big cat.

Finally, here's a bit of diversion via The Internet Tourbus. Are you the ultimate hostess? Play RSVP and find out. [Hey, something from 'Lifetime: Television for Women' that doesn't involve the depiction of the imperilment of women and/or children! Although I'm a woman, I'm obviously not their target audience.].