It's ALIIIIIIIIIIIIVVVVVEEEEE!

I feel something akin to Gene Wilder's character in Young Frankenstein (or would it be FRANK-en-steen?).  Either way, I'm torn between excitement and dismay.

Why?  Because I published my very first pattern.  I'm so damned afraid that no one will like the thing.  I'm sure other designers feel that more often than not.

But still....you know?

Mr. DJ had a large part in me making this pattern.  He was the one that encouraged me to try.  I was hesitant for one reason, I didn't know if I could.  The thought percolated in my head for several weeks before I had a picture of what I wanted.

And here it is:

 

Made with not even 130 yards of a superwash/sillk blend fingering weight yarn.  It smooshes down into almost nothing.  A soft nothing, though.  I can see someone wearing this on those early spring days that are sunny but windy enough.  Someone tested Gateway in a DK weight.  It looks so cozy, too.

Now it's a waiting game to see how it goes.  What can I say?  I might need some validation.

I have brownies cooling on the stove.  Want to know the worst part about brownies?  Smelling them while you wait for the pan to cool enough to cut.

Torture, I tell you.  And yelling at them to cool faster isn't working.  Dammit.

Imp is off for his first day at his new school.  I'm hoping that this one goes better than the old district.  I was getting the impression that they wrote my son off on the basis of his last name.  See, my brother and I went to the same district, and one teacher had the damned cojones to tell my brother while he was a sophomore that he was wasting time and should drop out.

Imp had a teacher last year to tell him to shut up, that he was just wasting time in class.  Needless to say, I saw red.

Anyway, news:

There is no way for me to get my student loans deferred.  And I'm still trying to find a job.  It's getting more and more soul sucking as I try.

It also doesn't help that the medications I take for my migraines are gone.  And I can't get more until the neurologist gets the paperwork for the patient assistant program sent off.

I'm also at a standstill with the ACA healthcare.  See, Illinois requires something called an 'RIN' in order to enroll.  The RIN is only found on a medical card.  Which, you know, I don't have.  So, in order to enroll for an insurance plan, I have to apply for a medical card first.  Just to get that RIN.  It makes no sense to me.  I'm still waiting for the medical card or denial.  Once I have that number, I'll be able to get insurance.

And while all this is going on, I'm trying to design my very first knitting pattern.

It's going to be a lacey cowl called 'Gateway'.  I'm knitting it on size six needles with fingerweight yarn from Larkshead.  Who just happens to be my LYS owner.  It's a colorway called 'worn in' of 85 sw wool/ 15 silk.

And it's soft.  I'm hoping to have enough left over to try something else in this yarn.  Right now, I'm about halfway through knitting it.  At least one of my testers finished it.