Updates of Knitting and Work (Environment)

YOlympic Knitting Update
As it turned out last night, I overstated the case when I said that I only had to cast off the YOlympic shawl. How many times did I look at the instructions? Even specifically to see if there was anything else to do after the final lace section repeat? And yet it wasn't until I sat down and looked at it that I thought, "this doesn't seem right for the bottom border ..." looked at the picture, and finally saw the bit of the pattern just before it says "bind off" where it turns out you have to "knit four rows". Oops! I'm glad that I didn't have this revelation during the closing ceremonies ("Quick, knit 1200 stitches and then bind off 300!"), but it wasn't a problem mid-week. I knit one row last night, then brought it to my alternate-week knitting group tonight and finished it there. Happy dance! My hands hurt a little, but it's worth it.

I wonder how much blocking will change the way it looks? It should open the lace part up a bit, at least. Well, I won't be getting to that for a little while; I have plans this Saturday, and I doubt I will fit it into my single get-everything-done day Sunday. Maybe the following weekend. I'll get before and after pictures, of course.

The Continuing Saga of the Temperature in the Office 

I hadn't wanted to jinx things, but as of last week, the temperatures at work have been much more moderate, running around 76-77, a 5-degree increase over the previous averages. It was so very pleasant to not be freezing! To not have to wear two or three layers, and to be able to concentrate on something other than how cold I was. To feel neither shuddering relief at stepping out into a hot day, nor shivering resentment at stepping out into a not hot enough day--this is good, as is not feeling that I must park in the sun so the car will be hot enough to warm me up quickly when I come out of the building.

Or it was. Unfortunately, Tuesday morning when I walked in it was freezing. Apparently when the early arrivals noticed the heat coming on (something that has happened before; it's a very weird building), someone went to move the thermostat and overcompensated, and it was about 71 all day. Brrr! I find it distracting to be so cold. Picture me yesterday, wearing a short-sleeved polo shirt, a light long-sleeved shirt, a fleece jacket zipped up, a scarf, and fingerless mitts, shivering in the breeze, hands in pockets whenever possible. Ridiculous. I was still wearing corduroys, wool socks and closed shoes, or I don't know what I would have done; one of my poor coworkers wore a skirt. Mr. Thermostat-Adjuster fell several places on my list (or rose, depending on what you call the list). 

Mid-afternoon, I remembered that a month or so ago, when I was cold, I'd brought in a pair of microwave hand warmers I have, and I nuked them to put in my pockets. It helped a lot, since even with the mitts my hands were so cold I didn't want to keep my hand on the mouse between moves. Ridiculous to need it, but glad to have it.

Today one of my coworkers made a (minute) adjustment, and it was about 74, which is much more bearable. (No, I don't know why we didn't try that yesterday. Please do not apply logic. Our brains were frozen too.) Especially considering that in my rush to leave home in the morning, I left my long-sleeve shirt and sweater on the kitchen table, whoops! Still had the fleece, but it wasn't what I'd planned.

Speaking of work, some more new people have started at work recently, and I've noticed something. Fellow working women, please ask someone you trust if you have a limp-fish handshake, and if you do, work on that. I don't like the hand-crushers either, but there's middle ground.