It's been a while

I know, it's been a while since I updated! Well, there's been lots going on, and the thought of how much it would take to update it here was what kept me from writing.  So, I've decided to do a short list:

1.  New Job

I got a new job! My last day at the old job was March 20, and I actually start my new job tomorrow! I'm  excited and nervous, but really excited that my commute is going to be 10 minutes!! And, I will be working with people!!!! Very very exciting!

2.  Vacation

I've been on vacation for about 10 days, and it's been awesome.  Plenty of time for knitting, running, yard work, and relaxing.

3. Running

This is something I'm so proud of right now!  Over the past few months I have been running 4 to 5 times a week.  I've been slowly building up to running straight through, and increasing mileage and speed.  Today, I ran 4.8 miles without walking once.  I'm signed up for a 5 K mid April, and then, (this is super exciting), I'm signing up for a 10K here in Livingston! On my birthday! I can't wait.

4. Medical

So, we got health insurance finally, through Jon's job.  So, I was able to go to a doctor, a friend from my knitting group actually. A bunch of tests were done and I found out why I have been feeling so crappy for a very long time.  Nothing really serious, but two things that I'll have to monitor and take medication for, for the rest of my life.  Not ideal, however since I've started taking the medicine I have been feeling amazing!! Honestly, I feel like a different person, and I've found a joy in life, that I haven't felt for years.

5.  17 pounds, missing

And, I don't want it back! So, when I found out what was going on with my body, and I began fixing it, combined with the running, I've lost 17 pounds so far.  I'm still going strong, and my goal weight is 145. I have 56.6 pounds left to loose.  It's ok, you can do the math.  I'm down from a 16 to 14, and from xl to l, and I actually bought a size 12 pair of capris that are my short term goal, I can get them on, but they don't even come close to zippering.  I think another 10 to 15 pounds, and they'll slide right on!

6.  Missing my husband

And, I DO want him back! Jon left for the Grand Canyon about a week ago.  He'll be on the river for 24 days, and then about 4 or 5 days driving to and from, so about a month total he'll be gone.  The main benefit here is that for a month, the house will be clean and stay clean.  However, all in all, it's a total bummer! I miss my best friend.

Well, that's all for now!

I'll try to update about my first day or first week on the job!

It's time for a celebration!

Happy First Sweater To Me, Happy First Sweater To Me, Haaaappy First Sweater To Meeee, Happy Sweater, To Meeeeeeee.

So, did you guess it yet?  I finished my first sweater! Tea Leaves Cardigan by Madelinetosh.

Jon took about 8 pictures of me, and this is the only one I would even consider posting in a public forum, so it's all you're getting, unless someone trains Jon to take better photos! ( I may admit too, that I'm not good at "posing" for photos) .

So other things worth noting:  I have an economics final tomorrow, been studying all night tonight! Also, as if having an economics final wasn't torture enough, I have an appointment to get my taxes done as well... 

But, here's the good stuff:  I do have another sweater on the needles, it's the Tree Jacket from Zephyr Style.  I don't have pictures yet, but I will, I promise.  All is going well on this venture.  I really like making sweaters, but I'm thinking more and more about socks.  It's probably time soon.  

And, here's where I need your help! I have about 1200 yards of Malabrigo worsted, single ply, merino wool (need an xl out of that).  I'm not sure what to do with it.... so I'm welcoming any and all suggestions please! Here's a picture so you know what we've got to work with: 

Why don't you have another picture?  Just for the heck of it: 

Did someone say stash?

So, a couple of weeks? month? ago, I was talking with Sue and I mentioned that I really didn't have a stash, that I simply bought yarn and used it.  If I didn't have a project to start, then I didn't buy yarn.  Simple as that.  She seemed incredulous.

So, I did have a bit of yarn sitting around from the February Lady Sweater that I started, and quickly ended, I was so not up to the ability of the pattern, so I decided to save the yarn, do some other things and then get back to the Lady.

Ok, so this may seem unrelated, but, just wait.  Meet Mr. Samuel, and yes, he prefers the formality.

We have a cat that pees.  (see above)

He refuses to use the litter box, he just pees anywhere else. Recently the highlight of his life was destroying our 1 year old mattress.  It was a REALLY comfortable mattress.  So we've implemented some rules in the house:

1.  All doors to bedrooms, laundry room, and closets, must be shut at all times
2.  Nothing can ever, ever go on the floor
3.  Find the cat and drag him outside at least twice a day

All of this is totally natural and not inconvenient at all.

So the cat has totally trained us, it's fine.  Here he is again (he looks quite evil in this one), on his perch on top of the refrigerator.

Ok, reenter yarn in a bag meant to be for the Lady.  Bag is stored on the floor (see rule #2) right next to tupperware containers that contain fabric and sewing notions.  But I figured this was an exception to the rule, because the bag was next to hard, plastic items, the bag was small, and it would be impossible for any animal to balance on the small, soft, bag long enough to soak is in acrid urine.  Right? Wrong.

I was doing the laundry when I saw the puddle.  It was sort of nearby the washing machine, and I tried my hardest to believe that it was just that the brand new machine had somehow leaked.  It didn't.  And, yes, the cat did, he peed on my yarn.  My stash.  My non-existant stash.

So, I had been meaning to organize a few of my left over yarn scraps and this was the perfect opportunity to do so.  I cried as I threw away 4 skeins of purple worsted, and 1 skien of left over purple bulky alpaca goodness, but then... the yarn kept coming.  There was other yarn, other than for the Lady! Actually, there was a lot of yarn.  And, so... apparently I actually have a stash!

So here it is, presenting in all it's glory, (protection provided by ziplock), my STASH.

Well, it's still in it's beginning stages, but just give me some time.  Wouldn't you agree though, that, that's a pretty good stash coming from someone who thought there was no stash?  

  Just one more, because I'm so proud!

Oh, and don't panic, the stash, not only is protected by Ziplock, but it now has it's very own drawer.  Impenetrable By Cat.

Sunday Knits

Sunday means good  great conversation, food, fun, and of course, there's the knitting.  There are so many stories that are told, topics discussed, and knitting victories had.  Today if I had to pick just one of those things I think it's this:


About 3 or 4 weeks ago, Miriam ( a new knitter of just a month or two) arrived about a half hour after we had all really started seriously knitting (there's breakfast and coffee to be had before we get into the bulk of knitting).  Well, Miriam had come to inform us that... she was giving up knitting.  It was too hard.  She's done, through, she quit, it's over.  She came to see if Heather was there to teach her how to crochet.  The logic, "there's only one stick instead of two, it has to be easier!"  


Our lone crocheter was not in attendance that week.  And, no, of course we didn't let her quit!! We set her up with new yarn, new needles, and a new pattern.  The following week she was still knitting the object (I think it was a scarf, it really doesn't even matter though) and then we come today, after I've been absent from knitting for 2 weeks.  


I sit down, I look around to check out what everyone is working on, and mostly everyone has the same thing they had 2 weeks ago, except... Heather, who is taking a break from the blanket she's been crocheting for 30 years (no, I'm not even exaggerating), she's making a baby hat.  AND... This is where you need to take a seat, get ready for jaw dropping moment, take a deep breath... Miriam was knitting a... wait for it.... 




S O C K.  A sock.  A SOCK!!!!!!!


Not only was she knitting this sock, by the end of the session she was ready to turn the heel!! Amazing! 


Just 3 to 4 weeks earlier, ready to quit, and now, she's making socks.  


Just one more reason, I love knitting.  

Somethings Never Change...

And others do.  

Coming home to my mothers house, the house that I grew up in, is always such a comforting experience.  The house has changed since I left, it's been changing ever since we moved in with the constant reno. I was just about to begin the 8th grade when we moved into the house that will forever represent home to me, and when I first saw it I thought wow, this is big, and it's stuck in the 70's! So ever since day 1 my stepfather has been in the process of renovation.  It's been a long process, but there's been some amazing, beautiful progress made.  

And so, some things stay the same:

The supreme level of spotlessness that is my mothers house.  A level of cleanliness I can only strive for, and will never, ever attain. 

No shortage of baked goods.  

The blue stripes, yellow walls, and my bedroom that still looks like Laura Ashley vomited all over it.  

Oh yes, there is a bed spread to match.  

Some things change:

For as long as I can remember my mom's house has been FREEZING.  The loving advice we were told, and our mantra became "Put on a sweater!" Today, the house is comfortable, toasty warm even thanks to the new geo thermal system.  This is a welcome change! 

The brand new living room, that for as long as I ever lived in this house had the floors covered with drop clothes, and saw horses were erected for painting various trim for various other rooms in the house. I think it stayed that way for about... 8 years??  Today this room is now the favorite room in the house.  I don't have a picture, and I'm to lazy to go get one.  

And, finally, I changed.  Me.  Big change.  I am married now, I am an adult (or so I pretend to be), I have my own home, life, husband, dogs,  that I have left for this stay at my mom's house. It's an interesting feeling, of truly being an adult and back at mom's house.  I'm liking the change, but also in a way, it's sort of bittersweet.  

On the knitting front:

Oh, and I'm sure you were expecting to see my finished sweater, and the lace scarf for my mom.  Nope.  The sweater is in the exact same condition as it left Montana.  Still needs trim, and button holes, and buttons.

 Here's how far I got on the scarf:  

I finally discovered after 5 tries, that I was doing my yarnovers wrong.  Yarnovers, wrong.  Yarnovers, are the thing that every beginning knitter does CONSTANTLY right, without meaning to.  And, let me tell you, I was the queen of yarnovers, when I first started knitting, I couldn't figure out why in the world I kept knitting these triangles.  Now, that I somewhat know what I am doing, I can't even manage a yarnover correctly.  But, I figured it out, and the pattern is knitting up beautifully, the 2 inches I got. 

Gotta love the difference in color in each picture! The truest color is the one on the bottom.  I showed my mom, and she loved it.  

Crazy, It Runs in The Family

So this weekend, my sister is running a marathon. She's trained for months, she's been in pain for months, yet she's flying to Disney World today to run 26.2 miles. She's really an inspiration.

Not that the following compares in any way to the sort of physical challenge my sister is up to, yet it's still sort of insane to expect that I could do this: So, I started to knit my mom the Lettuce Leaf Scarf for her birthday. I started the scarf January 6, ripped out my progress on Jan 7, and now have about an inch of lace in sock yarn on Jan 8. Don't worry, her birthday isn't until Jan 12. Plenty of time (this is accompanied by one of the blowing it off hand gestures and rolling of the eyes). Hm, I could be delusional. Photos included for judgement.

Blurry so that I don't have to face reality.

Close up, I can't see the detail of the lace, and this concerns me, I hope it gets better as I knit along (wishful thinking?).

Some perspective on the mountains of progress I've made.

I'm in a major greedy phase of knitting. I've been saying "I want, I want, I want" lately.... My husband may have compared me to Veruca Salt from Willy Wonka. Not very flattering, but really if I am being honest here, not entirely far from the truth at times. My father will also verify this.

I am very directed in my wanting, and I am exercising restraint, and for that I should be commended. There are three things in particular that strike my fancy right now:

A Lantern Moon Needle Case-

I found one that is Pink, Green and Polka Dotted. Was this not specifically designed for moi? I mean, all of my favorite things in one knitted related item. I should have this!

Madelinetosh Merino Specifically the Tannehill colorway-

I think I covet this so, because it's what my sweater (I have 1 and a half sleeves btw!) SHOULD have been made with. I think they call this Yarners Remorse.

Malabrigo Anything.

And this, because it just looks so soft, so pretty, and the colors are almost iridescent. So I am saving my pennies, and one day, I will get to make something out of this wonderfulness.

Taking Action

Mondays, I love them and hate them. Mondays are my Sundays. Monday is the last day of my weekend, but also the day I devote entirely to relaxation. So today, like most Mondays I took in a movie. I saw The Blind Side, and it was wonderful. I cried through about 80% of the movie, but this is typical. But, today, this movie made me feel even more that something has just got to change. I'm wallowing. I don't want to wallow, I'm too old for angst. So with that feeling, I took action (again. It's really not like I'm not entirely trying, but depression takes an ugly hold most days and I'm probably not taking as much action as I can). This is a public forum no matter if people are reading or not (So far, I'm pretty sure I'm the only one) so for now, I can't quite say what that action was. But... one of these days. Let's all who read, cross our fingers.

So, on another note, I've got a sleeve! One sleeve down, one sleeve to go (I've started the second, but I'm only 2 rows in). I'm not such a fan of the double pointeds, I've got lines, not quite ladders, but defined lines that irk me. I tried getting shorter circs today but they are really hard to find in a size 7. So I think I might be stuck with the dpns.

That's my first sleeve ever!

I also have a case of what the Harlot refers to as "Startitis" I'm coming to the end of my sweater and I'm already contemplating what's next. I have the following possible patterns: Lace-ish Scarf, first time socks, new lovely sweater called Tree Jacket (but with long sleeves! I vowed against long sleeves after this last sleeving).

For the "Tree Jacket" which is very much a sweater and not a jacket at all. But, it sure is cute!

And this, for the lace-ish scarf. This one skein is supposed to get me an entire scarf. Hmmm I have my doubts, but I suppose, we'll see.

So that's all for now, I'll leave you with that peachy, pinky, orangey color for happy feelings.