Busy, busy, busy ...

I've been busy ... busy at work, busy at home. Lots of stuff to do recently, but its coming down to the end here and most of what I needed to get done, got done, so all is well!

I decided to jump on the bandwagon and make a pair of Fetching mitts. After finishing the left hand for myself, I found that these were such a quick knit that I would make a pair for my MIL for xmas. I am almost done the second one for her, so they will indeed be done for xmas. Then I can cast on and finish the second one for myself! I think I will end out ripping out the bind off on mine and redoing it. I didn't realize that the picot bind off was so loose, and I intentionally bound off loosely on top of that considering I usually bind off too tight. When I did the ones for MIL I bound off at a normal tension and it came out good, the one I first did as a test and for myself is too loose.

I ordered some more stuff from Knit Picks recently. I heard that they were discontinuing the kettle dyed, I am wondering if it is because their kettle dyed really doesn't look kettle dyed, looks more like a solid color. Not that I need anymore stash ... but it was on SALE!

I got this one a while back and a Jo Jo Land pattern to make a scarf.



These are recent additions while I was at the local yarn store.

I wanted to try Melody on socks.


This mohair was in the clearance, make room bin at my LYS and it was purple, so who could pass that up, LOL!! I was thinking of making a scarf since there are only 3 skeins. I haven't used mohair in the past so its something new to me.

Some self patterning sock yarn, just because, plus it had purple in it, LOL!

I finished my Christmas shopping yesterday, which is horrible for me. Usually I am done it all in November or very early December. Don't think I'll be doing that again, I didn't like it at all! Will plan better next year. Although this year in mid-November the transmission in my truck went and I had to replace that at $2,300 and the kittens were fixed and had final shots at $468 ... so I was in no mood to spend money by mid-December, LOL!!! I also gave notice at my parttime job so that next year I can actually enjoy the house that I've been literally *working* so hard for, for the past two years. I actually think I got people better gifts this year because I had to think long and hard about what I was going to get them with the limited funds that I had.

Because of these recent financial things that have come up and I quit my parttime job, I am really going to try hard to knit only from stash in 2010. I really have plenty of yarn to keep my busy the entire year and won't have exra income to spend on yarn, especially if its going to be like past purchases that sit in my stash for a year or two, really no reason for me to purchase any more.

I started listening to A Christmas Carol on my MP3 player narrated by Tim Curry and its quite enjoyable. I am half way through the second book in the Sword of Truth series and will continue with that once this one is done.

Christmas time is here ....

Well, not really, but I figured if I wanted to make xmas cards this year I better get a move on. So after pulling a bunch of stuff (and I have quite a bit of stuff) up from the basement to look through. I made a mess out of my craft room, but came up with this:



Photo is horrible, but its not easy to take a photo of paper and my scanner is not hooked up right now. I only have one more blue card so I'll have to go get more of those, but I think I can get away with not having to purchase any other supplies to make several of these. I typically only send hand made cards to those I know will appreciate them, everyone else gets a store bought one.

I got my last shipment from the Socks that Rock 2009 club :o( I'm not sad with what I've got, I'm sad its the last one. However, I have yet to knit any from this year. So if I cannot afford to sign up for next year I have 6 skeins waiting anyway, LOL!

I also have 4 from the Lord of the Rings sock club that I didn't knit yet. So plenty to work on in 2010.

I recently finished Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind. I listened to the audio version. I downloaded the next in the series because the first was very enjoyable. I think before that one I am going to listen to Neil Gaiman's Stardust. I really enjoyed Neverwhere and loved the movie Coraline and listened to Coraline after seeing the movie. I also like that he narrates his own work and has a wonderful speaking voice.

I finished the heel on my second Leyburn sock, in yarn that I dyed myself. Hope to finish that one up this week and have a pair! I also cast on self striping yarn in Toe up Socks with a Difference and have one sock almost completed.

Here are the two beasties being cute ... they are brother and sister actually from different litters (I got them from a woman I work with and their mom has since been spayed, yay!).

Fresh Air

Its about 60 out today, warm for November in New England. I have the window open in my freshly cleaned craft room to let in some fresh air.

I spent the morning cleaning up this room ... crafts, boxes and all kinds of stuff all over the place from the last week. I also spent some time winding mangled skeins into cakes from the little devil that runs about the house with any yarn she can find and tries to destroy it.

I finished up the socks for a co-worker last night. Am glad to have that off my to do list. He wanted some winter socks, so I used worsted weight yarn and made up the pattern myself. I wanted something with ribbing so they would fit well.



Now I have Diane's gloves to finish up for Christmas and Derek's scarf. I would also like to finish up a pair of socks for me and cast on some plain vanilla in a self striping yarn to replace the ones the little one tore a hole in recently. There's a great pattern on Knit Picks for a lump of coal ... I am going to make one for the little beasty since she is so naughty!

FO: Art's Socks

Yarn: Patons Classic Wool
Needles: Addi Size 5 40"
Made up the pattern myself.

Cast on May 2009
Cast off 11/20/09

Stop the Insanity

I just came across some yarn I remember purchasing ... but can't remember what for. A lady I work with and I often go in together on Knit Picks orders to get free shipping - why I don't know we often each spend the $50 required for free shipping anyway, but no matter, its fun to do together. So I found three skeins of purple sock yarn for what?!?!

I almost purchased some yarn on my wish list at The Loopey Ewe the other day - "before its sold out" - then realized I had already purchased it a few months ago and its in the closet. Crazy!!

Here are some photos of the little sock and yarn stealer, she's on the right ...



Clearly she can do whatever she wants in this house no matter who is concerned ...

Lessons Learned ...

Don't continue to leave knit socks out in the laundry basket when a kitten keeps stealing them and running around the house, eventually she'll get over rambunctious and chew a hole through the heel!!

She's also capable of taking an entire skein of yarn apart under the bed ...

She's lucky she's so sweet and cute ...

Don't leave cardboard or wood needles in the basement on the floor for a year without moving anything around ... wood will grow mildew ... bye bye needles. These were ones I never really used anyway and less expensive brands - obviously I put my favs upstairs in my craft room when we moved here. I consider those to be more important than major appliances, LOL!

If you do a little bit of cleaning every day you can have people over whenever without fearing they think you a messy packrat ... I've always known this, just didn't start practicing it until recently.

The Knit is Up 2009

Can you believe its already mid-November?? I've got some things that have been hanging around as WIPs for quite some time now and I am determined to get them finished by the end of the year ... or at least the end of Winter, that'll give me a few more months.

1. Gloves for Diane - these were supposed to be a Christmas present oh last year. I just found a post on my previous blog that I finished the first one 11/11/08. I found another post from August 08 where it was half done. Still not sure when I actually originally cast on.

2. Scarf for Derek - this was another one that was supposed to be a Christmas present, I hope last year and no the year before, LOL!

3. Christmas stocking ... would be nice to have it for some Christmas this decade!

That's all I am gonna hold myself to at this point. I have so many thing half done, but I've made lists before and think they are too big, so I never complete them.

I found a post from January 09 that included this:

Things I learned in 2008
Fair Isle
2 socks at the same time
Continental Knitting (this could have been ’07)
Seaming and Finishing

Techniques I want to learn in 2009
Slip Stitch
Knitting with Beads
Lace Shawl

Projects to Finish
Hooded Scarf
Faux Dr. Who Scarf
Afghan
Tank Top
Mitered Mittens
Christmas Stocking

Well ... the only thing I finishsed this year was the tank top. I guess I can move the techniques to 2010, LOL!! Never did do any of those.

Knitting Sanctuary

My knitting sanctuary has finally become a reality! There's my fuzzy purple chair and lamp where I will happily sit and knit. This picture was taken immediately after stuff was moved in, so there's nothing on the desk yet. Now there's a small fountain and speakers for my MP3 player so that I can listed to books or podcasts and knit. I tested it out today, quit nice!

I did not finish my bat shawl for Halloween ... so that will be for next year, LOL! I am still working on a pair of socks for a co-worker ... I *really* hate knitting for people when they know its coming.

I did finish a sock from the yarn that I dyed and started the toe for its mate today, while sitting in my knitting sanctuary listening to a book :o)

I also found out that considering I have run out of room to store my stash ... I do NOT need to add to it anytime soon. There's actually 4 skeins in my truck that I have yet to take inside because I don't know what to do with it!

FO: Quidditch Sweater

Pattern: Quidditch Sweater from Charmed Knits
Yarn: Plymouth Encore Worsted
Needles: Size US 8
Cast On: Oct. 2007
Finished: 6/14/09

This sweater was a very boring knit at first. The ribbing was too boring for me and it was something I started after only knitting for a year. Last year I picked it back up and started whipping through the pieces getting a section done in between other projects. I finally seemed it together in June, when it was too hot to wear it. So I was finally able to wear it this month!

Its getting chilly outside!

Its October here in New England and although they were there, I didn't see the signs coming. The leaves have been slowing changing color. Halloween is my favorite holiday and my birthday is in October ... I'll be the big 30 this year!

I think I got out of my sock knitting rut. I finished a pair this month. They are a little loose, but wearable. I can't figure how I get some to fit excellently with 64 stitches, then another too loose. One fits great with 60 stitches and another ... too tight. Can't quite figure it.

Going to cast on another pair today with the yarn I dyed myself at last month's Knitters Guild meeting. The owner from The Yarn & Fiber Co came and instructed us on how to dye sock yarn.



It was very cool. I went with the dipping method. We had plastic cups to mix dye colors in (we were only given red, yellow, blue, hot pink ... and I thought one other color, but I can't think of it right now). It was so awesome. So much fun. I am very pleased with my results having never dyed yarn before.

I am going to cast on the yellow/pink/orange skein today. Ia m thinking of going with Leyburn, its a stranded pattern that works well with hand dyed yarns.

Where'd summer go?

I haven't posted in a while, but it seems like only yesterday! I don't know where summer has gone. Already the trees are turning red and orange. I am still working on finishing up my computer room. I don't have much left to do so hopefully soon. I finished up my sweater and want to cast on the next NOW even though I have plenty of WIPs on the needles ... I think I'm gonna cast it on anyway, LOL!

The next one is chunky yarn and in the round so it should go quickly! I also started my bat shawl and am hoping to have that done for Halloween - since that's the only time I would wear it ... I'm not a shawl person.

FO: V-Neck Cardigan

I finished this last night. Even though I was moving stuff from one building to another at work today I wore it anyway, LOL!! I took it off and wore a lab coat when I thought it might get dirty.


#20 V-Neck Cardigan by Deborah Newton from Vogue Knitting, Spring/Summer 2004
Yarn: Knit Picks Comfy in Lilac Mist
Size 7 and 6 Knit Picks needles
Cast On: 6/15/09
Finish: 9/21/09

Finishing projects

On Monday with the help of my MIL I finished the floor! What an interesting project. At least I learned some things ... how to better do things ... how to NOT do things, LOL! It went pretty well considering I have never done any home improvements prior to this room and certainly have never installed a floor.



This room was the bane of my existence for the past two months. Just when I thought it couldn't get worse I would find another problem that would need fixing.

Here's what it looked like when we bought the house.



I started by sanding the walls to make them flat and uniform. There were thick layers of drippy, bumpy paint and joint compound/plaster all over them. The molding was half painted too. The drywall tape on the ceiling was bubbling and peeling off.




Once all the sanding and patching was done (3-4 weeks later ... maybe even more) I did 2-3 coats of primer, including ceiling and doors. I bought trim for the doors and found that the old trim around the closet was much wider and now I had to use joint compound to flatten out the 1" area surrounding the entire door to make it flush with the wall so that the new trim would sit right and look good.

Then I was finally able to paint color on the walls. I did at least 2 coats of paint, may have even been three by the time I was done, LOL! I was using a flat base, so I really had to make sure all the walls were flat and not bumpy or pitted.



Now that this room is almost complete I can finally get back to my knitting projects! I have the second sleeve left of my cardigan and one sock for the pair I was making for a co-worker - it was so hot I couldn't knit with wool for a couple of weeks it was sticking to my fingers. I am going to make a pair of socks for the Sock Knitters Anonymous group on Ravelry and start my bat shawl that I want complete for Halloween.

Getting the floor done

Saturday was spent cleaning up the floor to prepare for putting down the tongue and groove laminate. There was this old carpet pad underneath the carpet in this room that had literally disintigrated into dust! It was so nasty to clean up. The rest of the day was spent finishing a sleeve on my sweater and watching season 1 of Dr. Who.



Sunday I was able to start actually laying the floor down. I started by quickly placing the boards generally where they would go and as I went I made any measurements and cuts that I had to.



Then I started putting it together, the beginning went very rough. They kept coming apart at the other end from where I was banging them in, it was a real pain. Once I got about 1/4 done, it started to go smoother, but still annoying. I was determined to get at least 1/2 done before stopping for the day.

Hot, hot, hot!

Its incredibly hot here in New England, considering it didn't even feel like summer until very recently and then it was 95 degrees all of a sudden ... don't like that, at least give us something to get used to!

I haven't posted in a month, so lets see if I can recall what's been going on!

I finished painting my craft room the other weekend. Last Friday I went to Home Depot and got the baseboards and trim paint. Now I have to rip up the carpet and scrape the foam off the floor, its this black foam that is glued to the floor and disintigrating, so it should be an interesting job! Then I can install the floor and door molding and baseboards.

We got a pond for the yard. Its about 3-4 feet across. The frogs love it ... and sometimes birds like to eat the frogs, yuck! The squirell also thinks its his personal drinking fountain.




We occasionally see deer in the yard, but the other day one came really close to the house. Unfortunately the screen in the window interfered with the photo. Would've been a really nice one!



I am on the first sleeve of my cardigan. I got the back, and two fronts done so far. Its coming out nicely, really quick too for a sweater. Will post photos once its done. This was the back up to the lace, then its stockinette from there.

Huh??

I was working on two different sock patterns recently. One is a made up as I go for a co-worker in worsted weight, so its going fairly quick when I actually sit and knit on it.

The other is the Prince of the Wood Elves from the Unique Sheep Lord of the stRings Club. I found on the PotWE sock I didn't decrease back to the initial number of stitches once I finished the gusset decreases. Since I have already ripped this out once before because I didn't like how it was going and my gauge was off for the number of stitches I had, I started again with more stitches ... then found that I didn't decrease properly, uurrgghhh!! So exasperated I tossed (a little violently) that one aside for now.

I started again with the one for the co-worker because I want them done so they are off my list, especially since there is a recipient waiting for them. Last night I picked it up after it had been sitting for a while and found yet again, I didn't decrease properly, I have 6 more stitches on the foot than the leg. However, considering the size should be 10" circumference for mid foot and only half of the foot is done in ribbing, whereas the entire leg is ribbing, I think I am going to go with it because I think they'll fit better this way (I would hate for them to be too small). I'll make the mate to match.

Why I made this mistake on two completely different socks is driving me nuts! Maybe its the little furry monster that chases my fingers and yarn and tries to bite the cable on my needles that is distracting me from counting properly, hahahaha!! I call him Riley the Demented.

Speaking of furry little knitting stalling creatures, I am still trying to finish up my craft/computer/sanctuary room. I was almost done with the walls when I noticed that the molding I got for the closet door was much thinner than the old molding and I had to repair all the drywall around the closet door to make it a nice smooth surface to paint, so that stalled that project for the bit. I think I will be able to paint next weekend now that I've plastered and sanded most of it. Still have a bit to go, but my forearms are starting to get really sore from all the sanding. So I will take it slow and shoot for next weekend. I also found a few more holes and dings to fix once I put the first coat on the other three walls, so I plastered them as well. Once the walls are done, then the floor needs to be installed. Once that's down I can install the door molding and baseboards (which will need to be painted first and I have to purchase the baseboards), then paint the window trim. Once that's done I will have the ceiling molding to do, but I think I can move everything in before that and save that for last.

I am getting frustrated that this is not done yet and I don't have the ample space and sanctuary I expected when we moved here. However, I am pretty sure I only started this is June and considering the state the room was in from the previous owners - just really sloppy work, its not all that bad for time.

Floral Eye Candy

The other day we noticed after two days of sun the hybiscus tree was full of buds. After some more rain and a little more sun the blooms oepened!



They turned from the bud to this in less than a day. As you can clearly see ... yes it rained again!



This is the Bee Balm that we have in the garden on the side of the house, recently all those buds opened up. It has quite an interesting flower.

The joys of painting ...

Ahh the joys of homeownership ... no really, compared to where we used to live, fixer-upper or not this is great.

I finally got to start painting today, after having to fix all of the poor workmanship from the previous owners. I sanded, plastered and sanded again ... and again these four walls until they were ready to be painted. I started today with primer to cover the old paint and any small imperfections. Here are two walls with one coat of primer, todays work.




Here's what's left to do. I am thinking I'll need at least two coats of primer!



Note to self - before painting change into crappy clothes. Now before you laugh at me, I did not get one drop of paint on me while I was painting. However, when I went to put the lid on the paint can, I splattered paint on my shirt and jeans ... go figure. So next time I will put on clothes I don't mind getting paint on ...

Rain, rain go away

We have been getting so much rain here this month. I think we only had 3 days of sun in the entire month. This is a photo of one of the gardens ... boyfriend dug up these columbines the other day to save them from drowning. They are back in pots now, I'm not sure if they are going to survive.

I got a lot of stitching done yesterday on this project. I was lucky I could find it. When we moved, anything that was in progress got packed with miscellaneous stuff depending on its location. Everything not worked, is all together in tubs in the basement.

I think I will be finishing this one up soon. Its a little more than half done, but there's also a lot of backstitching all over to finish it.



I also got some more done on my next sweater. I will take some photos once more is complete. There's 12 inches of ribbing before the main body takes shape. Boring! I am working it in a cotton / acrylic blend and because of the cotton its a little tough on my wrists, so this one may take a bit of time to complete or else I may end up with carpal tunnel.

I would love to get down to 2 knitting projects and one cross stitch at a time. I don't like all these WIPs hanging over my head. At the moment I am working the sweater, a pair of socks for a co-worker, then I have the Price of the Wood Elves socks, gloves for Diane for this xmas, boyfriend's scarf from last year that was supposed to be completed for winter ... or the year before I can't remember. And a scarf for my mom that was around the same time, I can't find the working copy of the pattern and the magazine is packed in a box somewhere ... and no I don't know what issue or title it came from!

FO: V-Neck Tank

I started this project as one of the first when I learned how to knit and it didn't go well. It sat in a bag for a while, then when I picked it up again, I realized I was doing it so very wrong, LOL!! I completely frogged it - there wasn't much done anyway and started over again. It was a little scary when done, but blocking helped A LOT!

Pattern: V-Neck Tank Top, Vogue Knitting Summer 2004
Needles: Size US 9
Yarn: Knit One Crochet Two "Tartlette"

Wednesday ...

Its Wednesday, that inevitably blah day in the middle of the week. Well there is one good thing about Wednesdays in my life ... they are also payday!

The Quidditch sweater is finally complete! It was only a year and a half in the making, LOL! I seamed it up this past Sunday. I was thinking that I would not want to knit another adult sweater any near time in the future, but when I saw the completed item and was able to put it on ... whoosh! I am hooked. I immediately cast on another sweater. This one is more of a summer design, so hopefully I finish it up this summer and can wear it. Its the V-Neck Cardigan by Deborah Newton (Ravelry link).

I am still working on the room, I am taking a week off the week after next and hope to complete it during that time at home.

I am working on another podcast for this month, stay tuned ...

Is it really June?

You wouldn't know if you were in New England. Its been in the 40s - 50s in the mornings and only getting into the low 60s during the day. Its been raining for a week straight now, yesterday was sunny and nice but its raining again today. Yuck! I am thinking of seaming up my Quidditch Sweater that is sitting in the closet that I gave up on because I was thinking it was getting too warm to wear it and I would finish it at the end of the Summer or beginning of Fall ... well I could have worn it about 10 times in the last month! Yes, a sweater in June!

I made a lot of progress yesterday on my craft/knitting/computer room. I finished sanding the remaining wall and one of the window frames, which was the double. The window frame that is left to be sanded is only a single. Since we went to Home Depot Friday night and saw the types of molding available I have a better idea of how much of the wall imperfections I can cover and I think that I will leave the 1/2" edge of the walls where they meet the ceiling as they are for now and if the plaster blobs and bumps that I didn't completely sand down interfere with the molding, I can just cut the sections out with the utility knife when I put the molding up and cover it with that. This way I can stop trying to perfect the walls that will be covered up by molding anyway, LOL!!

At this point I have to remove the remaining door trim, which I left the top of because when removing it I noticed that it appears that the trim was the only thing holding the door frame in the wall! Since I am getting wider trim to replace it I don't have to worry about sanding or painting right to the trim that is currently in place and can remove it when I am ready to install the new trim. There's a switch for the closet light that is too close to the corner of the wall that needs to be moved out a few inches, then the hole patched. There is an old switch box on another wall with live wires in it that needs a new blank plate or the wires to be pulled and the hold patched, we haven't decided yet what will work best. The ceiling has the old access to the attic, which was later replaced by drop down stairs in the hallway, so we haven't yet decided to replace the old trim to match better to close off the access and patch the ceiling. Decisions, decisions ...



This photo shows some of the paint drips and plaster imperfections. Anything white is something that stood out from the surface of the wall and was sanded off. The other more uniform white spots are holes and dents I patched with plaster.



This photo shows the switch that is way too close to the other wall. And more of the bad plaster and paint job.

I learned a lot on this project ... things like thoroughly inspect the wall close to other architectural objects like window frames before sanding like a maniac ... you might find a soft spot and shove your hand sander right through the wall. Or cleanly cut the drywall tape with a SHARP utility knife before pulling it ... or you might pull a chunk of drywall paper off the wall too. Good thing a tub of plaster is cheap!

FO: Socks for Mom

Yarn: Red Heart - Heart & Sole and Patons
Needles: Addi Turbo Size 3.0mm
Pattern: Made Up
Finished: 5/30/09

Redoing & Repairs

On both the home and knitting fronts. I finished a V-Neck Tank Top from an issue of Vogue Knitting (the whereabouts of the magazine I don't know at the moment, I was working from a working copy of the pattern). I made the size small which was a 37" bust and apparently I should have gone with the x-small of 35" bust (I'm a 34") but when I was looking at the pattern I noticed that it said "loose fitting" so that's why I went with the small. Also, my gauge was 16 sts when the pattern called for 14 sts - also why I choose to work the bigger size. I blocked it like a good doobie, which was also apparently a mistake - I really should have tried it on around my body before deciding to block it to measurements of the pattern, it probably would have fit fine as it was.



I finished seaming it last night. I tried it on to find that it is indeed "loose fitting" ... so loose it looks quite silly. I could have shortened the straps, but then it would turn into a half tank top and the bottom rested about an inch above my belly button. So instead I decided to try and reverse block it, by blocking it lengthwise to get more length and also bring in the width of it. It seems like it might work, as its pinned it appears to be 14" in width from the 18 1/2" it was. I have it pinned and drying now hoping this will solve the problem. Then if I still have to shorten the straps, I'll have enough length in the body to do it.

On the home front I am preparing my computer / knitting room for painting. In order to do this I have to sand and repair the walls. The previous owners either really didn't care or they let young children paint, I haven't quite figured it out - because some rooms are done with more care and effort, but not quite right. They did not tape off any molding or trim, so it all has to be sanded to remove color from the edges. They did not tape off the ceiling, so it also has to be repainted to hide the old color splotches at the edges. They painted over some switch and outlet plates, yet left a half inch around others. They painted right over the baseboards, but stopped about a half inch from the floor. Baseboards had to be chiseled and pryed loose from the wall because they were secured tight with layers of paint before being removed. They did drywall tape the wall and ceiling joints ... horribly so its bubbling and warping and full of plaster chunks so all that has to be removed and repaired. It appears they plastered portions of the walls but didn't bother sanding it down before painting over it. Oh did I mention they used thick glossy paint, in two different colors?!?!? Its quite a mess for being the smallest room in the house, hahaha!! I've been working on it for a few weeks now and probably still have a few weeks to go before I can paint.

I moved all my stuff (papers, bills, yarn, knitting, other craft stuff, books, magazines, etc.) including desk and computer into the dining room for the time being. I am feeling quite restless and uneasy with all my stuff in boxes thrown here and there ... I don't like that. I am hoping I can get this room finished up in a few weeks and get everything back organized and tidy before I ultimately go insane.

Stripes Interrupted

This is the second time while working with a self striping yarn that I came across a knot where the yarn ended and the new strand began. This time it was Red Heart "Heart & Sole" yarn. However, they were kind enough to tie it on in the same pattern as the yarn before it. I had this happen before with a different brand and the new yarn was reversed from what I had been working with so the stripes didn't match up after the knot, I had to unknit several rounds and wind the yarn out of the skein and reverse it for the second sock to match the first. So at least all I had to do here was pull out several repeats of color until I was back where I was supposed to be and go from there :o)

Here some of the Hummingbirds that visit our deck. I LOVE hummingbirds, they move so quick though its hard to bird watch them, LOL!!

The sun is trying to come out

Its been one of those days where the sun keeps trying to come out, but the clouds keep hiding it. Its about 60 degrees out today, but a little chilly because of the lack of sun. Yesterday was nice, not too hot and sunny.

I finished one of the socks for my mom's birthday, took about a week. So I am confident that I will have them done in time, the end of the month. I also picked up a tank top that I started eons ago, then ripped out because I realized in my uneducated beginnings I was doing it wrong and the gauge was bad too so I don't think it would have fit, and started it back up a couple of months ago. Now the back is almost complete, will probably finish that today and maybe cast on the front.

I finished planting all of my pansies yesterday before they died a horrible sun drenched dehydrated death in the small plastic flat containers from the nursery. You'd think if it rained for two days they wouldn't need to be watered! Apparently one morning of sun dried them up.

Last weekend we went to a small sheep farm to see the babies. Its a lovely piece of property with rolling hills and lots of trees around all the fields. The weather was perfect for being outside.

The above two are the rams.


Here are some of the babies sleeping in the afternoon.

And here's one of the babies that the owner said were extra tame and could be mingled with.

Revelations of a Delusional Knitter - Episode 2

Episodes can be downloaded from Revelations of a Delusional Knitter

News & Stuff

Building a hibachi ... 2 silly adults and rum and coke

Riley

Everything is green and blooming

Knitters' Guild Meeting

New MP3 Player & Audible.com

Law & Order and Castle

What I'm Currently Knitting

Prince of the Wood Elves Socks in Tinsel Toes

Finished Objects

Coriolis Socks - New Pathways for Sock Knitters
Hobbiton Socks - The Unique Sheep
Reavers Socks - Christina Marie Potter

Book Review

The Eclectic Sole by Janel Laidman

Podcasting

Episode 2 was recorded today and I noticed that I think I have a running trend where I pick a "word of the day" and I repeat it a tremendous amount during the podcast, LOL! I believe the first episode I chose "cool" and for the second one it was definitely "enjoyable". Hey, maybe once I get an audience I can run contests where people can email me the "word of the day" and I can pick a winner from the entries, hahaha!! I also think that I misspelled the web address ... missed a few letters. I really need to have that in front of me. I can spell, but its hard when you know you're being recorded and you don't want to mess up ... inevitably you do! I'll fix that and the next episode will be posted tomorrow.

Understanding why

I always wondered how people could not get things done that they said they would do. The following is not a good excuse, nor one I intend to use in the future, because I am always a person who does what she says she is going to do and gets it done when she says it'll be done. Other people who do not have this philosophy are a big pet peeve of mine, they really rub me the wrong way. I've come to realize in the last few months since we own our own home now and enjoy where we live, its quite easy to just ... be ... and not worry about anything else. Where I used to live I always wanted a mental escape so I was always busy doing something, found plenty of hours in the day for volunteer work or school, or whatever. Now that I enjoy just being here, I can often let an entire weekend day go by and find that I've accomplished pretty much nothing, maybe catching up on tv, knitting, sitting outside. But that's how I like to spend my time and that's OK. I did gain a different perspective on life though and will maybe be able to tolerate "forgetful" people better.

While I was enjoying doing not much of anything today but sitting and eliminating some used up space on my DVR I decided to clean up some laundry. One of our cats likes to lay up in the closet on the shelf. Its her sanctuary from the other cats when they pester her, she's a people-cat, not a cat-cat. She had knocked some clothing down on the floor in the closet. When I went to pick it up, I noticed it was damp. Our bedroom is in the finished basement ... obviously not finished enough. There was no leak, I think its just water seeping up through the foundation. I was complaining that the basement room smelled damp and stinky, but thought it was just because ... well it is a basement. Now I know why it smelled. I got everything out of the bottom of the closet before any damage was done and sprayed a diluted bleach/water mixture on the carpet and baseboards and put a fan down there to air it out. I am hoping this doesn't become a real problem. I did notice old water damage on the baseboards in that corner, but didn't think much of it. Ahhh the joys of owning a home, LOL!

Here are some actual joys of owning a home:

Everything is turning green here and we can sit on the deck and watch the birds come to the feeders. We have a lot of plants popping up in the yard that we are waiting to find out what they are, can't tell just yet.

I picked up a real MP3 player yesterday. I had a freebie one that was an employee gift and told myself if I used it enough I could justify the purchase of a nice one. Well I used it all the time and I went to audible.com and downloaded an audio book and it wouldn't play it because it couldn't read the protected format, so that really made me want to go buy one! I sat on the deck this afternoon soaking up some sun listening to an audio book and it was great. I don't enjoy knitting outside too much if I need to refer to a pattern, inevitably, even if its not windy there's a breeze that blows the papers around, so I took my MP3 player out there instead.