Tuesday, January 31, 2006

I Think There's Something Wrong With Me

12:30 pm EDIT: Did you hear a howl of indignation and frustration around 9 a.m.?
THEY WON'T LET YOU KNIT! NO KNITTING NEEDLES OF ANY TYPE. You may use a plastic crochet hook....and that's it. Out of the 50 people sitting there, six women were knitting. Every one of us groaned and drooped when told knitting needles are not allowed in the court room. I'm sure the psychic knitter's scream must have been heard round the globe....

I did manage 3.5 rows on The Braids while jury orientation went on...and I'm taking a book back after lunch.
End edit......

I have jury duty today....and I'm excited.

Because I can knit....

Folks have shared with me how boring it all was...what a hassle...blah, blah, blah.

My mind works a little differently:

"Hmmm...my boss pays the diff between my so-called compensation from the court and my 'real' wage...so I'm not losing money...I get to be away from work and get paid...I CAN KNIT!!!!....this sounds mighty fine to me!"

I officially have JD until Feb 13...knowing my luck, how much ya wanna bet they don't call me during the tiny bit of Kntting Olympics that falls in that time?

Monday, January 30, 2006

I find this disturbing on more levels than I can express....Stolen from Norma...who got it from RockChick....

http://www.wholesomewear.com/page-3.html

Disturbing.

Knitting: Two whole rows on The Braids. Big whoopee, eh? A few rows on the Irish Hiking scarf for moi.

Bellydance was fast and furious this weekend. My class performed in the Central Oregon Dance Showcase (look to the right for a description. I lease space so I'm not listed under the teacher directory there) so there was dress rehearsal Friday night, the show Saturday night, Class Sunday night, and tonight there is troupe rehearsal. My butt's a'draggin.

I have found that a friend has a swift and I'm planning on heading over there to wind up some of the hanks I have laying around. I'm lazy...and balling up yarn while trying to keep it untangled off the door knob or back of a chair...well, it makes me crazy. I have a LOT of yarn in hanks. Yeah, I know, buy my own swift...but I can't right now. She doesn't have a ball winder, says she has always wound her own center-pull balls and will show me how. She spins and knits and tho I've known this for a long time, it will be our first time getting together for any fiber-related fun. I'm excited about it.

Been over to Marie's lately? She's having a contest! Hop on over and tell her I sent you, okay? She has new blog digs...go see!

Friday, January 27, 2006

Do A Little Dance...

Because it's Friday! Whew, began to wonder if this week would ever end.

I was very good. I am exceedingly proud of myself. I bit the bullet and made a swatch for my Olympic challenge, Kayla's Naturwolle Rogue. Then i actually washed the swatch and blocked it. It's not a big swatch, but it's a swatch. Swatching is not a natural step for me...casting on and going for it...then being completely annoyed after much labor is much more my style, oy....and *wash and block* the swatch? Never happened until now.

Thoughts on this process:
When I started my original Rogue from Cascade 220..I swatched....and swatched and swatched. I finally got gauge with size 10s...and I didn't like the resulting fabric many many hours into the project.

I got gauge on size 9's with the Naturwolle. Am I captivated by this yarn? No, but Kayla likes it and at that Elann price...well, I won't complain. It did puff up a bit after washing/blocking and I am thinking had I actually soaked it in a little Eucalan rather than plain water and let it sit in there awhile, I bet it would have puffed more. Hmmm, may do that this weekend just to see. This yarn is listed as "chunky" or bulky....eh....I may not agree entirely on that. Slightly heavy worsted is my thought. I know that when I make my own Rogue...it is going to be out of thick, luscious yarn and I don't care how much it costs.

My Over The Rainbow sock yarn arrived....and it is awesome...the colors are rich, it's soft...Mmmmmm. No clue what I'll make out of it...socks? Maybe.

I've been entertaining myself by surfing blogs on the Harlot's Olympic Knitters page. 1800 and counting....wow. I am speechless.

Thursday, January 26, 2006

Can Today Be Friday?

I'm ready for this week to be over.... I supervise three other employees at my job. It is not one of my favorite things to do the "correction" part of the job - confronting employees about poor performance etc. There was a little of that this week...and it amazes me how draining it can be. It went well enough..but I'm ready for the weekend.

My Elann order came in...I have the yarn for Rogue. Now that I have it...I am wondering can I really do this? But I guess that is the challenge part, aye? I'm also been tempted....deeply tempted....by Kenny's Jaywalker with Magic Loop tutorial...Finishing a pair of socks would certainly qualify as a challenge for me, as well, learning Magic Loop is on my list of 42 in 42...and you know...I have a *little* sock yarn, ahem...cough cough...

Jodie's demonstrator kit for Gold Canyon Candles arrived last night...this will be exciting for her. Some of us are good at sales...and some of us aren't. She is very good at it and great with people. I am not good at it, but I am good at doing background stuff and I'm enjoying learning about it and helping her get out there.

There's a meme going around with lists of four things...and I thought I would take just one part of it, blogs I check daily, and share with you. There are more than four...but remember, I sit in front of a computer day in and day out and have lots of opportunities to surf. In no particular order:

Boi Who Knits
Knitti Me
Mossy Cottage Knits
Bron's Blog
Zen Needle
Purls Before Swine
Yarn Harlot
Snowball In Hell
Stumbling Over Chaos
Purl Ewe
Pink Purl Grrl
Now Norma Knits

There are others I check REGULARLY...but not daily. I'll list them next week. I'm a little nervous I might have left someone I check daily off...Don't hurt me if I forgot you, okay?

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Please Mr. Postman, Look and See

Please Mister Postman, look and see (Oh yeah)
If there's a parcel in your bag for me (Please, Please Mister Postman)
Why's it takin' such a long time (Oh yeah)
For me to get that yarn of mine?

I know...Somewhere in the ether Karen Carpenter is holding her ears and humming "la la la la I can't hear her....la la la.." As an aside, I spent every single school morning of my 7th grade year sitting on my best friend Debbie's bedroom floor singing along with The Carpenters albums. Her voice "spoke" to me then...and I still feel incredible sadness that she's gone.

Sappy, but true.

Anyway...I should be opening the mailbox to yarn....glorius yarn...any day now. After a fairly successful yarn fast...I have the Naturwolle for Kayla's Rogue - My Olympic Effort on it's way as well as that gorgeous Twinkletoes sock yarn...

Since I haven't opened the mail box to anything but bills and a jury summons in a really long time...I'm excited. I'm dying to train...uh swatch...for the Rogue. Tho, I have to say, we decided to let the cable go in order to pay other bills and the fact I won't be watching the Olympics while knitting my Olympic effort seriously bums me out. At the same time, I'm horribly distract-able...so I'll likely get more done NOT watching it.

Reminds me...conversation in the car recently:
Superhero: "Mom, when is the cable going to get turned back on?"

Me: "Well...it's not. Cable is not a neccesity and we simply can not afford it right now."

Superhero: "But MOM!!! We NEED cable!"

Me: "Sorry Bud...I know it's a bummer."

Superhero: (wistfully) "I loved cable...."

Me: (internally) "Me too."

How did we get addicted to the idiot box so quickly? A couple of months of cable...and we're hooked....crack tv...yup...that's us.

Friday, January 20, 2006

Lassoing the Moon

Am I a Sunnfleupagus? Ryan says she needs to know.

Uh...yes (mostly) and no (a little).
Yes:
  • You aren't obsessed with neatness. Uh...if you've seen my car...you already know this.
  • You know when to be logical but you aren't afraid to explore your dreams and desires.
  • You are both somewhat introverted.
  • Like Snuffy, you probably like to have some time to yourself.

No:

  • Moves slowly....I speak fast, walk fast, think fast. Drives those around me nuts.
  • Organized....Not.

Olympics:

I have ordered the wool for Rogue...after much angst because I can't make up my mind and I second guess myself to death, I ordered Austermann Naturwolle in the Stone colorway. So, dark gray instead of light gray....think it'll be any better Ryan?

So...I am sort of not staying within the boundaries of my "knit my stash down by 50%" if I'm adding yarn, aye? However, I do not plan to add more stash...but, then again...the majority of my stash enhancement is impulse...planning rarely enters into the equation.

With all the Jaywalker mania...I have to admit...I'm getting sock fever again. Good thing I have so much sock yarn, isn't it? I MUST, however, MAKE myself finish the Cat Bordhi socks before I cast on again for socks. I have half a sock to go to finish the pair. I set them down when I moved (last April) and never picked them up again.

In non-knitting news, I had my CPAP titration done Wednesday night. That means, I went back to the Sleep lab for another overnight stay - this time using the CPAP. They monitored me and adjusted the pressure. The next day, I picked up my CPAP. Now having slept two nights with it, I can already feel a surge in my energy levels...it's pretty amazing. Getting used to sleeping with it however, will just take time. Once I fall asleep, I'm fine. It's getting there that's the problem.

Interestingly (to me anyway)...when I was getting my CPAP machine..the lady looked through my paperwork and said "Holy Smoke! You have an Epworth of 20!" I looked blank and said..."Oh?....what does that mean?"

She replied "Well, I have worked with patients with Epworths of 10 who have fallen asleep at the wheel and had accidents. At 20, I can't imagine you have much quality of life...you must want to sleep constantly."

I thought about it for a moment and said that actually, I do what I want...I lead a pretty full, busy life, but that I am really, really sick of being tired all the time.

When she handed me the machine, she smiled and said, "If you have done this well with this severe of apnea...in a couple of weeks, you are gonna be able to lasso the moon."

Here's hoping she's right! Have a lovely weekend...

Thursday, January 19, 2006

Snuffleupagus

This cracks me up...mostly because Jodie has been giving me grief about looking like Snuffy with my CPAP headgear... I had more to write about, but the code for the thing below keeps eating it...so I'll save it for tomorrow....

Snuffleupagus
You scored 43% Organization, 53% abstract, and 64% extroverted!
This test measured 3 variables.

First, this test measured how organized you are. Some muppets like Cookie Monster make big messes, while others like Bert are quite anal about things being clean.

Second, this test measured if you prefer a concrete or an abstract viewpoint. For the purposes of this test, concrete people are considered to gravitate more to mathematical and logical approaches, whereas abstract people are more the dreamers and artistic type.

Third, this test measured if you are more of an introvert or an extrovert. By definition, an introvert concentrates more on herself and an extrovert focuses more on others. In this test an introvert was somebody that either tends to spend more time alone or thinks more about herself.

You are somewhat organized, both concrete and abstract, and both introverted and extroverted.

I bet you didn't think you were Snuffleupagus. Let's find out why.

You are both somewhat organized. You have a good idea where you put things and you probably keep your place reasonably clean. You aren't totally obsessed with neatness though. Alloyius Snuffleupagus (and all Snuffleupagus') is not sloppy by nature, but he moves so incredibly slowly that it is impossible for him to be totally organized.

You both are about equally concrete and abstract thinkers. You have a good balance in your life. You know when to be logical at times, but you also aren't afraid to explore your dreams and desires... within limits of course. Snuffy generally has very basic interests, but he explores his abstract sensitive side when he plays his snuffleflute.

You both are somewhat introverted. Originally Snuffleupagus was very shy and was only Big Bird's invisible friend. However as he has aged he has started to build new friendships with new characters. Like Snuffy, you probably like to have some time to yourself. However, you do appreciate spending time with your friends, and you aren't scared of social situations.




Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Call Me Crazy...

But I went ahead and joined the Olympic Knit team....

A part of me says "yeah, sure Lisa....sure you can finish this in 16 days....who are you kidding?????" Well, I dunno, probably not anyone who has read my blog much. Yes, I start a lot of things and no I don't finish them very fast...if at all. I have knitter's ADD or something.

Well, truth be told, as soon as the project isn't "perfect" anymore, I tend to lose interest. This is a character defect I am working on, believe me.

So what do I want to knit in 16 days? Well....it's supposed to be a challenge...ahem. I want to knit my 17-year-old Kayla a Rogue Hoodie. I have the pattern....I made one for myself all the way to the arm holes...but then problems ensued. Don't remember the problem, but something threw me off track. Later, looking at the project, I knew deep down I didn't really like the fabric my yarn choice was creating. I had picked Cascade 220, which is pretty much my all-around favorie yarn...but I had problems getting gauge and the fabric was just....limp. I liked other knitters versions of Rogue in Cascade 220...but mine was just...eh. I loved the pattern...and I want to make one for myself as well one of these days.

So...I'm thinking Paton's Classic Merino. Then...I looked around online and saw a few people feel like this yarn pills...while others think it's the bomb. Then I started second guessing myself....maybe this wasn't a good choice....until I've made myself crazy. I've only worked with PCM on The Braids Cardigan...and while this is not finished, I love the fabric that is working up. Sometimes, when I smooth it out to admire (uh, check for boo boos) it....I just sit there and fondle it a bit. A lovely, squishy yarn...shows cables well (at least on this project)...100% wool...and available inexpensively online. I've yanked The Braids around a lot, in and out of bags, etc while working on it...and it continues to look fab. Other yarns have looked much less fab with less ill treatment. So...I think Paton's Classic Merino it will be....in a light gray. If I don't second guess myself to death first.

Can I really do a whole sweater in 16 days? Hell, can I do a whole sweater AT ALL???? I have no whole sweaters to boast of....zip...zilch. This WOULD be a personal challenge ....fer sure.

Anyone have any opinions on the Paton's??? My second choice would be Bartlett fisherman wool...but I've never used it....any thoughts on that one???

Why is making a choice so hard for me? And not just in yarn choices...in ANY choice...sometimes, I make myself so crazy I don't buy ANYTHING because I can't make an effing choice....arghhhhh.

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Olympic Dreams

I grew up in a non-sporting family. They didn't play sports...they didn't watch sports. I never saw the Olympics until I was an adult. Since then, the Winter Olympics have always captivated me....the grace of the figure skaters...the speed of the luge....the bobsled...

Who wouldn't wonder what it would be like to put your body to the test...to train until you were a finely tuned athlete hurtling toward your goal while millions watched enthralled??? Many of us are past the age of sporting competition, if indeed we ever were made of such stuff in the first place. We watch the Olympics knowing our time, if there ever was a time that was ours, is past....

But, perhaps not! Tho your opportunity to land a quad in the skating competition may have passed...tho you may not have the lean mean muscle machine of a body it takes to hurtle down an icy run in the luge...you too can go for the Gold! Thanks to the Yarn Harlot there is now Olympic Knitting! I won't repeat the rules...go read for yourself if you haven't already. I'm seriously considering this opportunity to challenge my knitting...most of all, to set a goal and attain it. I am a horrid procrastinator...a starter who rarely finishes. This would be a good opportunity to challenge myself.

What to knit? My mind has been buzzing on that one since I read the Harlot's post. Something that is a challenge...but that I COULD finish, if I put my mind to it...Stay tuned.

Now, for all my whining about not being a finisher...I finished Branching Out last night. Needs to be blocked...which could take months, knowing me....but it's done being knitted. I believe I got 29 repeats from the mohair and once it is blocked it will certainly be a great length. Pictures? Yeah, yeah I know. One of these days.

I would love to buy a digital camera. In fact, at one point, I may have thought about using my tax refund to do so.

Tax refund? What tax refund? The one I'm not getting? I went to the "tax lady" yesterday....and I OWE! My oldest at home turned 17 this year....and that means I don't get a child credit for her. Is that not the most sucky thing? Hello...I still support her 100%...but now that she's 17...I don't get a credit for her being a child? I say again..."HELLO!!! this is effed up!". What did it cost me? Over $1,000.

When my face fell in horror at learning I owe...She said (and I have no idea of her politics or her of mine, tho I've gone to the same tax office for the last 6 years...) "You can thank Mr. Bush for that one."

Gee. Thanks Dubya. How many days till he's gone? If I didn't owe the IRS...I'd buy THIS to keep track....

Friday, January 13, 2006

TGIF.....

I know, rather unoriginal title, but it hits the mark. Let's recap this week...
  • Children have continued bickering incessantly, despite the end of the holiday break. Every waking moment at home is spend complaining, bickering, and/or harrassing their sib(s).
  • When not engaged in the charming behavior above...they have been wild...and I do mean...wild. Acrobatic, running, loud, rolling around on the floor kind of wild.
  • Work has been....work. I apparently have no tolerance for coworkers either.
  • The day I chose to go home early and get some much-needed sleep (and had futile hopes of knitting...) I was not thinking clearly and chose early-release Wednesday to go home. See first two bullets above to understand fully why this was not a great choice.
  • We are temporarily down to one car...with three working adults* in the house...this sucks.
  • The handle for the hot water in the master shower has broken...necessitating calling the landlord. The landlord will come by today and look at it. The problem with that is a) I am only supposed to have 2 pets...and I currently have 1 adult cat and 3 kittens and b) Landlord is OCD/Anal Retentive to the max and I am stressed out about the house not being clean enough. My lease expires in April and it is a fear (probably completely over hyped in my own mind) that they won't renew my lease.
  • I think (ahem, I know...) I've been spotty taking my antidepressant and as those who take them know...that can come back to bite you in the butt in a big way....which I think is sort of happening....

I have had some good things go on this week tho...I am in my last repeat of Branching Out (by the way, when I said I thought I had enough mohair for 10 more repeats...uh...I'm an idiot. Two, maybe three repeats tops). I cast on for an Irish Hiking Scarf for ME to match the mitts in LL worsted "waterfall" colorway which is my all time favorite.

I also broke my yarn fast. It wasn't much of a fast to be honest, but I did pretty well NOT spending. Then I cruised by Over The Rainbow....and saw this...and well....ahem...more yarn for me. What am I going to make out of it you ask? Hell if I know.

Thursday, January 12, 2006

It's Only Wednesday?

Are you sure it's only Wednesday? Cause....man...this has been a really long week.

Branching Out...That's all I've been working on. Watched the Food Network while I managed a couple more pattern repeats... Paula Dean, Rachel Ray and (reluctantly) The Barefoot Contessa. The contessa....she bugs me. I don't know what it is...well, that's not true. She strikes me as pretentious and it just annoys me to death. Now Rachel? She's a little ditzy, but other than that...it's like hanging out in a friend's kitchen. Paula? She's a crackpot really, but the kind you like. Cooking shows I can watch, knit and stay on track. Not much luck for me with other shows in that department.

Know what's my most recent secret trash tv addiction? MTV's "Made" - where teens with a dream get a chance for a make over and training by some biggie in that particular field...be it dance, BMX racing, rap or whatevah. I'm 41 years old, what am I doing watching this crap? Don't have an answer to that...I just like it. Guess it appeals to the teen geek inside of me who wanted to break out and be somebody....

Still haven't made any decisions about a fair isle project...I have plenty of Rowan 4 ply in five colors, two blues, two dark reds and gray. DK weight I think. So far, everything I find calls for a heavier gauge, is huge, or looks too complex for my life right now. I suspect, joking aside, that I do have some kind of adult ADD...I've always just said I was scatterbrained, but after a little research....well, it would fit.

At any rate, if anyone has any ideas about a suitable fair isle project, let me know.

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

"Lesbian Cardigan Mohair"

I find this to be an odd combination of words to search Google. I dunno, it just strikes me as odd. Taken on their own, each word surely fits here...but together...well, odd. To me anyway.

Four repeats completed last night on Branching Out, putting me just over 21 repeats completed. The Filatura mohair seems never ending...I'm sure there is plenty for probably 10 more repeats. This is a good thing, it will be long enough. My patience may not be long enough tho....Longing to work on something new....something different...

But, instead, I am working on finishing stuff. Working on The Braids. The Baby Albert sweater which has sat untouched for probably 6 weeks or more. The second Irish Hiking Mitt for me...

Self discipline is not a trait I have naturally, I guess that is evident. I'm trying to develop more of it. I've been lusting after yarn again....but denied the urge to buy. Mostly, I'm really happy I have resisted...I don't "need" to buy yarn right now. I barely made my rent this month and I have other bills piling up...due to the whopping $412.15 invested in repairing my van's brakes this weekend. They'd been bad for quite awhile...but Friday...you know... the day I thought my mom died?....yeah, something really broke in there and the grinding/clanking wasn't 'just' when trying to brake but all the damn time. You know...the kind of noise where people's heads turn as you cruise to a grinding halt next to them at the stop light?...where your 17 yo says, "uh mom, can you drop me off here (a block away)...." ...where the gas attendant says stuff like "Did you know your brakes are making a lot of noise?"

Really? Thanks for the update there buddy. Couldn't hear it myself. Sheesh.

Any way...self discipline. Yeah, I'm working on it.

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

No Knitting Here

No knitting happened yesterday or much the day before. Tonight, yes, there will be knitting to report. That doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about knitting, drooling over yarn, fondling the stash and all those knitting related concepts, just didn't knit a stitch yesterday. Too busy...too tired....blah blah blah.

More 42 in 42:
29. Get a tattoo. I want a lotus in the small of my back with henna-like design branching off.
30. Harvest the lavender that grows in abundance in my yard and make lavender sachets...knitted of course.
31. Go white water rafting.

It's dreary as all get out here...rainy...gray...and dismal. Not normal. Central Oregon typically gets about the same amount of sunny days as San Diego, California. There may be snow...but we typically have sun. This overcast drizzle stuff just makes me want to hibernate. Coffee...knitting...movie...books...nice nap in the flannel sheets....Damn that sounds good.

Monday, January 09, 2006

I'm Sorry, But Your Mom Has Passed Away....Or Not....

You would not believe what Friday held for me.

Jodie came and took me for a burger at lunch time. I was surprised to see her walk back in my office barely an hour later. I could see the distress in her eyes. I asked, "what's the matter?" She took my hands in hers, and said "honey, I'm sorry, but we got a call on the answering machine...your mom has passed away."

I've shared some of my "stuff" with my mom but despite that and the fact we have been pretty much estranged for the last few years, of course I promptly fell apart.

Jodie drove me home. I cried and cried. She put me to bed and quietly went out to listen to the message again to see if she could get more details. She returned shortly with a look of horror and said, "uh Lisa....uh...your mom's name isn't Carol is it? Uh....I don't think it's your mom who has died."

It wasn't my mom, but my first dance instructor and mentor Carol. Her daughter had left a tear-filled message on the answering machine and indeed it had sounded like someone was saying "your mom has died", but in reality, she was sharing that HER mom had died.

While before I had been sobbing, now I couldn't stop laughing. Not that Carol was dead, by any means, but because of the absurdity of the whole thing. I had left work early, in tears because my mother had died. Jodie and Kayla had called into work, because my mother had died.

Uh...but my mother wasn't dead. Jodie called back to work in embarrassment and explained the situation, saying she would be in soon. I called in to work and explained, but said I was "done" for the day and no way was I coming back, which my coworkers were fine with.

Jodie headed for work...and her car died half way there. My car, of course, was still at my work, because Jodie had picked me up...you know...cause my mom had died and she didn't want me driving. Jodie and Kayla pushed the car home several blocks, I got a friend to come get me and retrieve my car. Jodie made it to work only three hours late, only. This, the day after they had laid many people off due to slowness of business...and she is three hours late the next day. Yippee skippeee.

I settled down and opened my mail. To discover I have been summoned for Jury Duty.

Now I ask you, could I have had a worse day? oy vey.

Due to the confusion over who was dead, it didn't really sink in to me that Carol was gone until last night. She changed my life in many ways and I will miss her. Last night and today have been really teary.

Knitting:
Yes, I actually did knit during all of this. Only reason I'm still somewhat sane, I'm sure. I've gotten several more repeats of Branching Out done, and two more repeats on The Braids Cardigan. It takes me 15 minutes (if undistracted) to get through a row on The Braids. I'm probably close to 7 inches done of the 13 inches I need before starting the armholes. Trying not to be daunted by the amount of time that equals, just working on it when I can and trying to enjoy the process. I do love the wool, Paton's Classic...just love the feel and weight of it.

Here's to you Carol....you brought me out of my shell, and gave me wings. Thank you.

Friday, January 06, 2006

Friday, Finally.....

More 42 in 42:
20. Knit myself a soft, warm, functional scarf. I have some frou-frou scarves...but not a "real" scarf.
21. Knit 12 dish cloths for my own kitchen (as opposed to giving them away which is what I always do..). The dish cloth KAL is definitely helping this goal.
22. Re-design my copper costume. The top is good...the hip belt needs to be completely redone and I need jewelry to match.
23. Construct new skirt & harem pants set for the copper costume.
24. Send 10 items to the Dulaan project this year.
25. Go bowling at least one time this year.
26. Go camping at least once this summer.
27. Go to the Oregon Coast at least once.
28. Go to Pride 2006 in Portland.

Knitting:
Today's knitting on the dish cloth will finish it...it's a snowman, very cute. I'll try to take a pic. Yeah, yeah, I know I keep promising more pictures. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah.

Over at Zeneedle, Margene is showing progress on Rosarie...and of course I'm drooling to do some fair isle. Got to thinking about the huge stash of Rowan I bought for an ill-fated fair isle vest that never came to fruition. Of course, let's see...it was on size 1 needles for pities sake...and I am not a small woman. The yarn was expensive....and I have felt guilty everytime I've come across the yarn in my stash. So, after seeing Margene's Rosarie, I got to thinking...what can I do on a smaller scale? I'm thinking a bag, pillow...something. No hats. Just say no to fair isle hats is my thinking right now. I think I have 5 colors, something like that. I love these pillows...but I'm a little concerned it's too advanced for me.

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Harder Than I Thought

Okay, the 42 in 42 thing...waaay harder than I would have guessed. Here is where I am so far:

1. Learn Magic Loop method.
2. Finish the second sock on circ I have cast on using the Cat Bordhi book.
3. Choreograph a competition-worthy routine for troupe. (Status: 1/3 done)
4. Compete with troupe at Canyonville, Oregon Belly Dancer USA Bellydance Competition in June 2006.
5. Choreograph 3 full routines for myself. (Status: 1/9th done)
6. Perform solo at Halfa for Ayeesha Aroosh silk veil workshop April 2006.
7. Perform solo at Saqra's Showcase April 2006.
8. Perform solo at High Desert Bellydance Festival June 2006.
9. Go to 100 OA meetings (status: 2 down...98 to go).
10. Read the Chronicles of Narnia series.
11. Finish Ribby Cardi (status: Sleeves done, back needs to be ripped and re-knit, then fronts knit...and then ... you know...seaming it together and all....argh)
12. Finish The Braids Cardigan.
13. Knit my stash down by 50%.
14. Save enough money to go to Disneyland in fall 2006/early winter 2007.
16. Refelt the Oregon Tote bag that I knit 2 years ago, and didn't felt enough, but didn't know what was the matter with it until recently...it needs more felting!
17. Organize the mountain of craft supplies (or "craft shit" as Jodie so delicately puts it..) in my garage.
18. Go to Seattle to meet Ryan and TMK.
19. Go to one of the many ceramic shops in town where you can paint your own and they fire it.

Knitting:
Eh. Not exciting. A couple more rows on Branching Out, probably 50% or more done there. The next installment of the dishcloth done, check. No idea what the design in the middle is...they don't give you a picture or the whole pattern...just the daily rows. It is sort of liberating, really. Just do what you're told. Knit your rows.

Late Christmas Gift! My oldest, Mary, stopped by last night with a gift she had ordered for me. It hadn't arrived in time for Christmas...it's the book "Lavish Lace" by Carol Rasmussen Noble and Cheryl Potter. I've only got to skim it so far, but I'm loving the inspiration it gives me already.

So...I rarely post about TV. I don't watch a lot of TV...mainly because I'm always tired and can't manage to stay up and watch the shows that are on late....If Jodie is working I'd rather be knitting or dancing than watching TV...but I do have a couple shows I'm addicted to...namely The Closer and Cold Case. I also like....the Food Network. I watch Emeril (tho he puts too much stuff on his food for me...I prefer simpler fare but he entertains me nonetheless), Paula Dean, Rachel Ray and Sandra Lee. I get a huge kick out of Unwrapped. I love that show! You know when you were a kid (ahem....those of you in my age group anyway) and programs like Mr Rogers (don't go off about him, I loved him...he was a gentle sweet man who showed me there were nice men in the world in a time when I wasn't so sure...) or sesame Street would show how stuff was made, like erasers or pencils or whatever??? I LOVED THOSE SEGMENTS! This is the same premise...how foods are made, history etc. Pretty cool.

So...what do YOU like to watch, my charming readers??

A Little Revision

In reviewing my 42 in 42 goals so far, I have come to realize that "getting control of my money" is too vague...to resolutionish. I need to be specific. So, that is being struck from the list for the time being. This is not nearly as easy as I thought it would be, coming up with 42 things I want to accomplish in my 42nd year. Good thing I started three months early, eh?

Knitting:
Um, did I mention I joined a KAL? I know, I know...those who have been around awhile are saying..."Really now Lisa...you can't finish anything most of the time anyway and you KNOW KAL's have been the kiss of death for you...what WERE you thinking?" Well, this is much simpler, I promise. I joined the Monthly Dish Cloth KAL on Yahoo Groups. You knit two dishcloths a month. My goal is a simple one dish cloth a month. High tech knitting? No. Fun? Yes, I think so. You get 8-10 rows a day by email....so far, day three, I'm keeping up. No promises, but I'm having fun and that's the point, isn't it?

The Branching Out Scarf continues...It's the only thing besides the dish cloth I've touched in the last few days.

Belly dance is heating up...which means knitting time is getting squeezed. I'm trying to keep some balance in there tho...and not just disappear from knitting (and blogging, ahem) while I dive into dance stuff. Right now, I am finishing choreography on a troupe piece for a competition in June, my daughter's beginner competition solo, a students intermediate competition solo, and I think one more beginner student is going to take the leap to competing...and that will mean one more routine. Not to mention, my own solo...needed by mid April.

Now, Life. I note that when some knit bloggers post...they tell all about their struggles, day in day out. Others hint at problems....and still others never say a thing about their personal struggles. I definitely fall into the first category....I'm an open book. Tho...ahem...I don't tell y'll everything....believe me.

So you ask, what about it? Are you going to cry all over us or what?

Nope. I'm not. Yes I will share that right now life is sorta sucky. Finances are at an all-time low and my pride is right there along with it. But ya know...mostly, I'm okay. I'm not stuffing my face over it. I'm not weeping at my desk. My mind isn't racing frantically trying to cover my options.

I'm okay. I'm not thrilled...but, I'm okay. You know what? That's a pretty cool place to find myself right now.