No More Knitting Blahs; Am Now Knitting Frantically

And feeling a little like this....


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The Knitting Blahs

I think I have the knitting blahs.

Halloween was Quiet

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This Made Me Laugh In My Sickness

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Officially have the flu.

Not H1N1.

It is kicking my butt.

A Thanksgiving

All I can currently say about today is: Thank God for KnitPicks.com!

Gauge Problems Almost Solved

I tried to add a picture to this post, but Blogger was not cooperating with me, so here is my thought for the day sans photo enhancement....

If I am very careful and hopeful and optimistic, the gauge problem has been solved. I dropped from a US 5 all the way down to a US 3! This means I have to dig out my set of US 2s for the smaller needle required. I haven't reached the end of the swatch yet to make sure, but I am pretty confident this is the needle I need to use for the breeches. Now all I have to do, once they are done, is to swatch for the little sweater.

Gauge Problems

I am having gauge problems with the little leggings I want to do for my niece's new baby. It says, quite simply, 22 stitches & 32 rows = 4 inches. The problem, when I do it with the suggested needle of US 5 it is not any where near the correct gauge. Last night I did a swatch - yes, it is surprising! I am swatching! - on US 4 needles and it was better, but still not spot on. I am nearly getting truly disappointed and have considered, albeit fleetingly, of just giving up, but I can't. I can do this! I have correct gauge with other things, I just need to find the correct size needle darn it!

So, today, since I am still recovering from the stomach ickiness, I am going to try a size US 3 and see how that goes. If it does not get me gauge I am going straight to a US 1 and see how it does. I may just make it a little larger than just 3 months.

I am just a little bummed, but still determined. Any suggestions?

???

A Tool Being Considered

Earlier in the week I received a wonderful surprise: The PatternWorks.com catalog for fall (with some wonderful things for winter in there as well. One of the things that caught my eye this time was the Cro-Knit Tension Keeper. This actually seems like an answer to a prayer, especially since I am "encouraging" myself to use the Continental style of knitting for the larger projects because it is faster. Since I am also an extremely loose knitter, I thought this just might help my problem. Actually, the loose knitting isn't really a problem because all I have to do then is just to change down a needle size. Still, as far as holding the yarn on bad hand days, though rare in number, could help me get through the difficulty of such a day.

Has anyone out there used one of these doowhickies? Is anyone using them now? I am quite curious to know before I put down money on it. I can't afford to purchase something just on a whim, still, it is intriguing.

Baby Knitting is Taking Over!!!

Here is the burp cloth I made for a friend's baby. I am going to have to mail it off, but it is so cute I wanted to share it with everyone!

Going onto the needles next is a little pair of breeches for my niece's baby, and then the sweater. November is going to roll around here before you know it and I want the package to be in the mail and already there before November. Yeah, I am kind of pushing it, but little things go so very quickly!

I am also contemplating put a sweater on the needles for my DH. If I am diligent it should actually be done by his birthday, 01/31. Right? Yeah, my first attempt at making a sweater is still sitting in there in its bag looking forlorn and lonely. My thinking is: If I begin from scratch with brand new/different yarn, the knitting should actually go quicker, especially since my knitting confidence is a lot higher than what it was so many long months ago. Plus, since obtaining the nifty Options Acrylic Needles from an anonymous giftter for my birthday, I can knit longer than normal!

My only remaining question is - how am I going to get all of the Christmas knitting completed?

Quickly

I am knitting.

I am getting things done.

There are pictures to post.

There just isn't enough time to post the pictures today. Alas.

It has been Monday. All. Day. Long.

AND no one picked up the gift I made for a friend's baby. This makes me sad and feel just a little odd. I understand time constraints but.... I'll get over it. I'll mail it to them!!!!!

JoJo

The baby of the family got really sick at the beginning of September. She became lethargic and not wanting to do anything. Several times between September 1 and September 9 we were told she might not make it through the night. She kept surprising the doctors.

It became so scary that we took JoJo to Richmond to one of the best vets I believe I have ever seen, Dr. Taylor at the Barns Mill Road Animal Hospital. He did tests and said she had an autoimmune disease that cocker-spaniels were susceptible to: it caused the body to stop making red blood cells. He gave her a blood transfusion and it seemed that she was going to make it, but she suddenly had a turn for the worse. Dr. Taylor gave her another blood transfusion, but it just didn't take. JoJo passed away on September 9 around Noon.

Not having her around for the time she was in hospital I came to realize just how much life she brought into our home. She was always loud and ready to play or bark so her voice would be heard. JoJo was Mommy's girl down to her very core and she was never more than three feet away from me at any given time. When visitors came she was the perfect little lady (usually) and let everyone know she was available for petting and didn't mind loving you back with her great big brown eyes!

It may sound silly to you, but I had her cremated and she is now sitting over there in her box back here in the office. Hubby said he would bury the box if I wanted him. I haven't decided on that yet. In some weird way, having her ashes here is like she finally made it back home to me.

For the past couple of nights I have dreamed of her and different puppies, one of which was named Glory.

As you can imagine, the knitting has been both a blessing and a curse. I have baby shower to get ready for this weekend and I still don't have the burp cloth ready. I have it begun, but there is still a lot of knitting to do on it. Hopefully it will get done, especially since it is also part of the decoration!

It's Friday

It is Friday.

It is my birthday.

I am happy.

Let the Baby Knitting Begin!

My own "dred sock" is nearly completed, which opens up room on the needles for the things I want to knit for my new great-nephew who should be arriving in November. The yarn is the softest of baby yarns, and acrylic for ease of washing. The only part that remains is for me to decide what to knit.

I am leaning toward the classic sweater/leggings set. They are simple, but look so wonderful. It worries me just a little that it is so simple, but there are other projects, too, that could be made. However, for the one sweater I would like to make requires different yarn than what I have already acquired for the baby knitting projects. Still, so what if more yarn needs to be purchased for said baby knitting?

Pictures will be posted soon.

Can It Be Done?

Hubby and I went to see a movie I could hardly wait to come out Julie & Julia. From the first moment I saw the trailer I couldn't wait to see the movie. Then, when I discovered that the movie was based upon a book, I simply had to read the book! Now that I have seen the movie and read the book, I must own the movie when it is released! It is becoming a never-ending cycle.

Sunday, at lunch with some friends, Hubby turned to me and said, "I think you should do it, too."

"Do what?" I asked around my twice-cooked tofu and rice.

"I think you should do what Julie did in the movie."

"Cook through Mastering the Art of French Cooking in a year? That's already been done, baby, and quite well, I might add."

"No, not cooking - knitting. You knit all the time, but I never see anything you've knitted from one of the many knitting books that are beginning to over-take the living room. And the yarn, of course."

I smiled at him and nodded. I was humoring him more or less. Then the friends agreed. If it could be done for a cookbook, why couldn't it be done for a knitting book? I just sat there in stunned silence for a moment or two. Of course, the people with whom I was sitting were a) all men; and b) non-knitters. They did not understand how long it took to knit something, even if it was a small something.

Hubby let it drop at the restaurant, but when we actually made it home he picked out two books from my knitting bookshelf and handed them to me. One was Romantic Hand Knits: 26 Flirtatious Designs That Flatter Your Figure and Knitting in the Sun: 32 Projects for Warm Weather, which also just happened to be my most recent purchase in the knitting book arena.

The first difference I saw immediately was the numbers: 26 vs. 32. Twenty-six is smaller than 32.

"If Julie did it in a year, so can you!" Hubby looked at me with such encouragement in his eyes and such hope reverberated in his voice. He was really wanting me to try this! Part of me was pretty sure he was mad, as in cuckoo, but another part of me wondered if, indeed, it could be done. There sure was a lot of knitting involved.

But, what about the newest nephew needing his wee garments? And what about the sweaters I had already promised and not delivered on? And what about all of those hats that Hubby wanted and his mother wanted to sell at the up-coming festival? There was already a majority of knitting practically on the needles already!

"Are you going to wuss out on me?" he asked, and I didn't have an answer for him...then.

I am going to take his challenge, but only after the other things are off my needles first. So, which book am I going to knit from cover to cover? Yeah, that one is easy - Romantic Hand Knits (I like lower numbers).

Am I insane? Yeah, I just might be.

The Dred Sock!

I have been working diligently on a "dred sock" per Hubby's desire and request. He needed something that would be cool for the summer and keep his dreds in line and protected, but he also needed something that he could close up and make a tam also if necessary. Thus, the creation of the dred sock!



As always, he chose the colors, and, I must say, a very nice cotton blend yarn that was a true pleasure to work with: Cotton Fleece by Brown Sheep. It was one of the more enjoyable knitting projects I have played with.



The opening is the red section that was done in a k1p1 rib that turned out beautifully and the blue "end" is open. The end, which you can't see very well here, was done with a simple yarn over opening for the threading of a closing piece.



The "string" was actually a 3-braid of all three of the colors used in making the hat, and I am actually quite proud of how well the string itself turned out.











And here is Hubby with his new favorite hat as well as just a little more detail. And, just for those who were wondering, no, I didn't get a chance to block the project before it was worn.





This one is a little blurry, but you can still see how it is supposed to protect the dreds.



Here is a better one.



I am actually quite proud of this little creation of mine, and am working on another form of "band" for non-dreds or even dreds I suppose.

There is more to come, too! I have a skirt planned for winter/fall and possibly a couple of sweaters once I have ventured into the sweater knitting again. My brain is suddenly full of possibilities where knitting is concerned!

It Isn't Just the Needles That Have Been Productive!

The knitting is moving along so quickly these days I haven't really had time to spread out everything and photograph them, but this shall be done and lo! you will be amazed at what is on the needles as well as what is coming off of them! I am so excited there is boundless squeeee involved!

Not only do I have tomatoes, but there are cucumbers, and herbs, and hot peppers! Look, I'll show you!

Cucumbers!

I Raided the LYS

I feel as if I have raided the LYS of Stone's Throw with all of the goodies I have waiting for me to work with! It is a relaxing moment for the mind and heart. It is good. Very good.

Wednesday. It's Wednesday.

Surprisingly, for a Wednesday, this hasn't been very bad at all. In fact, this has been a genuinely awesome day and I am feeling SO accomplished. I would even say I am a quarter of the way through with one of my footies and can't wait to wear them this fall! There is excitement!

Plus, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince comes out next week! EXCITEMENT! EXCITEMENT!

Nite Nite

Last night I didn't go to bed early, but tonight.... Tonight I am on my way.

Monday Goes Down - One! Two! Three!

Despite a squeaky voice and feeling pretty rotten, I survived Monday!

The footies I am making for myself are actually progressing faster than I thought they would. The baby blanket yarn is looking at me almost forlorn, wondering when it is going to be worked up into a cute little blanket for a brand new person coming into the world!

"
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Socks, Rain, and a Soggy 4th Makes Peoples Happy

Happy belated Fourth of July everyone!

Here at the Notafraid2knit homestead there was frantic preparations for getting everything ready for a party that ended up being in, thankfully, SS's garage! I need to do something super special for him because he deserves something special for all of the wonderful things he does for us here, as well as everyone else he can. You simply cannot beat him, except for maybe DH when he isn't grumpy, which is hard to do these days- not find him grumpy. Can grumpiness become a habit instead of how you are truly feeling? Sometimes I wonder, and yes, I digress. My apologies.

DH put together a brand new grill (in the rain) and then cooked some mighty tasty hamburgers and brauts (in the rain) and then proceeded to eat (in the rain) because he didn't want to bring his grumpiness into the garage with everyone else. This caused some amusement for some of the guests, especially RQ who has known DH for over 20 years and brought it up to him that"his wife" had "suggested" he put the grill together in the garage, but he had to be contrary. Surprisingly DH agreed and finally came in, literally, out of the rain to play a game with us and thus enjoy the rest of the day.

About 8:30 p.m. everyone packed up and headed to the fireworks display downtown and I gratefully went to my own home where I took more medicine for a probably sinus infection and just proceeded to rest.

Today I have little to no voice, and am slinging snot and feeling none too wonderful, but I am alive and the party was a success. It is amazing how some of the smallest things remind you of how great and grand life truly is and how it is always important to live it, no matter how badly you feel. Even feeling bad means you are alive enough to feel something.

The knitting projects are finally almost organized. Since I still do not have the sweater pattern for the baby item I am beginning on the blanket today. It is such a happy yarn. It is variegated white, pastel greens, blues, and yellows and so soft t is an absolute treat for the fingers to work with it! I am debating on two patterns for it, the slipped chain or something else. I am favoring the slipped chain because it just looks interesting and the pattern is not too hard to remember, as long as I can find it again, of course. I am simply going to have to buckle down and collect all of my pattern stash together into one place and just keep it there for future reference. Still, it is going to be quite a big chore when it eventually does begin.!

Planned Projects for July

Scarf for Roots & Heritage Festival booth
Footies for me
Blanket for LB's baby
Sweater for LB's baby
Booties for LB's baby

What is already on the needles? The footies for me. Several other things need to go there pretty quick.

The World, As I Know It, Has Changed

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A lot has been going on of late. Everyone knows I am working from home and that this has caused me some ups and downs emotionally, well, I have more news to share with you.

A couple of weeks ago the chiropractor my husband goes to sent me word through DH that he thought he could help me with my migraines despite my arthritis. So, armed with old copies of an MRI I had taken in 2003 I went to visit said doctor. Dr. Krackles is a nice man, smaller than I imagined, and he has quiet, tender hands that do help to make my back feel better.

After seeing my condition he said he thought he could help me and needed to look at the old MRI as well as some new x-rays he himself took. In the mean time I was sent to a different room and nice heat was applied to my back and a small tenz(sp?) unit was on my back and I found muscles that don't normally relax begin to do so. That alone was worth the $15 co-pay DH had to pay!

When it came time to the actual adjustment and consult, Dr. Krackles had some interesting news for me. My neck is broken and has been broken since at least 2003 when the migraines began. The injury itself is actually life-threatening and many doctors have missed it or just simply not cared. According to Dr. Krackles, as well as my GP, the place where my neck is injured is very dangerous - if I move my neck too quickly or receive an awkward jar, or even a jar I am not prepared for, I may die because my neck will snap and it will be all over.

That is VERY sobering news.

It has been a lot for me to deal with, actually, and the questions have not stopped since the discovery of the injury: Why didn't the doctor I was seeing for migraines back in 2003 catch the problem? If he did catch the problem why didn't he try to have it corrected? Is my osteoporosis so bad the injury cannot be repaired by the fusing operation several physicians have talked to me about? Has God kept me alive for these 6 years for some greater purpose?

Last week I had a small meltdown and temper tantrum. There just isn't any other way for me to describe the horrible crying jag and yelling fit I took, and sadly DH received the brunt of it all with as much patience as he could muster. Since then I have been having a hard time working and taking the calls and accepting being yelled at on a regular basis. The hardest calls for me to take have been the ones where people have been upset at me when I have had to ask if their injury was due to an auto accident or work related incident. It has set my teeth on edge when I have heard, "I am disabled. I cannot work!" They usually then proceed to explain to me why they cannot work. Sometimes I agree - silently - with them, but the majority of the time I just listen and do my job and hurry through the call as best I can so that I won't have to talk to that person any longer than is required.

It is wrong of me, I know, to be this way, but I have been, am, and am trying to encourage myself just to do the job and keep on going. My life could be really too short to dwell on their fear.

So, today, the first Friday I have not had to work in ages and ages, I have relaxed and prayed and thought and planned and hoped. Realizations and knowledges have made themselves present and I came to a conclusion: I am going to LIVE my life and going to make the best time out of what I have since, right now, I could literally die at any weird moment.

All of this actually began last night when I cast on a pair of footies for myself. Since they are for me I am not going to worry about a heel - you know, the foot size difference I have, lol - and could actually feel the tension leave my shoulders and upper back as I began to slowly knit. Since it felt so good, I picked up the "fake lace" scarf I promised my mother-in-law for her booth at the Roots & Heritage Festival this year and finished it before going back to the socks. Again, the tension continued to evaporate. There was peace on the inside again, which actually got me to thinking just a little more about what type of life I would like to live and what truly made me happy.

Since knitting has become so important to me I have made the decision to organize it and for an entire year, I am going to knit my way to prayer and peace. To that end I picked up two "spare" journals and made one my Christmas Journal and one my Knitting Journal. Because this is a knitting blog I am going to incorporate it into this year long trek of creating the life I want for myself, as well as leave behind for my husband, should the not-so-impossible happy, some truly good memories of us together, as well as the rest of my family and friends.

I have often read and heard how people, when faced with the knowledge of cancer and dying that they finally become the people they always should have been, but never fully understood it completely until now.

I am truly frightened - not so much of dying, but of leaving behind those I love with fewer happy memories than what they deserve. If something were to happen, I want the love of my life to smile at memories of me and not recall all of the arguments we have had or the cruel words we have said to each other.

This plan of mine, this project, if you will, is going to be quite difficult because there are a lot of changes that have to occur, but they are not changes that cannot occur. Much like knitting, each day, each moment of the day, is like a knitted stitch in a garment or project: each stitch fits with the next for something beautiful in the end; and when mistakes are made the wrong stitches are frogged and good ones knit in their place. This year is going to be the frogging of the old stitches of the garment that is me, and in doing this, I am going to knit and write as hard as I can, because there literally may not be a tomorrow for me.

Hopefully some of you will go on this journey with me for at least this year. If all goes well, there will be another year of this project of mine, but I am not going to take it for granted that there will be - not ever again - and I am going to be the person I truly am and enjoy my life without any pretenses. There isn't time for pretending or delaying any more. Now is the time for living and being...me.

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The world is a strange place these days for me. It is a dangerous and yet wonderous place all at once. I guess it really hasn't changed that much, but some new information from a doctor has me worried and confused and nervous. Keeping all of that out of the mind and keeping going has been difficult. Yes, I know I am being cryptic, but it won't be very much longer until I can explain completely.

An Open Letter to Knitting

Dear Knitting,

Yes, it has been a long time since I have picked up the needles to communicate with you and reset the emotional batteries for myself. No, it hasn't been anything you have done or not done - it has just been me letting everything else out there get in the way of us enjoying one another.

The washcloth that was begun is indeed almost completed and the baby sweater ideas are flowing, and the thought of knitting while watching So You Think You Can Dance practically makes my mouth water.

I have no forgotten you, my dearest friend, and I am coming back to you on the backs of shiny sheep and excited heart. Just be patient is all I ask.

Love,
Me

Looking to the Summer

Sitting quietly today after work, I inhaled deeply and reveled in the knowledge I was wearing a tank top and I wasn't at all cold or chilled. In fact, it was warm outside and thus my arthritis wasn't bothering me nearly as much as it has all winter.

The knitting bug has firmly taken hold again and I am contemplating even more projects and what to do. The family is expecting a new baby in November and Sissy2 informed me that it even gets cool in Florida around that time so knitting something sort of warmish for a baby is absolutely grand.

There is some wonderful baby yarn I have left over from a previous hat project and now am debating if I want to make a little sweater, hat and booties out of it and throw in a nice little blanket because a friend of mine gave me some wonderful yarn that, I believe, would make a beautiful little baby blanket. I don't want it to be anything overly fancy, just simple and pretty. Currently we don't know what the baby is going to be, but neutral colors, greens and yellows, always go over well, or so I have been told.

Now all that remains is deciding on the sweater. I do have a pattern already for a baby kimono and, quite truthfully, I am leaning toward it heavily.

Besides the little baby things, I am preparing to delve into my first lace knitting of any summer, and socks. My goodness, how busy we knitters are! There is so much to knit and so many different things to try, or learn!

Nails and Yarn Its Surprising How Well They Go Together

Friday after work, Sniffles and I headed out to my nail place for a "fill and paint" with Tim, the guy who does my nails at Foxy Nails here in Lexington (in the Pimlico shopping center). Getting my nails done has become as important, maybe more so, than getting my hair done, because getting my hair done requires a LOT more trouble and work for me as well as for any stylist willing to work with someone in a wheelchair that tilts. Most stylists get really weird when I go in to ask about prices, so have stopped doing that. However, getting my nails done does not require so much stress and thus it is that little girlie treat I let myself have along with make-up and smell-goods. Still, having my nails done is my treat for me and I always tip well, because Tim cannot just sit there in a comfy chair and do my nails, he is on his feet just as much as he is sitting. I commend his spirit and will tip him each and every time I go.

After having the nails done and walking back to a house full of friends for the weekly role playing session - we are doing Feng Shui now - I felt relaxed and more...in control of everything while accepting I am truly not in control of anything. And, as often as not, yarn and knitting came into the forefront of my brain. One woman looked at my hands once and declared, "How on earth do you type, much less do anything else!" My response was that it was quite easy, I just do it. Now that I have pretty nails more attention is drawn to my hands and thus to the pieces I am knitting and this comment is coming more and more.

Plus, there have also been comments of how frivolous having my nails is since my hands look so weird any way.

Walking back from the nail place Friday with Sniffles I realized I am actually quite proud and happy with my hands. After all, my hands still work - just a little differently than most peoples because of the arthritis and might not be quite as strong - and I love them as well as love seeing what the can do with sticks and strings. It is like magic. So, OK, my hands are beautiful, perhaps, to you, but to me they are and they are quite accomplished hands. Who cares if I am never going to be a hand model. I sure don't! :)

O How the Needles Do Sing!

Work today was perfect for the day: It was gray and gloomy and drizzled rain here and there. The phones were not bad and there was space between calls for just some simple relaxation, so I brought the summer purse I am working on into the office and just let my hands and mind relax into the yarn and the process of knitting.

It was wonderful. Beautiful even.

It Feels Soooo Good!

Yesterday when I got off work I actually relaxed and picked up the knitting needles and some yarn. I have decided to make myself a beautiful summer purse in the Pink Lemonade range of Sugar & Spice cotton yarn. It is going to be a long shoulder-strapped purse with room for only a few things and my ever-present cell phone and now the ever-present Nintendo DSi.

Picking up the needles and playing with the yarn has already begun to wash away some of the stress I was unaware of in my shoulders until it began going away as I began to cast on. The knitting projects are all there, patiently waiting for me and I must admit I have missed them.

One of the coolest things about the DSi is that it has a camera (which was one of the reasons why I was not going to get it in the first place!) and I can take pictures of my knitting and post them here soon without too much trouble. I just have to get myself an SD card in order to transfer them back and forth.

Have Ya Missed Me?

Much has happened - I am now working from home for the same company. This is taking a bit to get used to, actually. It began this past Wednesday (04/29/09) and is supposed to continue from here on out.

There have been some hurdles. Small ones. I will explain them later on. Right now I just wanted to sign in and touch base with you all and to also let you know I am still alive and kicking and itching to knit again! Now that I am home and don't have to worry so much about transporting the knitting, the floodgates have opened in my brain and I am dying to get back into the yarn!

Return of the Knitting Bug

Friday, in order for me to get by with the mundane at work I took back some knitting. Having dusted off the old knitting needles I must say my world slowly began to fit back together. Until Friday, when I began knitting, I knew something was out of place, but I did not know what. Still don't. The thing I do know is that the raised bumps of things settled into a little better semblance of a normal landscape. Hubby's operation was not exactly simple, but it went well and I am relieved. The thing that really was upsetting was the fact there was something wrong with him. Now that he is home (and still sleeping off and on on the couch)my world is once again more orderly.

So, I have grabbed the wonderful sweater called Clark and have everything ready to begin working on it again. Plus, because it was small, I began working on a dishcloth. My next project, small project, will be dishcloths as a baby gift. They are going to be made out of chenille. As things are finished I will post them. The image here is just of the dishcloth I am working on...almost. It is a "chain" dishcloth, but not quite this one. This was the closest picture I could find to the dishcloth I am making.

I also discovered my sock yarn! I can't wait to begin working on a pair of magic loop socks so I can learn the technique as well as making myself some socks. Excitement is deep in the heart of me right now. Knitting. Games. Cooking. Spring. Life.

This Day at Last Relaxes

Hubby had to have his operation today and I stayed home from work to make sure the house was as close to spotless as I could get it with Cheyenne's help. Today has been one of the more worrisome days that I have had in quite a while.

There was so much housework and cleaning to do today (OK, maybe not that much cleaning) that I have not really picked up the knitting needles yet. Now that Hubby is sleeping peacefully on the couch my mind is beginning slowly to turn toward yarn and and needles and knitted items.

Knitting will help me settle down a little more.

Firsts!

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I am working on my first set of baby booties! So excited!

Serious Sock Thoughts

When my paycheck is here I am going to order me some sock yarn and I am going to get a nice book for doing magic-loop socks and I am going to make me a pair of socks darn it!

That is all.

'Nuff Said

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The Needles on the Bus go Click Click Click

Today there was a very long wait while the bus I was on picked up another rider. So, to help pass the time I took out the knitting and worked on the second of the fingerless mitts for the pair. It was wonderful. Yes, I know, I have read of people doing this on buses, but I myself had never done this before today. So, what do I say? I am going to do it more often!

Beginnings and Endings

The very last pair of fingerless mitts is being finished and I have realized I really do enjoy making them - I am just tired of making the very same ones repeatedly. So, I am going to make some pretty ones with lace-weight yarn, I think for myself, or a lace scarf for myself. I am torn. Still.... There are just so many wonderful things to knit!

I still haven't tackled "magic loop" yet, but I am determined to begin this week, or as soon as I find some more sock yarn I would like to work with. I may have to do a KnitPicks shopping spree for some new sock yarn. And, of course, I must finish the baby gifts I have begun for an LJ friend.

At last, though, the knitting mojo is back! I am so very relieved!

Plus, I have also figured out how to make something to hold my yarn at work and keep it orderly and neat: Coffee can yarn caddies! I just have to find some weight to put in the bottom of a coffee can to make it heavy so the weight of the yarn itself won't drag it all over my desk. Does anyone have any idea about how it should be decorated? I am thinking of some shelf liner as decorative wrapping around the can itself. A hole in the top of the lid for the yarn will let the yarn out of the can. I am kind of excited now about knitting projects. It could be possible now to take the sweater I am still working on.

A Reflection

The work week has finally come to an end. I was able to relax this morning with a little knitting before the bus arrived to take me to work. It felt good. I need to let myself sit quietly at the end of each day to just relax and let the day drift away in the yarn and wonderful stitches. *sigh* The knitting world is a wonderful one. Don't you agree?

That Wonderful Day After Valentine's

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Yesterday was Valentine's Day. Yeah, most people in the world knew it and enjoyed it. Remarkably, so did me and Hubby. We didn't do anything overly romantic, but we did make sure to spend the day together as well as alone together, which was absolutely wonderful beyond belief.

We went to see the movie Push at The Movie Tavern where we enjoyed buffalo wings, french fries, and just being together.

As for presents, well, he got me both seasons of Shimmy and I got him some wonderful masculine cologne that smells wonderful on him!

And today is, well, the day after Valentine's Day and I must admit it has been one of those slow days. I did quite a bit yesterday and moved more than what I had been moving because of the pain in my back, so I did not make it to Church today, but it was for the best because I feel better. The back is still not happy, but it is better. Hopefully I will be back to normal in a week or two more. This is my hope, however.

While Hubby napped on the couch this afternoon, I realized I had not knitted anything I had not wanted in a long time. So I began a dish cloth just for me...

And I have tried several times to upload a picture of it, but technology is foiling me!

I feel so much better now. I feel so good in fact, I will probably attack the wonderful sweater called Clark!

'Splaining and Stuffs

Things have been exceptionally quiet here of late and I have left you all hanging with almost an explanation as to what actually happened, so I understand there is some 'splaining to do. So, I dood it now:

Sunday, the 8th, I used WHEELS to go to Church because I was planning on going shopping later at the mall. The driver who picked me up from Church to take me to the mall did not secure my wheelchair down properly. I knew this when I slid out of my slot and almost hit the lift, which is made of metal and has many sharp parts, and also rocked up on one line of wheels and then rocked back to the other side. It is a miracle I did not actually turn over and get hurt even worse than I was.

The entire incident hurt me pretty badly. I missed work on Monday and attempted to go to work Tuesday, but ended up having to leave and go to the ER because the pain was pretty bad: I was hurting from head to toe and had actually had to go to the bathroom and vomit because of the pain. My manager and supervisor threatended to call 911 if I vomitted one more time. Luckily Hubby arrived before that happened.

The ER basically said my body had been in a car wreck without me actually having been in a car wreck. The x-rays showed, thank goodness, that I did not have any broken bones or hairline fractures. This was a miracle in and of itself. This prompted me being off from work from Tuesday through today. I am actually going to work tomorrow. It is my short day. *sigh* The paycheck is going to suffer, but I still have my job which means a lot to me.

Hurt back....

I did not make it to work today: There was an exceptionally rough ride on a WHEELS bus yesterday. It hurt my back. Tomorrow I will be going to work.

Today has been one of those days where I have just relaxed and rested. Yesterday I ran away to Barnes & Noble for a couple of hours and made a couple of purchases for writing as well as reading. However, I have been a bad girl on the knitting from - I have done nothing.

It isn't that there isn't any inspiration, or that there are not things to actually finish and others to begin. It has just been so difficult this week to manage my station and get the knitting needles out during the quiet times, which have not been all that many, but there have been a few. Instead of knitting during the down times I have been reading.

Sunday I am going to go shopping for a Valentine's Day gift for my guy, and I am also going to plan my knitting time a little more, and I am also going to organize a few more things at my desk. I am also probably going to order myself a yarn bowl or pick up a nice heavy-ish bowl of some sort so I can use it while at work. Or, I could also go to Jo Anne's and pick up a couple of those "yarn caddies" that zip. Until I get some bills paid I have to be very careful with indulging in the knitting world.

Work is really going well for me. The one thing I need to do is to make sure and organize my relaxing points while there. I need to make sure the old bp doesn't spike on me while there.

Who do you think will win the Superbowl for 2009?
	Pittsburg Steelers
	St. Louis Cardinals
	I don't really care, but I'll watch any way.
	I don't care because i am not going to watch.
	I'm just here for the party.
pollcode.com free polls

A Cute Little Bag and Yarn Therapy Commense

This cute little bag has caught my attention. Valentine's Day is closer than what I am comfortable with, and I am trying to be up on the possible knitting projects I can use as giving as gifts or parts of gifts. I am thinking that this little thing would be perfect for putting a small gift or two in for my own special Valentine. Since my paycheck is waiting for me at work instead of being deposited like I expected it to be into my checking account, I think the purchase of some yarn for such a cute little creation would be wonderful for my guy. The only other thing I need to need to figure out is what to put inside said pouch.

The instructions are not going to be posted below, and if you would like a copy of your very own, you can click on the title above and be taken to the Lion BrandTM site where the page for the project is available for your very own download. I was going to post them, but didn't want to step on any copyright toes - I am too poor to pay for copyright infringement. LOL.

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On other knitting news, I am going to kick the knitting into high gear and finish at least two sets of the fingerless mitts for two or three people in my office. I am going to try my very best and get three sets done so that when I go in on Monday I will be bringing gifts for my co-workers who have had to take over the calls I should have been taking while off due to the ice and snow conditions that are trapping me here in the house.

I was reading today in an article I received about dealing with stress in a creative way. The article suggested either writing in a diary or journal; writing a short story, and, of course, knitting and other hand crafts. After taking a nerve pill the thought of knitting made me ease up even more.

The possibility of losing my new job over this is very real. Hubby keeps telling me not to worry about it, but it is so difficult not to do so. Sister2 suggested just keeping busy and prepare for work on Monday as if everything was going to work out perfectly. Positive thinking can hopefully get me through this current bout of nerves that feels as if it is bordering on a panic or anxiety attack.

Hubby came home from work tonight and worked a little on the porch and the ramp a little before coming in and promptly going to lie down for a little. Me thinks he isn't feeling all that great. He is such a macho guy he does not like to admit he does not feel well and I have to guess or ask many times how he is feeling before he gets annoyed enough to tell me. Since my own nerves are a little jangled at the moment, I am just going to let him relax for a while before finding out how he feels or even what he would like for supper. I know he is also under stress because of all of this himself in trying to support me, in his own strange way, through this.

Tomorrow is also Hubby's 40th birthday and, just possibly he might be feeling this one, but he hasn't said anything specifically.

It's white outside my window still.

The back yard looks beautiful today in the cool gray afternoon light. The dogs have run and played in the snow and left their tracks and trails mingling together until the snow looks rumpled, like rumpled sheets on a large bed. Ice still clings to the trees and makes them droop, each branch outlined in icy clearness like some alien landscape suddenly come to life before my very eyes.

Like every day since Monday I am stuck in the house unable to get out safely, which means work and my paycheck is suffering. Today, though, I have been practically depressed over the fact I am not out at my job: I feel as if I am failing. Everyone says I am not, but, still, this is how I feel. Working is a serious matter for me, and not working now makes me feel as if I am letting my employers down after they gave me such a big chance.

There is part of me that is still coldly rational about everything. If I am fired I should probably be able to find another job. If I am let go there will be someone else who can quite easily do my job. If. If. If.... So, to keep my mind busy and my body, at least my hands, active, I am working on the fingerless mitts I have promised my co-workers. There will be one pair finished today and another pair begun. Hubby said he would dig me out a path today when he gets home. SS tried but could not. Hopefully it is warm enough for the snow/ice-melt stuff to work now at 24*F. If I am unable to go to work tomorrow I will go on Monday and be more prepared for the next storm that is preparing to hit Lexington at the beginning of next week.

I am being as optimistic as I can as well as appreciate the beauty and knitting around me.

Check out this.

http://www.kentuckymountaingirlnews.com

Tired. Check out the link above.

Ice

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Last night there was a major dumping of ice on the Lexington area. Because of the ice I didn't make it to work today, and it felt odd. Yesterday, once everyone saw my supervisor's fingerless mitts, everyone nearly in my unit has requested them. Since I can't take large knitting projects to the office I figured these would be perfect to do there in those down times.

According to the weather and news, tomorrow is supposed to be more of the same. It didn't get above freezing today so my ramp is still iced over. Tomorrow is probably going to be another stay-at-home day. SupervisorB said that I wouldn't lose my job since the ice was beyond my control. This means, from my understanding, I am still going to have a job, but the paycheck is going to be somewhat smaller than it would have been with a full week of work.

I live! And so much more!

Sorry my friends, but the world is topsy turvy with all of the changes going on and the work schedule getting used to; however, you can catch up with me a little by following this link:

http://kentuckymountaingirlnews.blogspot.com/2009/01/it-feels-like-i-am-home-for-weekend.html#links

I get to knit at work!

Knitting Has Already Invaded The Work Place

Today was my second day of training at the new job. When I was putting my bag together for work this morning I discovered some knitting at the bottom - unfinished fingerless mitts - I decided to leave them there so I could actually have something to do should the bus get me there extremely early or I had to wait a while on it to pick me up. Well, the bus did indeed get me to work extremely early so I sat and had some quiet knitting time to help me prepare for the training. The supervisors ( I love them!) arrived and we sat and talked while I knitted. Supervisor2 is a wonderful young woman and I just couldn't help but volunteer to make her a pair because she was just so cold in the office. Supervisor1 is a very interesting man who cracks me up and is so laid back he just simply encourages a good working environment by his very presence! He was so cold I also volunteered to make him a pair as well. He was adamant to let me know he preferred masculine colors. I couldn't help but smile, because Supervisor2 and I had already been talking about colors for hers and she loves pinks and purples. A girl after my own heart on the purples.

As luck would have it, there was also some waiting involved and thus more knitting at the end of the day. It was wonderful! Just knowing I will be able to have my knitting around at the job, when not working of course, that the stress-reduction has already begun. And, since I don't have any pink yarn I get to go shopping for a skein this weekend! I am happy.

The job is a call center position and we have had training yesterday and today, as well as get-to-know-each-other time, which is actually very good. The training, however, is going to be over on Tuesday and we go live on Wednesday or Thursday. I am nervous. We all are. Still, there is also an excitement there as well. We found out today we are not going to be sharing our desks with anyone else so we get to decorate them as we like and call them ours. We even got to pick our stations/desks today. Mine is next to the windows and light. Hopefully the blinds will be open more than they will be shut. I need sunlight or I feel quite draggy and low.

Speaking of being draggy and low: The doctor had another potassium test run on me. The potassium was low, which means I have to go back on potassium, which does not surprise me. In fact, I am somewhat relieved because this should help me feel more energetic and able to handle the job and this new life I am suddenly living. (I am also going to store a couple of 5 Hour Energy Drinks in my desk for those super lazy days, or days following an insomnia night.) Hopefully the doctor will be able to figure out soon why I am losing my potassium and we can, again hopefully, correct the problem. Who knows, I may have to be on potassium for a while this year.

Oh, and one girl at the office has asked if knitting was difficult to learn.

*insert grin here*

The Third Day of the New Year 2009...

...brings quietness and my darling husband snoring on the couch.

He actually made it to tai chi this morning, but when he came home he went and laid down on the bed "to stretch his back out" and fell asleep. He got up from there and went into the living room where he sat down on the couch and fell promptly asleep again. I am not going to wake him as I had ample sleep myself today and am feeling much better for it.

The first project for 2009 I am bound and determined to complete is going to be the wonderful sweater called Clark. It has been sitting around and sitting around and other projects have been being pushed and pulled and slipped in front of it until it has taken me a very long time to even get back to it. However, as one of my New Year's Resolutions (surprisingly I actually made a list this year) I am getting all of the old projects under my belt and getting them finished so that by the time summer rolls around I can pick up a pair of socks or some lace - still determined on the lace - without feeling one bit of guilt.

The year 2008 was a very important learning year for me where knitting has been concerned, as well as a little more of life in general. I have learned that if I actually plug away on a project it actually gets completed and looks wonderful, and that small projects are quick ego boosters when the larger projects seem to be taking forever to complete. Many of you probably already knew this, and I know I did at some point in my brain, but it was nice having the knowledge re-awakened in my head and heart. I also learned that when I don't knit for a considerable period of time I get really grumpy, grouchy, meanish, and my blood pressure refuses to stay in the nice levels and tries to kill me. Yes, an important reason to keep knitting. I have also learned and accepted that my nearest and dearest friends watch my knitting progression and when I am not knitting immediately know something is horribly wrong in my world somewhere - either I am sick or I am under a larger-than-normal amount of stress and come to my rescue.

I have also learned that all of the friends I have made on Ravelry.com are some of the dearest to my little heart. Thank you guys for sharing this wonderful...hobby with me.