What have I been up to?

I'm afraid that I've been struck down by the "demotivation" bug lately. My birthday passed uneventfully as usual...except for the big box of fiber that arrived in the mail a couple days later from a friend in Seattle. It was half a birthday gift and half a thank you gift for making some costumes. He sent two 10 ounce rovings of Lorna's Laces superwash merino in the "Vera" and "Tahoe" colorways. Beauteous.


Above are the before and after pics of "Tahoe". I started a pair of mittens for my grandma in Elko so I only spun up about 2 oz of the 10. I think this one is my favorite. I'll have to post some pics of the mittens in progress as soon as I have them.


And here's a sample spin of the "Vera" colorway. I'm thinking this will be the background on a argyle vest with a dark eggplant as the main color...maybe.

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And what else has been taking up my time and focus you might ask? Well right after Thanksgiving, I learned I was pregnant! That made me pretty happy but it also completely drained my energy for a few months and I've been on what seems like an emotional roller coaster. But hey, at least I never puked. There were a few rough times when I wasn't sure things were going well but I'm happy to say now that I'm twelve weeks along and doing great. My last ultrasound showed a kicking, wailing, jumping bean and you wouldn't believe how relieved that made me feel. The baby will be due in early August when Jason is 2 1/2.


I know this just looks like a peanut-blob...but the blob on the left is the head and the one on the right is the body. It was much more impressive on the live screen seeing the legs and arms jumping and waving. We'll know if it's a boy or girl in early March.

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On the knitting front, a trip to SF via BART last week gave me a good kick start back into a work in progress. It's the White Lies Designs top "Myrna". I bought it as a kit which included the yarn but the yarn I got wasn't exactly what I saw in the picture. I guess it's still a good color but I would really have preferred the lighter shade of lavender. Besides the color, the yarn is very nice to work with. The pattern is a bit vague in spots so I've had to improvise but have otherwise not had any trouble. I have the back finished and the front is about 75% done. Then I'll just need to make the sleeves and seam it all together. Too bad I'll be too big for it by the time I'm finished! I"m already in maternity pants...my goodness.

14 Years ago...

One of the other girls at my rink called me "Bendy Straw". I wonder why...?

It's raining today and my hip really hurts - I have skating to thank for that. Despite the aches and pains, I wish I could still skate. Too bad most rinks around here have gone out of business. Too bad I'm getting too old for that freestyle stuff - turning 30 tomorrow. I'm sure falling at 30 hurts a lot more than it did at 16.

Anyways...

My second project for stash reduction is the "Cabled Rangoli Hat", by Desi Knitter . One of my friends posted this in her blog and I printed a copy and set it aside. I picked it up again after putting the hiking socks down - I wasn't in the mood for frogging. It's a little more than halfway done and moving along nice and quick. This would make a good gift. The only change I made was removing the puffs. I couldn't get a handle on purling five stitches together and puffs aren't really my style anyways...yeah, that's it. This is another project using Lionbrand WoolEase, this time in sportweight. The hat looks a little small on the needles but I have a small head so it may work out. If not, I need to find a kid to give this to or just save it in case I have a daughter next.

Pain in the neck!

After three years of procrastination, I finally bit the bullet and painted our living room. It hadn't been repainted since the house was built in the early 80's and a fresh layer was desperately needed. I swear, the next house we live in will NOT have a vaulted ceiling! Did I mention I painted the ceiling too? Yeah...pain in the neck. I'll never touch that again with a 10 foot pole.

I'm not entirely done as the walls around the upstairs landing still need paint but at least the hardest work is done and it's nice to finally get that over with. Now I need some art to hang on the big empty wall. Tomorrow I get to rearrange furniture and finish painting. *joy*

Socks for the 1ft Feet

I have some yarn I collected when I was learning to knit that I'm just not that interested in anymore. I have managed to give away some of these acrylic & novelty yarns that I just KNEW I wouldn't use but kept a few of the better ones on hand just in case. And now that I've learned to spin my own yarn, I really need to make room! So now I start my stash reduction:

My first project is a pair of hiking socks for my husband's size 15 feet. I've made one so far but it's a bit short. So now I need to back up a few inches before the toe decreases and make it longer. It does look comfy, though and the man agrees. This is my first sock I've knitted so it's definitely a confidence booster. The project is from Interweave's Favorite Socks, "Eesti Trail Hiking Socks" pattern by Nancy Bush. I'm knitting them with Lionbrand WoolEase.

As for Pixel...he's doing better now and is glad to get that collar off but he's still not allowed outside. Should be getting those sutures out in the next couple days.

Poor little guy!

I was on my way out to work this morning when I noticed some blood drops on the floor where Pixel was eating. Lo and behold, there's a big bleeding hole in his leg! So I had to call into work late and get him to the vet right away. I left him there for the day while they stitched him up and then picked him up on my way home. Now he's stuck indoors with a big plastic collar and a toddler to keep away from. He must have snagged himself on something while he was outside earlier in the morning. Anyone willing to scratch his ears is his new best friend.

Needless to say, our plans for my husband's mountain bike race this weekend are canceled. We can't leave poor Pixel at home in this state and we weren't feeling too ready for another 24 hour race after the last one in September. Not to mention after this $445 vet bill, we can't afford the gas to Whiskeytown anyway. Bummer.

Well, I did it this time...

I've been reading so many blogs lately I finally decided I want one too. Who knows, maybe this will be good motivation to finish projects faster so I can show them off!