Hello Beautiful New Year!

I finished exactly two fiber related projects last year. One a knit for someone else and one a woven scarf. I worked on a couple of knits, but frogged or forgot about most. I received my weaving club every two months and didn’t work on a single one. I did some cross stitch and embroidery. I spent time at the pool. I rode in the Sam’s Club Bike MS150. I did no Jiu Jitsu. I was sick for about half the year. I’m still down with the sickness and hope to have better answers next year. I broke a rib, my momma went septic on us. I almost gave up the blog and domain. It was an odd year. I think the word of the year was “apathetic”. It was like I just took a year off.

I’m not doing a whole “new year, new me” thing. I just need to get back on track.

Of course, January always means a month of CMMDI. Here’s a peek at everything I have laying around:

Yeah. I may also have a tiny addiction to JessaLu bags.

Happy New Year y’all!

See ya later 2015

Seven FOs for the year.  In there is my first sweater (about three years in the making) and some cotton socks that sucked my will to live.  There are the mitts and shawl that I had to make to match the hat I needed to knit to keep me warm after jiu jitsu. There’s the “sweaty cotton” washcloth (actually 2) that I took camping and finished at Hurricane Harbor. My favorite is the coffee hat. Lovely yarn, from a lovely friend ended with a fun and much loved knit.

In anticipation of the annual CMMDI, I tried to finish one more project.

8 rows and a cast off short. I do however predict it will be my first FO of 2016. I may have even dug out my the sweater that I cast on (and knit most of) right after I finished the first one.

Hope y’all have a happy and safe New Year’s Eve.

Hello April

I’m still not certain what happened to March, but I think it went something like this:

• I went to L.A.
• Saw a live UFC event
• Had my Rituxan
• Became more medically interesting
• Celebrated Texas turning 35
• Knit a bit on a sweater

I want to add more length, but I’m kind of tired of it.  However, I think I have a Julia, a pair of socks, and may have bought Romi’s 2015 Mystery Shawl. (I’m blaming Margene for this one) At least I know I’ll like it, since I love almost all of her designs.

Now I just have to pick my two colors. It is going to be Beaverslide, but I haven’t been able to narrow it down further than this:

Although, I am leaning towards the green and white or the purple and white.  What are you doing this weekend?

Happy Easter y’all!

The cold cometh

Since it’s been so cold, I’ve been diligently working on my sock yarn afghan. It’s been nice to sit underneath it as it grows. However, it is also a little boring.

I may have started another pair of socks. Yeah, yeah. I know I have three other pairs started. But they’re cotton! I needed a wool pair.

And someone to finish my WIP’s.

Whatever. It will give Texas something to figure out when I’m dead.

Happy Thursday y’all!

Hello Friday!

Did you know there are a bunch of designers donating proceeds from pattern sales during the Olympics? It is best explained here.

I was going to keep working on the Mystery Sock, but those people in that training camp group have made me pull out the sweater that I have been trying to ignore.

 

O.k. Fine! The socks themselves actually made me grab the sweater. This is my first heel flap since May of 2007.  Yes, seven years. I hate picking up the stitches on heel flaps and never seem to get it right. I made a mistake or two and this is the best looking side on this sock.  I need a timeout before facing the other one.

Reminders for me so I can remind Texas next time I send him to the store:

• Meyer lemons are not the same as regular lemons. Yeah, they looked pretty, but they’re not the same.
• Tide booster packs do not have detergent, so no, not the same as Tide pods.
• Wax paper and parchment paper are not interchangeable for cooking.
• Storage bags are not the same as freezer bags.
• REGULAR half and half. Not fat free.
• I did, however want the fat free greek yogurt.
• Brand names don’t alway matter. Except for toilet paper and tissues. Hello, Puffs Plus with lotion and vitamins and all that other lovely goodness that leaves the skin on my nose.

One more thing I think I might need to drive home for him: If you think it’s allergies, it’s not. Just take the medicine, carry lysol, and stay away from me.

I am feeling mostly better today. I think one more day of rest will finally put this to rest. Of course, it might also help that Texas is in Austin. Which means his boy/plague germs aren’t circulating. I may have lysol’d and bleached the whole apartment when he left. Don’t tell him that. Mmmkay?

Happy Friday y’all! Are you knitting something today?

Keeping it playful

Yeah, the socks again. They’re mystery socks, so progress is regulated and I got nothing else going on with the needles. Once these are done, I have some lovely red yarn I want to make socks with. I just have to find the pattern. Perhaps one of these? (from an awesome Canadian designer)

Since this is the week of Texas working 12 hour overnight shifts, I should get a bunch of quiet knitting time in and make some progress somewhere. Someone also said I had to work on a sweater that is on the needles, hiding in a bag, and buried in my subconscious somewhere.

♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥

If you are following along on other social networking things, this may be old news. I’ve joined a jiu jitsu class.  I wasn’t sure about it at first, with the floppy paw and all that but I love it.  The drills are all legs and core and cardio.

Those of you in the know, know that I’ve been working on losing weight for the past year and it has been going o.k. Since modifying the eating plan last month and adding jiu jitsu, I’ve lost 8% body fat. DUDE! Eight percent. Let that sink in a second. The scale hasn’t moved a huge amount, but my clothes fit differently and I’m finding muscles I didn’t know I had.

I won’t ever compete because it’s not like I can tell someone to take it easy on the arm while sparring, like I can in class. I actually look forward to going to class instead of dreading going to the gym.  I think this might be a good fit for me.

♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥

Happy Monday, y’all! What are you doing today? Do you have pattern ideas for this yarn?

 

 

 

Two words, again.

≈ Mystery Socks

Apparently, I knit. Socks even. I think it was Margene that favorited the TTL Mystery Sock and made me fall down that rabbit hole.  So far I am keeping up. Of course, it is only week one.

≈ Calf Fries

Texas and I went to the Fort Worth Stockyards this past weekend. This guy looks amused, doesn’t he? You can pay five bucks and get your picture taken while sitting on one.  No, I didn’t do it.  Neither did Texas.

We did however, explore a little bit and had lunch at Riscky’s Steakhouse. (They also have a BBQ joint down the block, which we’ll hit another time) We ended up getting an order of calf fries for an appetizer. Yes, really.  Fun facts: Riscky’s is the oldest operating restaurant in our county and although they weren’t the first restaurant to make calf fries, they were the first to have it on the menu.  I can’t wait to go back and explore some more.

≈ Wash Day

Someone said it is a sign of my age that I’m excited about our new washer and dryer arriving today.  I’m thinking it might be a sign of the slight icky-ness I feel when using the laundry facilities at the apartment complex. (You don’t even want to know what I do to the treadmill.) It wasn’t in the plan to get new machines, but you know how life happens.

Happy Tuesday y’all!

Sunday Sock – Snowflake Edition

Since some people are out having a life and there are socks in a box somewhere, I’m leading the Sunday Sock parade this week. But not stealing it, I did speak to her first. Swears!

It was either this or more farm animals.

Yeah, so, um… none are finished. But you know I had to share the crazy/ speshulness. I cast on for  the tan and white ones last Monday. I’m working on the heel now.  The plain stockinette blue ones are soul suckers, but I would really like to finish the pair and made myself cast on the second sock. However, I needed something semi-interesting, non-soul sucking, and yet easy to remember, so I cast on for Crusoe on Wednesday.

I’m not really following any of the directional directions on any of the socks. Toe up, magic cast on and CCSR heels.

Did I mention that when the little old geezer nice man put on my donut, he didn’t tighten all of the lug nuts quite enough and I lost some on the ride home?  We’ve determined that I have a speshul snowflake car, so that might have had something to do with it.  I’m hoping the new tires make it in tomorrow so I can have my car back.  No matter how snowflake she is, I love her.*

How are your socks going?

Have a happy Sockday y’all!

*If only you knew how many people/things that applied to in my life.

Nacogdoches’ Cockamamie Schemes

Last time it was decoupage. This time, large needle knitting.  Those right there are US 120’s from Go Girl. Seriously.  US 120.  Nacogdoches bought the shorts and the longs. She’s using 10 strands to knit that.

Cray cray.

This is what I ended up knitting. A rug for Texas’ side of the bed. Because it was far easier to do that than knit him a pair of slippers.  I did not use the huge needles, only US 35’s. Which was interesting enough. (Rav details here)

Oh yeah and I’m working on a couple of warsh cloths. No, I don’t know what is going on up in here either. I was just going to do one, but I actually like the yarn I’m using. It is far softer and easier to use than that sugar and cream stuff.

Sometime this week, I’ll tell you about the 6 goats new goats that were awaiting my return.

What are y’all doing on this beautiful Monday?

 

 

 

So much for farming this weekend

And can I just say “RIGHT ON!!!!”?

I’m getting all packed up and heading for Nacogdoches. Sometimes, that woman knows just the right time to call.

The weird neighbor hasn’t been over to see her since I left. I offered to bring more weapons. I hope that he doesn’t decide to make an appearance when I show up. That would just be too odd.

Ribbing! I know, it’s just a sock in progress, but it has taken me 9 months to get there. Birthing a child may be easier.

Happy Friday y’all!