UM...And Another Thing

Whenever I add another element to my life, things end up a bit topsy-turvy for a while. Usually if I try to keep up with everything while incorporating the new activity, I collapse and get nothing done. This time, I am trying to just add in this very new and different thing, and have just let many other things (blogging, email, commenting, and more) fall to the side for a bit. No, it is not a perfect answer, but at least I am not stuck frozen on the couch, in the bed, nor on the floor.

What am I talking about, you ask (yeah, I know no one is really asking, but I appreciate your indulgence once more)? I have begun to exercise outside the home. Yikes! I have never worked out at an exercise facility, but my new health insurance includes this as a benefit. I still do not know what all to bring with me, which classes to try, or how to best work it into my day. We will not even touch on how there are mirrors everywhere, or the preparations I need to make to try out the aquacise class.

While I continue to find my legs in all of this, it was great to come home to a package on the front porch the other day. My prize package from Stacey's fundraising efforts arrived, and I love it all! Everything was so carefully wrapped and it is such a generous collection of lovelies. I am already making plans with the yarn, and making tea, too!

Bootie :: Pattern
User :: Friendly
Child :: Care
Scribe :: Illuminator
Manager :: Micro
Upsetting :: Incident
Puddles :: Accident
Hopeful :: Always
Procrastination :: Yep
Statistics :: Lies

Happily Homebound

The snow is still here, and I love it. I shoveled some paths for the stray cats to get to the food dish. I really dislike the jerk dogs that came and ate most of the cat food. I walked up to the mailboxes, even though none is being delivered for who knows how long. I considered making a snowman, but instead, I made a snow angel.

With most places closed and many roads unsafe for travel, we have been staying in, and that is one of my very favorite things. I have been making good progress on Damask, and have even passed the 50% mark. Knitting with the silk single has been an interesting experience and makes me want to spin some on my own. I happen to have some pink silk ready to go on the wheel or a drop spindle. I need only choose and then get spinning.

Anyway, the shawl knitting is going well, and the rows are getting so much shorter. The first few rows were a little fiddly, but I think the effort is going to be well worth it. I do know that I need to loosen up a little to make the nupps with this yarn. I found that out quickly, and had to fight a little bit on one row, but it was not too bad. I have knit a new-to-me stitch, find its looks interesting, and have been pondering its applications in new lace.

I might finish Damask in the next day or two, or I might get sidetracked by spinning or Donkey Kong. Whatever I do, it will be here at home, and probably wearing something I knit.

UM...For a Moment

For a moment, I considered blogging daily this year. I was high on the fumes of my productivity. I started the first by baking bread, (I had already made the dough and it was ready in pans just waiting to be baked) and then went straight into making black-eyed peas and cornbread. I calculated and planned for my next knitting project, and gave extra thought before casting on for it. Then there was a lot of the Twilight Zone marathon, and now that I think about it, maybe I was not so productive. I have already forgotten what else I did that day, but I could swear there was more.

Anyway, by Sunday afternoon a pang of anxiety that I had not blogged yet struck me, but I shook it off and then wondered why I thought doing the daily blogging was a good idea for me. For now, I am just glad that I could get my brain functioning well enough to get the newest lace on the needles. Seeing as how that involved casting on 297 stitches, I consider it quite an accomplishment.

I am taking part in a KAL for Damask, and have decided to knit the medium size. I really wanted to go for the large size, but I only have 630 yds of my yarn (there is no more anywhere) and that size requires 650. I have chosen to knit this with the handspun silk that I got at Habu Textiles when we were in New York. I have a wonderful image in my head about how this will work, and I really hope I am right.

Speaking of what is in my head...

Carwash :: Blues

Intuition :: Feeling

Desperate :: Needy

Tears :: Clown

Purple :: Color

Storage :: Unit

Duct :: Tape

System :: Overload

Cabinet :: Handle

Manager :: Micro

Square Scarves

These are the latest three scarves I have woven. There is a bit of emphasis on late, though. The gray one was just about six inches away from being finished when we left to celebrate Christmas for everyone, and the other two, well, their lateness is only in their arrival, as I am terrible about getting things in the post.


All of that aside, I really like these scarves. The addition of a pickup stick (actually, I used a ruler) to create this pattern was simple, but added great texture, and a nice squooshy quality to the fabric. This may be my new go-to scarf pattern.