Happy Birthday to me!

Another year older!  Boy, where did the year go?  I had some firsts this year.  I had the garden in the open space and enjoyed the fruits of my labors.  I learned that 9 tomato plants are too many and that I needed more time to harvest corn.  I also learned that acorn squash and I just don't have a good relationship!  My best crops were the squash, tomatoes and cucumbers.  Next year I will also plant zucchini and maybe try some greens.

Reading, well only 38 books since my last birthday, compared to 48 the year before.  I really enjoy reading, but I don't read as much as I used to because I watch and listen to many podcasts and television shows.  So, starting the annual list, books read since December 15, 2011 - none.  I will finish the Bible again this year as I listen to the Daily Audio Bible.

Knee update, well, another set back.  The knee had to be drained again this morning for the 4th time and I am back on crutches.  Sigh, Happy Birthday to me!  But hey!  It sure could be a lot worse!  I start physical therapy on Friday and if they can't get the knee to fully straighten or bend beyond 110 degrees, I get to have the surgeon do it while I am "sleeping."  So either way it's going to hurt like blue blazes.  Here's to finally getting a working knee back.

Christmas, well, I haven't done any shopping, we don't have a tree up yet.  My goodness.  See what happens when a surgery issue occupies your time for the past 35 days?  I think the internet is going to be my friend and there are going to be some late gifts this year.  I don't even want to think about Christmas cards.  Maybe we will do New Years cards this year.

Knitting, well, slow is the name of the game.  There are lovely things that I want to finish and two KALS that I am participating in, one that is starting December 26, 2011 and one that I am moderating and starts January 1, 2012.  The first one is the Takoma Cardigan http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/takoma which is a lovely stranded cardigan from Knitty Deep Fall 2011.  Mine is going to be in shades of grey, natural and turquoise.  I really am looking forward to wearing this cardigan and as it is knitted in Cascade Eco Wool and Eco + it should be a quick knit.  The KAL is one I am hosting in the Black Water Abbey group on Ravelry.  We are having a cardigan knit along, but if you want to knit a pullover, that's okay too.  I will be knitting Trillium http://www.ravelry.com/projects/mountainpurl/trillium in the colors of Bracken and Ecru and I think it is going to look very nice.  You have four months to finish your cardigan in this group.

My goal this year is to Finish what I start.  Now I know I have numerous projects on the needles, and I want to finish many this year.  There are just too many pretty things that I want to wear before they are out of style.

My birthday knitting this year will be the Sheep Heid hat/tam. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sheep-heid.  As a knitter and a spinner, how could I not knit this hat?  The stranded work will keep me interested, plus it's just too cute not to knit.

Crochet.  I had started on my Rowan jacket, but it is slow going as I need to ensure that the squares are uniform.  There are 4 different square patterns for a total of 96 squares.  When I did the original 4, 2 came out a little bit larger than the first two.  So, I am going to crochet patterns 3 and 4 first and then make sure the other two patterns come out the correct size.

Well, that's about all.  I start my new job ob December 27, 2011 and I am looking forward to learning something new.

Happy Birthday!

Christmas Cactus

2011-12-04 07.12.42.jpg, a photo by Mountain Purl on Flickr.

Aren't they pretty? I don't know how they know to bloom in December, but my Christmas Cactus always seem to know.

Update on the knee - after a long three and a half weeks, I think I might have had a turning point this weekend. I have had to have the knee drained three times since the surgery, and the last time was Wednesday morning. The knee kept swelling above the knee cap, which in turn shut down my quad muscles, so basically all I had was dead weight.  For a week I had a splint from upper thigh to ankle to immobolize the knee and control the swelling.  I have kept off of it (yes, I am SO sick of crutches, been on them for 3 weeks now) and it doesn't appear to have filled up. Yeah! I am walking on it a wee bit around the house and I am hoping that this is the end of this ordeal - except for the Coumadin for 3 months, and I can work on strengthening my leg.

Knitting - working on a baby blanket, a cowl, and a sweater. I hope to soon have some FOs to share. My knitting mojo had left during most of the knee ordeal, and now I finally feel like knitting again.  Looking forward to knitting during the Bronco game later today.

I applied for a new job and was given a job offer.  I am going through the background check process now, so when that is done and everything is finalized I will be happy.

Reading, well it's almost my birthday, so I need to update the list:

Books read since December 15, 2010

37.  Finger Lickin 15 by Janet Evanovich
38.  Cat Sitter Among the Pigeons by Blaize Clement

Cross Stitch and a Clot

2011-11-19 18.41.19.jpg, a photo by Mountain Purl on Flickr.

Multi-craftural. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed other crafts besides knitting. So while I have been home recuperating I decided to pull out some cross stitch. These get tied over a pillow as part of holiday decorations. I have one more to complete - a cute Christmas one.

As for the clot. Let's just say an unwanted complication after my surgery. A blood clot in my calf.  So I get to have shots twice daily in the stomach and take coumadin for 3 months. And I need to be careful. Could be worse....

Hmm, what craft next?  Probably crochet.  I love the Rona jacket in Rowan 46.  Hmm....

Nice Knee!

2011-11-16 08.03.17.jpg, a photo by Mountain Purl on Flickr.

Like the knee? That's 7 days after surgery. At least my toes aren't swollen any more.  I go to the surgeon this morning to get the stitches out.  And see if I get to ski at all this season. I was doing okay until last night until it started swelling above the knee cap.  You see, I fell during skiing in March and messed up the knee and the collateral ligament and didn't get it checked out until 6 or so months later.  I thought - I can walk, how bad can it be?  Yeah, should have checked it earlier.

Speaking of getting things checked out - do you get bone density scans?  Are you around my age then you should.  I had my second one in 2 years 2 weeks ago.  Well, let's just say - guess who will be starting osteoporosis medicine next week?  They are almost positive it's heredity and that I just don't absorb calcium.  So there you go.

One thing about having surgery, you have a lot of knitting and reading time if you don't have to take serious drugs.  So I have been knitting and reading a lot lately.  I should soon have some finished objects.

So books read since December 15, 2011:

32.  Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich

33.  Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich'

34.  Raining Cat Sitters and Dogs: a Dixie Hemingway Mystery by Blaize Clement

35.  Cat Sitter among the Pigeons: a Dixie Hemingway Mysterys by Blaize Clement

36.  Hiss of Death, A Mrs Murphy Mystery by Rita Mae Brown

I came across this list....

I came across this list put out by the BBC.  Apparently the BBC reckons most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here.  So I decided to go through the list and see how many I have read and highlight them and italicize the ones that I have started but not finished.  The funny thing is, some of them I think I have read, but can't remember so I didn't mark them off the list.  And, if I listened to them I think it's okay to mark them off.  Hmm, maybe I should start working on this list too?

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

But I continue to read mysteries and whatever suits my fancy and this week it was:

31.  44 Charles Street by Danielle Steele

Knitting - I cast on http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/gwendolyn-3 the other night with an insane idea that I could knit this sweater in 2 weeks.  Yeah, right.  But I am working on both sleeves at once!  Hmm...

A video that knitters will appreciate

 

Books read since December 15, 2010:

29.  Even Cat Sitters Get the Blues by Blaize Clement

30.  Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich  

Okay, so I am a bit behind

Yes, I am a bit behind in my blog posts.  So I decided to do a neme.

Here goes:

A. Age: 53
B. Bed size: Queen
C. Chore that you hate:  ironing and grocery shopping
D. Dogs:  Daisy a Shiba Inu
E. Essential start to your day:  Diet Dr. Pepper
F. Favourite colour: yellow
G. Gold or Silver: gold
H. Height: 5' 3 1/2"
I. Instruments you play: Used to play clarinet and oboe.  I own a harp.
J. Job title: working on this one
K. Kids: two
L. Live: Colorado
M. Mother’s name: Irene
N. Nicknames: At one time it was Walter, another time Moose
O. Overnight hospital stays: having children
P. Pet peeve: kids not listening to me
Q. Quote from a movie: "Luck favors the prepared darling - Edna Mode from The Incredibles
R. Right or left handed: Right
S. Siblings: 2 brothers and 2 sisters
T. Time you wake up: between 4 and 6 AM
U. Underwear: Whatever
V. Vegetable you hate: brussel sprouts
W. What makes you run late:  kids
X. X-Rays you’ve had: just about everything
Y. Yummy food that you make:  Kahlua fudge cake

And speaking of lists:  Books read since December 15, 2011:
26.  William and Kate Their Story by Andrew Morton
27.  Curiosity Killed the Cat Sitter by Blaize Clement
28.  Duplicity Dogged the Dachshund by Blaize Clement

Knitting - working on my http://www.ravelry.com/projects/mountainpurl/rib-it Rib It cardigan.  I bought this kit at Stitches East a few years ago and dug it out of the stash to work on.  I am now on a mission to finish it and wear it this fall.  I have knit almost 100 out of the 250 mitres.  Yes, I am bored with knitting them, but I am plugging away trying to finish this.

Garden - I need to pick my three pumpkins and then rip the gardens out.  I had a good crop this year and have learned what will do well here.  I will change things up for next year, not so many tomato plants.

Carry on...

And here we go again!

September 15th - can you believe it?  Christmas is only three months away, well my birthday is three months away, then Christmas.  So I guess that is 13 weeks until December 15th.  Boy, I sure am not going to make my goal of reading 52 books this year.  Not even close.  It's not like I don't have a lot of books to read, because I have a stack of library books sitting on the floor by the bed.  I guess I haven't been reading as much as usual.  Although I am almost through the Bible.  I have been listening to the Daily Audio Bible, so technically someone read it to me, but I am going to count it anyway.  So seven more days to get through the whole Bible.

24.  Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke
25.  Buttons and Bows by Monica Ferris.

Well at least I will average a book every other week.

As for the title, here we go again, I am looking for a job.  I had an interview for one last week.  I was second choice.  I don't know about you, but I think I would rather come in last.  Because second, you are so close but they just didn't want you enough.  Sucks.  So I am looking again.

A finished object

CIMG1332, a photo by Mountain Purl on Flickr.

I finished some socks last night. Which for me is an accomplishment because I am the self-professed Queen of the one sock.  These were started in March and the yarn is from the first Sea Socks cruise in 2007.  Well, at least I went stash diving right?  The pattern is Hermione's Everyday Socks.

Reading, well only one more book to add to the list:

23.  Blackwork by Monica Ferris

I really enjoy her books. They are mysteries set in a needlework store in Minnesota.  I have one more of her books to read that I got from the library. Maybe this week.

Knitting, whole lot of knitting going on and not a lot of progress.  Back to the knitting ADD, flitting from project to project.  I am designing a triangular shawl though.  I am not too sure about the yarn.  I had ordered some Todd and Duncan cashmere singles from Colourmart that I had spun into a 2 ply.  I am now wishing I had ordered a 3 ply.  I have to use a small needle, I am thinking I am on a US 1 to get the textured knitted fabric I want.  So knitting is slowwwww......

The garden.  Boy am I getting tomatoes and cucumbers.  The jalapenos are smoking hot.  Lots of produce - I am happy.

That's all for now, time to go knit!

Vegetables

CIMG1329, a photo by Mountain Purl on Flickr.

With all of this rain the garden is really starting to produce vegetables. Here is a picture of what I picked this morning.

Frost Flowers Stole

Frost Flowers Stole by Charlene Schurch http://www.ravelry.com/projects/mountainpurl/frost-flowers-stole 

DSC_0412, a photo by Mountain Purl on Flickr.

What do you get when you cast on 992 stitches and work towards the center, and then kitchner it together?  A Frost Flowers Stole.  Isn't it pretty?  I blocked it yesterday.  This yarn has been in the stash forever it seems.  I think I bought it at a yarn store in Florida maybe 6 or so years ago.  It is Jade Sapphire 100% cashmere.  I think it turned out very nicely.  The kitchnering of the almost 500 center stitches wasn't too bad once you got into a rhythm.

What has been going on?  Well, today is the second to the last day of summer vacation for the boys as school starts Wednesday.  Let's just say not much of anything has gotten done (including cleaning the house) while they have been home.  The garden is about the one thing that has shown a lot of progress.  I have harvested squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, and radishes.  There are so many tomatoes that are just waiting to turn red that when they do I am going to be inundated.

Knitting - well I have been trying to knit from the stash for months.  I really can't remember the last time I bought yarn.  I just have so many pretty things that I want to finish.  I am still working off my list of top projects, though it might get modified now that it is getting closer to the fall.  I haven't felt like working on any heavy projects as it has been so hot lately, so socks and shawls have had top priority.  I think this week I am going to really look at things on the needles and see what I really want to wear this year.  I also have a lot of socks to knit that I have cast on one and then it has languished in the yarn room.  I don't know how people just crank these out.

Reading.  Books read since December 15, 2011:

22.  Eleven on Top by Janet Evanovich

Hmm, only have about 19 weeks to go.  I don't know if I will make my goal of reading one book a week if I keep at this pace.  I have been watching too many video podcasts instead of reading I think.  I have so many that are in the queue.  I wish they would keep them to 30 minutes or so instead of the hour shows. 

Well, oldest son and I have plans to go to dinner as DH is out of town and the youngest is at Grandma's and we need to stop at the library.  I am hoping it rains and that God can water my garden for me today.  Yes, that would be lovely.

Happy knitting!

Quote of the day:

" I will continue to freak out my children by knitting in public. It's good for them."

— Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much)

A good laugh...

I was reading posts in Ravelry the other day and I came across this link to this blog post, which made me laugh and laugh.....

What I wouldn't give for a chicken!

http://thebloggess.com/2011/06/and-thats-why-you-should-learn-to-pick-your-battles/


Books read since December 15, 2010:

21.  The Union Quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini

And then there were two

CIMG1313, a photo by Mountain Purl on Flickr.

Here's a picture of the "girls" Blanche and Sophia. I picked up Sophia yesterday when I went up to the Estes Park Wool Market.  I decided to rename my Matchless since her name never really felt right.  So, her name is Blanche and my new Sidekick is Sophia.  I'm happy.

Books read since December 15th:

15.  Family Affair by Debbie Macomber
16.  Woolbur by Leslie Helakoski
17.  Crunch Time by Diane Mott Davidson
18.  Snow Day by Billy Coffey
19.  A Peach of a Murder by Livia J. Washburn
20.  A Turn in the Road by Debbie Macomber
(7 books short of reading one book per week)

Happy Memorial Day!

Okay, so I am a day early, but Happy Memorial Day!  The bunting is on the house and a new flag is on the flag pole.  Did you know that Memorial Day used to be called Decoration Day and was enacted to honor Union and Confederate soldiers that died during the Civil War?  Anyway, thank you to all of the soldiers who died while serving their country.

So what's been happening in the past week?  There has been some knitting done.  My knitting projects currently in the rotation are:

1.  Summer Mystery Shawlette by Wendy D. Johnson, knit out of Malabrigo sock.

2.  Mad Color Weave Socks by Chrstine Lorin, knit out of Koigu.

3.  Rib It by Melissa Lapid, knit out of Koigu.

4.  Traveling Sweater by A. Karen Alfke, knit out of Woobu, and 
5.  Guld by Kerstin Olsson which is a Bohus.

All of these projects received some love this week.  I am doing very well in my resolve to knit from the stash until September.  My biggest problem is that there are too many projects that I want to work on and not enough hours in the day to get everything done.

Gardening - Things are starting to sprout.  Out in my community garden plot, the radishes, cucumbers, squash, and onions have come up.  The watermelons, corn, pumpkins, carrots and jalapeno seeds still have not come up but I am hoping they will this week since we are due for a spell of warm weather.  I have some more plants to put out there today and then I think I won't add anymore or it will be too crowded.  In the backyard garden I have some beans and 2 tomato plants, keeping that garden simple this year.

Reading well I did manage to read a book this past week:

14.  Ten Big Ones by Janet Evanovich

Sewing.  Yesterday I hit a big sale at Joann's and bought $75 worth of outdoor fabric for about $10.  I have a cushion to recover for the front porch glider and I will probably make some pillows and a pad for the back rest since I have extra fabric.  I also bought fabric to sew some bags that I am thinking of selling on Etsy.  So, I have a lot of sewing coming up and now that I bought a chair that is a better height for my machine I am thinking I will make time to sew more often.

Well, that's about it for the past week.  Have a good rest of the weekend! 

Knitting quote for the week:

It's such a human condition, whether you're a great track star or a great knitting person or you paint watercolors - someone knows who you are.

Tony Curtis

Making a List and checking it twice.

CIMG1281, a photo by Mountain Purl on Flickr.

I know it has been a long time since I posted.  And it's not like I haven't thought about posting.  I guess other things have gotten in the way since I sat down to write in March. 

Let's see.  I had started running again and was doing quite well.  Until I fell skiing in late March.  Waiting in the lift line my youngest son had skied over my skis and down I went with my legs all twisted up under me.  Oh yeah, can you say the knees hurt?  But up to the top I went and then skied down.  And caught an edge which launched me and I came down hard.  And I was done.  I told DH that's it, I'm done and I skied down.  So, the knees have been slowly getting better, but not much running has been going on. 

I have two gardens this year.  I was lucky enough to get a space this summer in the community garden in the open space near my house.  It's a 10' x 20' plot and I have planted corn, watermelons, cucumbers, various varieties of squash, onions, radishes, carrots, nine varieties of tomatoes, and edged it with some California wildflower seeds that should make it look lovely.  But of course, it snowed after I put it in after three days of 80 degree weather, and it's been raining quite a bit (which we badly need).  So, what seeds will come up?  We shall see.  And the jalapeno and tomato plants look a bit beat up, but as I look at it, this is a test year to see what will really grow out there.  And I have my backyard plot where I put in several varieties of beans, and I have basil and parsley in pots on the deck.  I have high hopes for a lot of veggies.

Reading, oh, I am so behind on my reading.  And I think it has to do with the explosion of video podcasts.  There are so many that I watch and they can really be a time suck, that I guess I justify because I sit and knit while I am watching them.  But...it has been 22 weeks since my birthday and I like to average a book a week.  Hmm, not even close.  And I have a stack of books, several of which I have renewed more than once.  I need to get reading.

11. To the Nines by Janet Evanovich

12.  A Catered Birthday Party by Isis Crawford

13.  A Catered Thanksgiving by Isis Crawford

Knitting.  I have been knitting, and along with everything else in my life, I am determined to get organized.  Because somewhere along the way, I became a starter and not a finisher.  And I don't know if it was like other things in my life that I got bored.  But maybe so.  I know I am a process knitter, I like to see what the yarn does, what the pattern looks like, but having the finished object was not really a priority until I would go to knitting events and wish I had some more of my work finished.  And something else bothered me, but I won't go into that.  But it did.

So I went through the yarn room and made a list.  And I really did check it twice.  And it represents the projects that I really want to finish this year.  And I made categories with five lines under each category.  (And socks don't count, just like sock yarn does not count as stash).  So here are my categories:

Stranded colorwork

Bohus

Cables

Lace

Japanese

Black Water Abbey

Double Knitting

Miters

Misc. projects/techniques

Oh, it looks rather daunting doesn't it?  Not all categories have 5 projects in them, and there are other categories that could have many more added.  But these are my priorities.  And I am trying not to buy yarn from the time I left Spring Fling until the fall knitting retreat I attend.  I went to the Spring Fling last month and bought yarn but I stuck to what I wanted to do - spend less than $100 at the Loopy Ewe  - 1 skein Needle Food sock yarn, 2 skeins Malabrigo sock, and some spinning fiber.  I also came home with 2 skeins of Wollmeise, a skein of Skinny Bugga and a skein of the new Loopy Ewe self-striping.  But they were gifts or prizes,and all sock yarn so they don't count do they?  And really, we all know I don't need any more yarn.  I may go to Estes this year, but that would only be for spinning fiber or spinning related tools.  But this girl has enough fiber to keep me busy for a while.

I have been knitting and actually there has been some finished objects. This is my Shipwreck Shawl when it was drying after I blocked it. I knit it out of some Woolen Rabbit Lark in the colorway Forever in Blue Jeans. This yarn is just lovely - alpaca, silk and cashmere. I have one more skein left. I haven't decided what I am going to do with it yet.  I thought I finished something else, but for the life of me I can't think of what it was.

I am hoping to blog more - at least once a week and update on my 2011 knitting list.  And my garden.  We shall see.  Baseball started this past week so I definitely have some dedicated knitting time.  Not sure I if I will be the scorekeeper for youngest son's team or not, probably will since DH is the coach.  But practices = knitting time, which is fine with me.

Well, the boys should be coming home soon as their school lets out in 10 minutes. 

Quote of the week:

I have written some songs, but I would really call what I've done poetry at the end of the day, because I'll sit with my guitar for hours and hours on end for, like, a week and then I won't touch it for a month. I also just have no confidence. And you know what? I don't have time, because I'd rather be doing other things, like knitting.

Amanda Seyfried

Marching along

It's March.  Can you believe it?  It feels like Spring already, but Colorado can fool you.  You will have these beautiful days of 50 degree weather and you see buds on the lilacs and some trees.  If you are like me and have allergies, you feel the pollen from the elms and you start thinking of Spring and planning gardens.  And then whammo!  Another major snow fall.  Got to love Colorado.

What have I been up to?  Still working for the Judge.  Hmm, it gets a little crazy.  And I started going to Jazzercize which I love.  I forgot how much I enjoyed aerobics and dancing when I was in my 20s.  So I go to class a few times a week and dance my butt off. 

And today I started the coach to 5K program.  Now, I used to be a runner.  When I lived in Tennessee I belonged to a running club and ran races all the time.  Now, my mind still thinks I am this fast 30 year old and my body just laughs and says yeah, go ahead and think that.  I was going to the gym and running a lap/walking a lap on the track, but with my surgery and starting working again, the workouts were hit and miss.  But I found a running podcast cast thanks toSillyFru over at http://frusmuse.blogspot.com/.  She mentioned the Chubby Jones podcast on her recent podcast and I added it to my LONGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG list of podcasts I listen to and watch.  So, this morning I started my program.

By the way, have I mentioned that along the way I have lost 5 pounds?  Which I think is great.  I want to lose about 10 more so I can weigh what I did when I got married.  Yes I know how old I am and what happenes to us "girls" when we get older.  But I have hopes in my head this is possible (I hope it's not like the running where the body is laughing at what the head thinks).

Knitting, well lately I have been working mainly on 2 projects.  A Habu jacket made out of stainless steel and silk, and a double knitting project.  I won't mention what this is, but it is a major project that I am probably kidding myself that I can knit in a month and wear next month.

I have hopes.

Let's see what books have I read since I last posted:

8.  Kansas Troubles by Earlene Fowler

9.  The Aloha Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini

10.  Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich

February and some finished objects

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Originally uploaded by Mountain Purl

Groundhog Day. Hmm, and there was sunshine here. But Punxsutawney Phil, America's favorite groundhog, predicted an early spring when he failed to see his shadow this morning at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa. So, will we see an early spring? You know, it doesn't matter to me except these sub zero weather days are wearing thin. -16 at night. I'm just not used to that.

But with the cold weather came two days at home with the boys because the schools were closed. And I put yesterday to good use and finished some knitting. The first were these socks. These are the Par 5 socks and the yarn I think is some Socks that Rock that I pulled out of the stash. It was already wound and didn't have a label but I'm pretty sure that's what it is. The other finished object is DH's Cobblestone. No pictures yet because he is on a business trip and has no idea that I finished a sweater for him. So, hopefully this weekend I will have an opportunity to take some pictures.

Now that these projects are out of the way, I can work on some sweaters and other things for me that I want done by the end of April.  I also am going to continue with my finish a pair of socks a month.  I may cast on a new pair tonight although I have plenty on the needles that need to be finished.

By the way, I did win the contest and I received a lovely shawl pin from Romi.  It will look nice on several of my shawls.

Books read since December 15th 2010:

6.  Seven Up by Janet Evanovich
7.  The Lost Quilter by Jennifer Chiaverini

Do you have some spare change?

Dear fellow knitters. 

Please read this :http://www.fiberfarm.com/2011/01/a-friend-in-need

If you have a few dollars to spare, let's help this guy out.

Thanks

My other favorite

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Originally uploaded by Mountain Purl

Couldn't show the skull boots without showing these. By the way, the person I guessed has seen these also. When I was modeling a shawl I knit. At Stitches. At the student banquet. And of course commented on them.  Over the microphone.

The red shawl didn't quite go with the boots. But I couldn't leave the boots in the room now could I? I think this was Stitches East. Am I right Kris?

So I entered a contest

CIMG1250
Originally uploaded by Mountain Purl

I was reading some of my favorite blogs the other day and I came across this posting over at Romi's Studio:

http://rosemarygoround.blogspot.com/2011/01/i-think-i-can-i-think-i-can-i-think-i.html.

And there was a contest to identify someone's shoes that she had taken a picture of at TNNA. As soon as I saw the shoes I was pretty sure I knew who they belonged to. And no, I wasn't at TNNA. I was here in Colorado, probably knitting or working for the judge. Who by the way, has been known to wear cowboy boots under her robe.

Anyway, the reason I think I know whose shoes those are is, well....we have a couple of things in common. For one, well we both can be a bit of a Diva, although mine doesn't come out too often, and well, if I am right, the rest of you can make your own judgments on his Divaness. And two, well, we both have a "little Bit" of a shoe problem. Let's just say, one of my favorite places to shop is the Nordstrom's Shoe Department. And that I am lusting over some Christian Louboutin's. Love the red soles. Oh yeah.

So I thought I would share a picture of my favorite cowboy boots. And I have shown them to the person I guessed in the contest. At Stitches South, or was it Stitches West, or maybe Stitches East? Now do you know who I guessed?

I wonder if I am right?

Time to knit!

You know, I have been knitting....

Really I have.  I have two pairs of socks in the current rotation, a shawl, and a stranded knitting project.  Which is a sweater.  Make that a coat.  Make that a swing coat.  On size 2.75mm needles.  Did I say the biggest needle currently being knitted on is a 3.25mm for any project?  Yeah, the fingers do get tired, and the hands get cramped.

And I have been spinning.  Mostly because of a big box that is staring at me in the front hallway.  And the contents that are mocking me.  Two fleeces.  Processed and made into beautiful pin drafted roving by Morro Fleece Works.  Did I mention that there is more than enough for me to have wool for two sweaters?  One fleece is for my oldest son.  It is a Jacob fleece, and he loves Jacob sheep.  So that sweater will be for him.  The other fleece is a beautiful brown CVM.  That's for me.  But I want to practice more before I start on these fleece.  So spin a bit a day until I have the nerve to dive into the box.  Hmm....

Reading, I have been reading also.  Adding to this year's list are the following:
2.  Hot Six by Janet Evanovich
3.  Fool's Puzzle by Earlene Fowler
4.  Irish Chain by Earlene Fowler
5.  Fiber and Brimstone by Laura Childs
I have more books to get to upstairs.  Now if I could only, knit, spin, listen to podcasts, watch my DVR'd TV shows and read at the same time I'd be doing okay.

Time to knit.....