Dorkiness - Puppisonified

My big old 90-pound lab, Otto, is a supreme dork.......


And I'm being driven slowly insane knitting this.......



Miles and miles of garter stitch. I've committed to doing this for my son heading off to college, but damn! It's really starting to drive me batty! And I'm only half-way done! It will look beyond cool when it is done however:


And I've begun to cheat......I've been caught crocheting......CROCHETING....headbands!

It's so girly, it almost makes me Puke!

NOT on the Road again!

OK, so I am such an effing slug about Blog entries lately, but hey! I've been busy! Not one, but TWO business trips since my last post, a Sock War (and noble death by a fellow knitter), a kid graduating from college, one that graduates from high school on Monday, and oh yeah.......a job and family, too. The only good thing about the business trips was that those long plane flights provide lots of knitting time.

First up, the mere beginnings of a project I had a lot of help on. The Doctor Who Charity Afghan! Tons and tons of my Ravelry friends knitted up and sent me 4x4 bias squares made from fingering leftovers.......ah.....last year! I finally got around to starting to sew them up. I spent literally months procrastinating on this project, paralized by the fear that I would start sewing the squares together and I would ruin the hard work of many kind people (that, and sometimes my color theory doesn't work so well). So one day, I took a flyer and started sewing. It seems that there really is no "wrong answer" with this project! (Thank God!) Every arrangement looks great. Haven't gotten too far on this, as yet, but check back for progress. Eventually this will be offered for auction on Ebay to benefit Doctors Without Borders.


Next, my "weapon of choice" in Sock Wars. The wonderful Air Raid pattern done in Brown Sheep's Wildfoote luxury sock. Great yarn, and a great pattern. I killed my target promptly, only to be exterminated myself by a novice sock knitter and her Barcelona socks.

The neophyte sock knitter, Openbook, sent me a soft and comfy demise. I'm looking forward to wearing socks that I didn't knit when the weather gets cooler again.



And finally, my current labor of love...The Grad Ghan for #2 son done in Wichita State University's school colors, black and gold (Woo!! Shock!!) Granted it looks like a giant bumble bee at the moment, but when it is done, it will be the wonderful Wooly Thoughts >"Long and Winding Road" pattern. Woolly Thoughts patterns are easy enough, yet creative enough to keep a confirmed anti-ghan knitter like me deleriously entertained! I love the miles and miles of mindless garter stitching combined with the absolute knowledge that this thing is gonna be AWESOME when it's done. It's what keeps me knitting on the darn thing!


So I have officially updated you on all the interesting things going on. OK, so there is business stuff, but really, that is so much of my life right now, I don't want to talk about it here. Knitting is my joy, my kids are a constant source of amazement. The realization that I will soon have two out of the house and only one at home is just starting to dawn on me. I really don't know if I should be happy about it, or sad. Right now, I just take it as it comes.

MORE Knitting Content

Pair TWO for my SIL's Mom's birthday is complete:
Not bad production following such a slow spell. Work just had to intrude, ya know. I am now on pair #3 of three planned pairs. Her birthday is May 14th, and I am leaving town on May 11th, but if all else fails, I will mail Pair Three from the road.

Only two more days until the dossiers and pattern is emailed out for this year's round of Sock Wars. I know some folks grumbled about the lackluster ending of last year's competition, but come on....one poor woman trying to organize an event that grew nearly 500% from the previous year....give the gal a break! I had fun....was killed in very short order and enjoyed every minute of it. I think it's too late to sign up for this year, but think about it for next year. One refinement over this year is that the dossiers are emailed out on May 9th and 10th, but the "killing" or maybe "knilling" starts on May 15th, to ensure everyone gets the dossiers before any killing ensues. Technology is great, but allowing for SNAFU's is even better!

As I mentioned earlier, I will be heading out on May 11th to once again journey with hubby to our great nation's capitol to hob-nob with our legislators and fellow REALTORS. I'll be hanging out at Russia House one night....stop by.....first round of infused vodka and a Baltika #9 is on me (that is, if I'm still sober enough to remember I made the offer!).

Can somebody stop by my house next week to make sure my kids haven't killed each other? Now, before someone goes off on me for leaving my kids home alone for a week, may I remind you that only ONE of my kids is under 18! And I'm leaving the one who is actually responsible with money (and has no criminal record) in charge! OK, OK, so none of my kids have criminal records, but you know what I mean!

Actual Knitting Content

Strangely enough, there has been some knitting going on around here! But as usual, work is getting in the way.
These are my first successful toe-up socks! Hubby loves them. I learned that toe-ups work best with a sewn cast-off (well, at least when I'm knitting them). I've also learned that I love knitting toe up!

As you can see from my second pair of toe-ups - started immediately after finishing my first pair.......
There are also third and fourth pairs in process. Part of my enthusiasm for sock knitting - not that it ever really dims - is that my sister-in-law's mother absolutely loves my hand-knitted socks, and she turns 90 in just a couple weeks. I hope to have at least 3 pair all knit up to give her by May 14th. Normally, I wouldn't be so enthusiastic about knitting socks for someone who is not my husband, but Phyllis loves my socks so much, and I can't deny a sweet little old lady her heart's desire.

And I've added more stitch markers to my burgeoning collection. I'm still trying to figure out exactly WHEN I'm going to use all these stitch markers I'm making........since I really do try to use markers as little as possible. Another reason for liking knitting toe-up. I can do it without using any markers at all!

The exercise thing has not been going well, mainly because I had to have a bit of surgery on one of my toes last week to remove some nastily ingrown toenails and a bone spur. Had to get this done before going to Washington DC in May. Walking around in DC (and there is ALWAYS walking in DC) and bone spurs do not make a good combination. So the surgery was a priority, so I am healed by May 11th. Please God, let me be healed by May 11th. Of course, snotty regular exerciser Hubby pointed out that I could still use the stationary bike.

A second day of SUCCESS!

As promised, my second declaration of devotion to my exercise program. Really, the Couch to 5K program is likely one of the easiest programs to get into, and the podcast downloads make it really easy to keep track of what you're doing. I did break down the other day and buy myself a new iPod Nano (in pretty green!) For the workouts, it is far superior to my old (and now thouroughly dead!) iPod Video. Much lighter, by far.

But I have begun contemplating knitting a Nano cozy/armband. For some reason, I think sticking my Nano in my sports bra is not a very good idea. I have a good supply of Cascade Fixation. I'm thinking that would be exceptional for an armband.

Loved the work out again today. Strangely enough, if you do this on a treadmill, you can see your progress pretty quickly. My comfortable jog speed already increased from 4.5 mph to 5 mph. Granted I could go slower, but my stride shortens up and my legs cramp.

Still liking the feeling I get. And I KNOW I am doing something good for my body, so I do start feeling a bit righteous.

Self-Talk

Here begins the "self-talk" portion of our show, wherein I try to convince myself that regular exercise is a GOOD THING!

A while back, I started the Couch-to-5K program. Did really well for three weeks. Then Our big Better Homes and Gardens launch project started and the first thing that went by the wayside was MY exercise time. I will point out that hubby is far more dedicated and his exercise routine never lost a beat.

The busy-ness subsided, and it took me two weeks for my desire to exercise overtook my lame excuses NOT to exercise. So I am back to day one, week one of the program. I didn't even let the imminent demise of my iPod (which holds my interval training program) stop me today. So while I was alternately walking and running, I hit upon the idea of declaring my reasons for liking exercise every time I hit the gym! So here goes.......

WHEN I EXERCISE......

I feel better......
my back hurts less....
the temporary tired is soon replaced by more energy and a better attitude.....
my posture is better.....
I make better food choices all day long.....
I think more positively about myself......
I start to believe I can accomplish anything I put my mind to.

I apologize if this little exercise is a bit boring for you all. But a public declaration of what I am doing and why is going to go a long way in making this a part of my life.

Tomorrow, I get to take a rest-day - after only ONE day of exercise, not a bad deal! Friday is day two of week one. I plan to be checking in with you then.

New Obsession

I've developed a new obsession. I suppose it is a natural extension of knitting. But still, considering that I only rarely use them, it IS kind of weird.
It started innocently enough. A little giftie for an online friend..........
Then a little trip to the bead store.......


Then a $50 shopping spree here. I can feel trouble brewing already. But on the other hand. They're fun and only take a few minutes to make.