Too much coffee tirade

Testing application reports has become torturous today. You cannot make me like it. Maybe if I had another week or 2 days even, I might. I always like the idea of it ahead of time when drafting the requirements and specifications, nice little buckets of data to display in right? My whole personality is going into shock over the amount of detail and attention that is required. This is not my first trip to the beach (needing a break from the rodeo, because honestly I've never been to a rodeo) so why I am surprised? Why do I feel like my eyes have been held open with toothpicks?

The positive: It's mainly data set specific and not a lot of math.

Bruised bananas are an on-going battle for me. I don't know why this drives me ... wait for it ... bananas. I can't get a banana to work without it looking like something a hobo scrounged up in the alley of deli.

The positive: I'm eating more raspberries.

When I do application testing at work, I always gain weight. Always.

The positive: I discovered Dakota style chips. Thanks HM for being my enabler!

Maple sandwich cookies and I fell out of love. I never ate more than 1 a day at the most. I felt them going stale, but didn't want to "Depression Eat Them". I gave them away on the file cabinet, and the office is sugary sweet and they are gone.

The positive: All positive. I'm on a maple cookie hiatus.

Managed two days in a row of exercise. The zumba instructors were chockful of energy, I was laughing and smiling. Today my ass hurts. I discovered that there is some kind of muscle that loops from my back side to my inner thighs.

The positive: All positive. I understand this pain. I understand I am older now, I am grateful for exercise and the fact I can feel any validation that my muscles work.

Doing that thing again and other random updates

I've put off posting a bit, or publishing I should say, because I have good intentions. I intend, have intended, am intending to post at least one accompanying photo per post. This may actually work out to one photo every 3 posts, but I think I should keep my goal.

If I'm posting about say, what The Kid is doing to remind me what an inept parent I am, or how The Kid and The Manfriend have already banished me from our newly delivered CB2 couch. I don't necessarily need a photo. I could just talk at you. But here, I borrowed this from CB2.

But when I want to daydream aloud about my knitting. I feel like I should provide a crappy iPhone photo at the very least, for historical and documentation purposes ;)

I am knitting, and I am enjoying my knitting. I am definitely kicking off 2013 with small knits. I went a little crazy at the local yarn store. Crazy in a way that cannot be hidden from the other members of my household as I attempt to organize on and off in the flat.

There are bushels of yarn by my bedside and end table (which is really just a filing cabinet, filled with important papers apparently. I think it should be filled with yarn. However I am not so unsmart to know this will not be a good conversation with my husband.)

The Manfriend/husband has been sucked into the rabbit hole known as The Game of Thrones series, so I think he is more blinded than usual of the amount of yarn multiplying in the bedroom.

I am mainly knitting hats right now. I finished my Downton cowl from luvinthemommyhood. I have completely avoided doing the Jimmy Beans Wool knit along pattern. I think there was some initial anger at my provisional cast on and some frogging. And then I realized I would have to pay attention, when really I just wanted to watch DA without cursing my knitting errors. So, I did.

I'm still knitting and still watching and still doing them together :)

I'm sure I will eventually knit those fingerless mitts from Jimmy Beans Wool, I'll probably watch some reruns while doing it. But for now? I'm sticking to my knit for joy, knit happy motto. I'm enjoying myself and the yarn is getting used.

Knitting: A Chapter on Letting Go

So I cast on for the #29 Textured Shawl from Vogue knitting. Technically I cast on 3 times because I kept screwing it up.

I was knitting along with Downton Abbey, I had a reasonable size glass of wine with me for sipping.

But I was up against a few personal challenges with this pattern:

1. First time chart reader.
2. Slippery needles and yarn combination (Addi US13 and Jo Sharp's Mohair)
3. YO purling, I don't think I've needed to do this before. (love online videos for things like this.)
4. Backing out mohair.

Can I just say, Mohair is a pain in the ass. The only successful moments I've had with it are when it's paired with a fingering weight wool/silk blend. The other yarn seems to anchor it and this makes for backing out mistakes much easier.

If you haven't figured it out, I make a lot of mistakes and this is essential.

I started to find success with the pattern. And then I seemed to be off a stitch? I thought I fixed it again, and held it up.

It seemed. Ugly. I really think it's something about the yarn. Was the yarn so beat up from my mistakes? Possibly. But it also didn't look nice laying against a background. It was OK held up to the light.

I sat there last night, a little moody and stared at it the day after.

I swear it wasn't the wine. But this didn't look right. But I enjoyed trying the pattern. I wanted to continue the pattern, but I didn't know if I had the inner strength to battle with this mohair. Or with mohair in general.

I decided to take it off the needles.

I stopped and freed myself of frustration.

3 questions remain:

• Will this pattern look good in another yarn/weight?
• If not, am I willing to go to Mohair land alone (single stranded) again?
• What will I knit for the KAL in it's place as I determine the answers to the above two questions?

I feel a trip to my local coming on. Local Yarn Store that is ...

Family Quotes: Consumerism

After paying at the local Walgreen's for required luxuries i.e., night cream, vitamins, multiple packs of tissues (travel and room size) ...

The Kid: Wow, I didn't know you could spend that much money in a store like this.

Hey how about another hat?

When the barista at the local coffee shop saw me give the work koffee klatch their holiday hats. She said some really nice things about my knitting. (swoon) She also jokingly asked for a hat. I asked her what colors she likes, and she said, she honestly just wore a lot of black.

See my hamster running in his wheel? (that's called my brain working)

She then said her mother has been working on knitting, but struggles with knitting her hats snug enough. I suggested going down a needle size, too nervous to try and explain gauge to a non knitter.

Also, I am horrible about checking my gauge. I just wanna cast on and go. I'm working on breaking this bad habit. I'd make it a resolution, except I know I'd already fail that one.

Long story short, I remembered I had recently frogged papermoon (which now looking at it would be great for a Downton Abbey KAL). I am thinking like AndiGal and really want my projects to be enjoyable and I had lost the zeal for papermoon a long while ago.

But the yarn is this beautiful rich blue. Tosh Vintage in Fathom. So lovely and perfect for our Barista's coloring, and black wardrobe. I wanted something simple but textured that would show off the lovely depth of the yarn.

I knit her up a Miranda hat (this is a Project Stash pattern) I've been carrying around in my notebook FOR-EH-VERR. Fun, and relatively simple, knit and purl! But I did have to back out a few rows when watching an exciting Premiere League soccer match early morning. Diamonds don't lie, and you can't have wonky diamonds.

Yesterday, I was finally able to give it to her, and she graciously allowed a photo.

I missed coffee today and the gang said, she was waiting for me to show me she was wearing it. They took a picture too ha!



*Note to self, forgot to tell her it's wool and not to dry it. cold water wash should be fine. ..

A New Year

Happy New Year!

I am feeling the freshness of a new year. I'm a little wary at making declarations and setting myself up for disaster. But I will try to do small and big things better.

I'm going to improve on last year's improvements.

I'm going to be better at letting go.

I'm also going to minimize how many projects I try to do in a week. I'm going to relearn my focus. This applies to reading, cooking, baking, school volunteering and knitting projects. This means being realistic about focusing on projects and being accessible and engaged with my family and friends, and not just another pretty lace doily in the room ;)

I'm going to continue the stuff purge.

I am going to try and focus on positive points, and not be that grumpy pants that ALWAYS has the next negative thing to say about something.

I'm also going to get skinny.

Hahahahah. Just kidding! But I was finding myself a bit sincere.

Happy New Year! Wishing us all health, happiness, success as you see it,  and some damn good meals ...