Jan 2009

I'm not very good at this blogging thing. I've been busy keeping up with Ravelry.com and most recently joined FaceBook. I admit I get too carried away on the computer as I learn new things.

Back in Oct I had surgery to remove a varicose vein in my leg and then promptly wacked out my sacro iliac area. My recovery was longer then I expected, frustrating and annoying. During my down time, I thought things over and decided to leave my part time retail job. I enjoyed it, miss the people, but it was not as much fun anymore. The economic downturn was affecting everyone...customers and employees. I did not want to feel all the negative energy. People just need to slow down and regain their bearings.

I've been knitting more, enrolled in the TKGA Master Knitter series, am following Weight Watchers and joined a local Gym. I admit I am being selfish, but I just want to simplify and have a less complicated life so I can focus on me and my family. My daughters are both doing well. Pups are their usual goofy selves, my husband keeps busy and I have a small, but wonderful group of friends. Its all good.

The Wedding

Some photos from Deb and Bill's wedding day.

Moments after they said, " I Do"
Rachel with her boyfriend Adam, and DeGaulle, a personal family friend.
"Lady" the ringbearer. More to come, when I get better at figuring this out!

Lace Shawl Progress

Here are two photos of my Leaf Lace Shawl projects. One is using Noro Sock yarn and the other is JaeggerSpun Zephyr. The Addi Lace needles are very easy to use with these yarns.

Ice Dance

Can't leave out a few skating photos. Rachel and CG competing in the 2007 Lake Placid International Ice Dance Championship. They placed 4th in Senior Compulsory Dances - Argentine Tango, Yankee Polka and Austrian Waltz.

A few more photos

I think I may have figured this out. What else can I find? Here is Stanley again, and Rachel with her 18th birthday present, a COACH bag. Ok back to knitting.

Pup photos

Its probably time I learned how to post photos. I'm going to try and put some of the pups up. RP is Rachel's pup. He's the red one, Stanley is the white poodle and Zippy is our schnoodle puppy. Wish me luck.

Sunday

A few quiet moments. Zippy was spayed and is recovering, but not thrilled with so much crate rest. A few more days and she will be free to bounce around.

I found a beautiful dress for Deb's wedding. I need a few alterations, even found strappy, dye able sandals that are surprisingly comfortable. Thank you Payless Shoes.

I am very excited about becoming part of a local knitting group that meets weekly at Paneras. It will be nice to spend a few hours of precious knitting time with fun, talented and inspiring knitters/crocheters. I've really missed having that local connection with others who share my passion.

Work is busy, despite the claims that retail sales are gloomy. I think the warmer weather is motivating people to get out and shop for spring/summer clothing and gear.

I'm trying to either walk or ride the exercise bike each day. MY WW is faltering a bit, but being active is a good thing.

Time to let Zippy play around... and then head to work. Hope to knit tonight.

Calm and Quiet

Its a calm, quiet day...that is unusal, but I am enjoying it. I haven't blogged in a while. The computer becomes so consuming at times. I like to look through Ravelry for inspiration, but am finding I have no interest in cataloging my stash or books. I try to enter my new projects so I have a handle on what I am doing, but other then that I use it mainly for inspiration.

RP, Stanley and Zippy have settled in. Zippy is about 22 weeks now and still very much in puppy mode, but so cute and fun. Stanley and she get along famously. RP has his moments where he will sit quietly and listen to what she is telling him, but for the most part he still remains in the distance. Poor little guy has degenerative disc problems and doesn't always feel like being an acrobat.

This morning I ran errands and am spending the afternoon knitting on my various projects.

Soon I have to find a dress for Deb's Labor Day wedding. Rejoined WW today to get back on track. So far so good. Being on a diet is no fun, but if I think of it as improving my overall lifestyle I can deal with it. I goof up sometimes, but I'm not beating myself up anymore.

Think I'll get back to my knitting

Just an ordinary day

Its a quiet morning, except for puppy antics. Zip has finally worn herself out and is taking a snooze. RP and Stanley are resting in "their spots." Funny how each critter has a place that they call their own.

I'm planning to make Deb a ribbed cardigan. Bought some pretty Debbie Bliss cashmerino dk in a heavenly teal color that I think she will look well in. Now I have a project going for everyone, except Marvin. He is quite happy with his burgundy iiiiiiicyclic cardigan that I made several years ago. Marvin wears it almost everyday during the winter. Nothing like a big cozy sweater.

Not sure what I will do today. Most likely run the usual errands, possibly some housework....wellllll, we'll see about that, definitely knit and then, one of us will go the airport tonight to pick up Rachel. She has spent the weekend with Deb doing wedding stuff and having fun.

Maybe I'll take a walk today and wake up my body. Have to go back to work tomorrow. I admit that doesn't appeal to me, but it will be good to see some of my co workers.

53 years

Today my parents celebrate 53 years of marriage. That is just incredible to me. And, even more unbelievable is that my mom gave birth to me at age 19. They are still happy and have a wonderful relationship. All that time spent together. Amazing stamina, especially after after raising me...a true problem child!

This past month Marvin had major GI surgery and is now recovering. This was the result of a nasty bout of diverticulitis complicated by an intestinal blockage several months ago. Hopefully he will continue to do well.

I took a few weeks off from work to care for Marvin until he is independent enough to mange through out the day. Having three critters is a real challenge even for a healthy person. Zippy is at that adolescent stage where her curiosity quotient is through the roof, her activity level is non-stop and her fascination with running up and down the steps is now a truly aerobic activity! Stanley and RP, being older just watch, fascinated by her.

Rachel is going to NC this weekend to help her sister with her wedding plans. I am hoping to knit Deb something very special. I will have to start soon. She has a late August wedding.

My various knitting projects are keeping me busy when I can sit still for a few minutes. I'm having fun and am really happy with all the different yarns I'm working with. Ravelry.com is also keeping me inspired. I usually knit while I am looking at the site.

Time to find Zippy, Its awful quiet here.

Where has January gone?

Where has January gone? I feel like I am in some sort of time warp. We are trying to get back into a daily routine. Rachel returned from Israel. She had a fabulous time touring the country, met many new friends, snapped over seven hundred photos and rode a camel. School starts this week. Skating continues.

RP, Stanley and Zippy are settling in. There is lots of puppy energy to burn off each day. Zip is now 12 weeks old and lots of fun.

I have a few days off from work which is a welcome change. I've been looking through Ravelry, waiting for my yarn orders to arrive and trying to find some quiet time to get ready to start my projects.

Its finally cold. Not much else to report. Hope to have more news soon.

Resting with the pups

I've had the past two days off and even though we are keeping busy with Zippy, I'm starting to feel a little more rested after the retail holiday frenzy.

No knitting lately,but BrooklynTweed's last post inspired me to spend some birthday money to order from http://www.beaverslide.com - I chose the McTaggart Tweed, I think that is what it is called, in wild currant. I've wanted to knit myself a Pure and Simple V-neck cardigan. This yarn is perfect. I am also going to knit my first Starmore - St. Brigid in charcoal Canadian Regal wool from Schoolhouse Press. I'll have two "me" projects, one simple and one challenging. I'm anxiously waiting for the yarn for both sweaters to arrive.

Rachel is still in Israel with birthright.org I'm missing her so much, but know she is having a wonderful time.

Spectacular Birthday

I had a fabulous birthday and a completely outrageous surprise, courtesy of Rachel. She bought me another puppy! Zippy is my first little girl, a Schnoodle (schnauzer-poodle mix born Oct 18 so as of today she is about nine weeks old. I'm completely in love. Stanley and Zippy are getting along very well. She is feisty, but good natured so far. RP is slowly adjusting, but occasionally lets her know, he is the boss. I have a feeling Zippy may warm RP's heart enough to break down some of his barriers.

There is plenty of love to go around, but I'll have my hands full until Zippy settles in.

Knitting is on the back burner for a while.

Relaxing

Two days off to relax. My older daughter and her fiance are visiting. Deb and Rachel are out looking at weddings gowns. Bill and Marvin are being typical guys..reading the paper. I may visit the yarn shop or book store. We'll probably go to the deli for dinner and discuss wedding plans.

Doing nothing and not having to be anywhere is a nice feeling,

Snow and a nice day off

I had the day off...perfect timing as we had our first few inches of pretty white snow. I slept in, went grocery shopping, met Rachel for lunch, came home and finished my Noro Aurora scarf. The colorway is so pretty. Blacks, grays, magenta, toast and lavender. The colorway makes sense. The sporadic wraps of metallic thread around the fibers added a delicate amount of glitz. I'm happy with the result.

Work is becoming busier and more fun as we approach the holidays.

Rachel is looking forward to the end of her semester and trip to Israel.

Last night the house fragrance was latkes and homemade applesauce...delicious.

Lost a week or two

I feel like I lost a week or two. We had a quiet, but delicious Thanksgiving. Rachel's Austrian friend, Viktor joined us. He is bright, articulate and delightful company. Viktor is a successful, freestyle skater, who previously represented Austria at the last Winter Olympics. Maybe we can convince him to dance with Rachel. They would have a great partnership.

Black Friday was not as busy at Eddie Bauer as we had hoped. Sales are down. I developed a nasty head cold and took a day off to just rest. Too much on my feet and I was wiped out.

On the knitting front, I've been trying to finish up current projects. Spent some time clearing off my desk and getting my dp's in order. I've lurked on Ravelry to see what other knitters are up to. Also, bought some new pattern books by Louisa Hardings and Sarah Dallas. I've been sharing these with Caroline. She is very excited about knitting and actually went to Yarnings by herself. You know you have launched a succesful knitter when they acually go looking for yarn by themselves. I'm so happy Caro is enjoying herself.

Tonight, a potential partner is flying in from San Jose to skate with Rachel for the week. Ben is 24 and has been skating for many years. Lets keep our fingers crossed on this.

Think I'll finish my cleaning, then relax and knit.

Ripping out

I ripped out my Noro sock. While I like the "After Bertha" spiral ribbed pattern, the ribbed fabric is feeling unusually coarse. I'm going to look at some other patterns and see what may be more suitable. Maybe I just need to be patient...working in size 2 needles isn't as much fun as I though t it would be!

Next, I ripped out my chevron scarf. The Saffron Dyeworks yarn is luscious, but I wasn't thrilled with the path of variegated yarn in this pattern.

I think I'll just work on the sleeve of Rachel's v-neck pullover for tonight. Hopefully I'll have enough yarn for the cuffs and v-neck ribbing.

Off to knit.

Fabulous Friday

Friday was a really fun and relaxing day. Caroline and I enjoyed our trip to Yarnings. This was her first visit to the shop and she was completely mesmerized. We were on a mission to find yarn for her scarf and I bought an Ella Rae book. Next, we went to lunch in Skippack Village at a place called, "Grandmas." Delicious food, cozy environment and good conversation. I was sorry to see the day end. We are both looking forward to doing this again real soon.

Feeling inspired

Chilly weather always inspires me to knit, especially with natural fibers. I just love the feel of wool, alpaca and mohair. I finished a rolled edge hat using some gorgeous Noro yarn, almost have a sleeve done on Rachel's top down sweater, am just about finished with the first Noro sock ribbing and ripped back to correct a mistake on the Victorian Shoulderette...forgot a YO. Today, I received two new books..."The Knitters Book of Yarn" and "Scottish Highland Knits."

The highlight of my week was teaching my favorite co worker to knit. This coming Friday, we both have the day off and plan to go out to lunch and visit Yarnings in Skippack, PA. We'll definitely get into some mischief.

OK, off to look through my new books and dream of new projects

Lazy Day

I have a day off and plan to be lazy except for taking Stanley to the vet to have his stitches removed. Then, home to be a knitting couch potato. I almost have the ribbing done on my Noro sock and made more progress on Rachel's shoulderette. I also have my eye on a ChicKnits pattern called CECE.

Today is also day six of Weight Watchers. So far so good. I have to start exercising to really make this work. That will take some effort especially after working in a retail environment all day.

Well I should get my day going.