Planning without a plan

Back into my Grey's Anatomy marathon! Mom loved the shawl, and I've finished a pair of gloves and a dish towel in the past 2 days, along with turning a heel in my dad's sock and resurrecting Wicker. (And boy are my arms tired!). So far, my resolution to finished projects and not start anything new is going well.....

I should be packing for the trip to Tahoe, except I have no idea how long we're staying or what I'll be doing. The Type A side of me is freaking out a little, but the mellower part of me is ignoring it :) M and his friend want to go skiing, and the thought of getting back on skis after 4 years and 2 knee surgeries is a little terrifying. I've known for ages this decision would come up, and I still don't know if I'm going to get back on that horse. So, alot of knitting will be packed.

You think it'll drive them crazy if I map out all the yarn stores between here and Tahoe?

If I don't post before - Happy New Years to all of you!

Happy holidays

Happy holidays all!

And don't forget to relax :)

PS - don't forget about the contest - you've got until the 6th!

A contest!

It's been awhile since I've had a contest, so I figure it's about time. To enter, leave a comment on one of the following (or both if you feel like it!):

• I feel like I want to revamp my etsy shop a little - change the name, the banner, figure out a better way to advertise. Throw in a suggestion!
  
• I've been thinking alot about holiday traditions lately. Are you a fan of tradition, or do you like to change every year? What's your favorite thing about the holidays?

Three winners will be chosen randomly, for either a pair of stitch markers from my shop (your choice) or 2 skeins Misti Lace:


I absolutely love the feel of this yarn - it's as soft as Malabrigo, though not as squishy.

So that's the contest - you've got until noon PST on the 27th to enter! Winners will be announced on the 28th, and prizes, once the winners decide will be mailed out in the new year. Oh, and you get an extra entry if you post on your blog and for each person saying they heard about it from you. If Blogger doesn't have your email, be sure to let me know how to contact your, or email me separately after you comment.

ETA: I'm going to be in and out of town until the 5th, so I'm extending the deadline until Jan 6th. Oh, and I'm adding a mystery prize :)

PS - the sale at my store is still going on for the rest of the month - buy one set and each additional set of stitch markers purchased is 50% off!

Happy Thursday all!

A random Wednesday

I have a thing for cute little gadgets, which made the timer Teresa got me for my birthday perfect! This collection of timers makes me grin.

This is old news, but I love that knitting is in the Wall Street Journal.

The review of this gadget had me cracking up. Technology is so wonderful.

Thanks everyone for your shawl comments. It's still sitting up on my blocking cushions because I like looking over at it every now and again :) Though I'll have to wrap it up soon for the trip to Napa.

I went to see my primary doctor again today after another review with my physical therapist yesterday. They're referring me to an orthopedic surgeon to determine if there's any additional damage the first 2 surgeries didn't fix. Which brings me to my question - does anyone have an orthopedic surgeon they'd recommend in the Santa Barbara - Ventura - Thousand Oaks - LA area? My PT gave me a few names, but having some sort of review from an actual patient would be preferred....

Back to watching movies and knitting!

Finally finished!

A relatively quick knit, though the monogomy of it was driving me crazy by the end. I opted to make the top border shorter and not do the picot edge, partially just to finish and partially because I was running out of yarn. I love the body of the shawl, though I think I prefer the method of the Flower Basket shawl than this one with it's knitted on border. The yarn, Misti Alpaca lace, is very soft and nice to work with. A little splitty, but the overall feel was worth it. And it's done in time for Christmas.....

Though I found out today, via MySpace of all places, that my mom doesn't want to celebrate Christmas this year. I know that the holidays are rough in many ways for everyone and even more so for my parents. Sigh.

I'm looking forward to being done with work for the year - I worked from home today because I've been feeling a bit sick this weekend. I got bronchitis, or so I thought, last year and have had a persistent cough ever since. Not a hacking up lungs cough, but just a hoarse voice that turns into a cough after of talking. Dr. 1 tried me on an inhaled medicine and then sent me to a lung doctor, who did a breathing test and ruled it as allergies. Dr. 3 tried me on a few allergy meds, none of which have made the cough go away. So back to Dr. 1 to come up with another diagnosis, of possible acid reflux. The meds for which have not been agreeing with me, or made the cough go away. There's always the chance that my cat allergies have gotten worse and the meds just can't make those go away, but who knows.....That and having to go back to the physical therapist to re-diagnose my knee make for alot of doctor visits!

Wow, that was quite a digression from knitting :) For the rest of the week, I'll be working on my dad's socks and some other gift knits. Most likely they won't be done by next Tues, but everyone's very forgiving about that :) In the new year - the resolution of no more gift knitting! Or at least, no more last minute gift knitting.....

I swear I'm still here

Work has been incredibly busy lately - whoever says things slow down at the end of the year was lying. I went to Yosemite last weekend - here's a shot coming down from one of our hikes.

Have a good weekend!

WIP update

It feels like I'm a little overdue for a picture post of all the WIPs that are currently getting some attention. So, here goes!
My dad's socks are coming along slowly, as to be expected for knitting two socks at once. The Regia's alright, though I think I'm developing a bias for softer sock yarns. These were supposed to be done in June, and I may be pushing it to get them and my mom's shawl done by the end of the month. But maybe with some focus....
My mom's shawl. I've got one more pattern repeat, 14 knit rows, and then come the border challenge. I've never done a knitted on border and I'm having trouble visualizing how it'll all go down. But, as I always do, I figure I'll just start and wing it. I don't know what it is about lace, but it seems to go so quickly!
This was started as a "Oh! I should make a hat for my trip to Yosemite this weekend!" project. Famous last words! It took me a couple of hours to modify the pattern I'd chosen to a) make it into an adult sized hat and b) make it work with the Malabrigo I wanted to use. At the end of it all, M's roommates were convinced that knitting required some kind of special degree....(eventually I will use my own stitch markers. Well, the ones you see above are mine, but I made them 3 years ago before I really learned what I was doing.)
The languishing Lady E I started in May - I'm on my 7th or 8th ball of Silk Garden, and only a couple more to go. I started this to distract me through the funeral preparations, so I sort of have mixed feelings about finishing it. But after seeing the one I made for my mom, I'm looking forward to having one of my own.
And finally, taking these.....
to these! My friend Michelle gave me Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, and it couldn't have been a more perfect birthday present. These were a huge hit this weekend, and I'm excited to try more of the recipes!

Time to walk away from the TV and get some sleep - have a good night!

Radio silence

It's been ages since I've last posted, and alot has been going on. The trip to Puerto Rico was a whirlwind and crazy. Unfortunately I didn't get to see much of Puerto Rico outside of the hotel or site, but I've got a better idea of where I'd want to go if I go back. Work has been stressful lately, adjusting to having a new supervisor and projects that just won't go away. Thanksgiving itself was fine, my flight was delayed some but since we never celebrate with other people it didn't really impact much. The day after was my birthday, which was a bit disappointing since my mom forgot until she looked at her calendar (I know, I totally sound spoiled here. But I still get excited about my birthday!). Granted, she's been thinking about my brother a ton with the holidays around, but it was still hard to swallow.

This last weekend was the larger birthday celebration, which involved a trip up to wine tasting country with a large group of grad students, knitters, and wine lovers. It turned out really well, despite the large number of people, and I ended up joining a wine club (I blame the wine). We kept it low key and went out for pizza afterwards, which was really perfect.

Now I'm just trying to catch up on my gift knitting - a shawl for my mom and a pair of socks for my dad. I've got a couple of other projects I'd like to make, but I really need to stick with these before working on anything else! I've given in and ordered more yarn for socks and hats, which means I've been compulsively checking the mail stop at work every few hours :)

And, finally, I'm offering up another sale for the month of December at my etsy shop. Buy one set of stitch markers, all additional sets are 50% off! Just wait until I send you an invoice before you pay though.

Hope everyone's well - thanks for the well wishes!