I'm Back

So sorry I've been away so long....my beloved little MeggieDog was very sick and passed away on February 24. She was nearly 16 years old, and I brought her home when she was 5 weeks old. So, you can imagine how lost I've been feeling.

I still miss her terribly, but am improving a bit at a time. In the past few days I've started a couple of very simple knitting projects that don't require a lot of attention just to get my hands (and hopefully my mind) active again.

I'd finished my first "Regular Guy Beanie", so now I've put another one on needles. I'm going to do this one in stripes. I'll try to get some photos up in the next few days. I've also started a simple cabled hot water bottle cover. I've just discovered the joys of sleeping with a hot water bottle at my feet on frosty nights. How the heck does that thing stay warm all night??

More later....have a great weekend, all!

Back In The Groove

As I was saying in my last post, I've been dragging a bit lately, not being very productive at anything, not even my knitting. I began to wonder if I'd started associating knitting with pain, since I'd used knitting to preserve my sanity last year while waiting for back surgery.

Thankfully, my productivity is a bit better now. The weather is still icky (flurrying right now, in fact....big fluffy lazy flakes), but I'm able to pick up my Diagonal Lace socks and knit contentedly on them while listening to an audiobook or a KnitPicks podcast.

Had I told you I can listen to KnitPicks podcasts through my TiVo? That's a pretty neat TiVo feature. I'm not sure how I ever managed to keep up with any television series before TiVo. I never seem to be able to watch broadcast television when it's actually broadcast anymore.

Back to my knitting....today it occurred to me that it might help to toss in a charity item, so today I'm casting on a knit hat to be donated to a local charity that provides blankets and warm clothing to homeless individuals in our community.

I'm going to use the "Regular Guy Beanie" pattern on Ravelry. I'll keep you posted.

I'm Still Here

I've been terrible about blogging lately, I know, and I apologize. After I finished my Christmas "stealth" knitting, I can't seem to finish ANYTHING. I still have the same two pairs of socks on needles that I had started before I had surgery in November. I don't know what's wrong with me. Here it is, snowy ugly weather that should be absolutely perfect for knitting cozily in the recliner and I can't seem to get anything accomplished.

Not just my knitting, either. I promised myself that after I recovered from my surgery I'd start cleaning my closet and my "spare room" 15 minutes at a time (FlyLady style....do you know about FlyLady?). That hasn't happened either. I do manage to keep the daily household work done, but that's been about it.

I'm behind in my e-mail and blogging and I have no idea why, because I enjoy both.

So what's the problem? I blame it on this gray, ugly winter. Our local meteorologist reported last night that we've had 19.1 inches of snow this season, and the season average is 15 inches. And there's at least two more months of "snow season" left. (I've actually seen it snow here in April.)

By the time I get home from work and get unbundled, all I want to do is eat and go to bed.

So what's the solution to my winter doldrums? Action has always worked for me in the past, so I'm going to give that a try.

When I get home tonight, I'm going to set my kitchen timer for 15 minutes and do housework. Anything. Dusting is needed, so that's probably what I'll do. Then I'll fix myself some dinner and clean up my kitchen. Then I'm going to set my timer for 30 minutes, get in the recliner, and knit until the timer goes off.

For months, every time I got into the recliner I picked up my knitting. For some reason I got out of the habit. Lately I've found myself just vegged out in the recliner watching television. That brings up another thing I'm behind on....audiobooks!

So tonight I'll let TiVo save all the things I would've watched this evening. I'll put an audiobook into the Zune and pick up my sadly-neglected knitting. And GET BACK IN THE GROOVE.

I hope this post doesn't give you the impression that knitting is a chore. It's not. I love taking sticks and string and turning them into lovely, soft fabric. I just seem to be on the verge of becoming a recliner potato (a far worse vegetable than a couch potato) and feel the need to break this habit before it gets too deeply ingrained.

Get ready, socks, here I come!!

Snow and the End of Christmas Stealth Knitting

We have SNOW! LOTS of it! I swept 10" off my car yesterday afternoon, and there's still a light dusting of snow falling now.

And, since my Christmas stealth knitting is all finished, I can actually spend some time in my recliner, watching it snow, and getting back on knitting my socks! They've been neglected so long, and I'm happy to say that I'm nearly finished with the heel flap. I love it when I get to that point!

Now that the stealth knitting has all been completed, I'll tell you what I did:

• One "mistake rib" scarf
• One pair of plait cable mittens
• Four holiday dishcloths
• One pair of fingerless mittens
• Two pairs of "feeties"
• (Not knitting, but knitting-related) Two handmade row counters....a new project that turned out really well!

They all turned out really well, and I'm pleased with them. I should start next year's holiday knitting soon so I won't be so rushed next year....but not just yet. :-) The socks I'm working on today are my diagonal lace socks. I've always loved the look of them and will be very happy when I can actually put them on my feet!

Well, off to the recliner to get sip some hot cocoa, watch the snow, and knit a bit. Happy Holidays, Everyone!

I'm baaaaaaaack.....

Sorry I've been away so long. I had spinal surgery on November 17th and am just now getting caught up on home e-mail and blogging and such!!

The good news is that because I've been spending a lot of time in my recliner during recovery, I've finished my Christmas "stealth" knitting! I'll post more about that later in case anyone who might be receiving any of my knitted items is reading this blog. *LOL*

I guess I'm not officially finished with my Christmas knitting, since I realized I needed to knit two more holiday dishcloths. I got those started last night, though, and should get them finished in the next evening or two. I knit them two at a time, so they go really quickly.

Speaking of which, I guess I'd better hit the recliner and get back at them. :-) Happy holidays, everyone!

Busy, Busy Month

I feel like I've been knitting a lot, but I'm not getting many things finished!! I was off work last week but was tied up in a lot of medical appointments. Of course, waiting room time is knitting time, so I always had a pair of socks with me, which was good.

The only thing I actually finished last week is a pair of mittens. I've not photographed them yet, but will post a photo here as soon as I do. I found a skein of yarn in my stash that looked like it would make a nice scarf to go with them, so now I've started a Mistake Rib Stitch Scarf, too.

I really must stop starting new projects until I've finished the ones I've started.

Yeah. Right. I'll cut back on buying yarn, too. *ROTF*

Knit Purl Gurl and a WEBS Giveaway

One of the blogs I follow is one written by Knit Purl Gurl. I learned about her in a Ravelry group called Moving Beyond Rectangles that I joined immediately upon becoming a Ravelry member. She's the group administrator and gave me a warm welcome when I joined. When I learned about her blog I put her on my blog list and have always enjoyed reading it.

Currently she's hosting a wonderful WEBS giveaway on her blog. It's a beautiful Bamboo Interchangeable Knitting Set. All my interchangeables are nickel plated and I enjoy using them, but would love the opportunity to try a set of bamboo. I currently have only one set of DPNs in bamboo, but enjoy the way they warm in my hands so quickly.

To enter the giveaway, go to Knit Purl Gurl's blog by clicking HERE and following her wonderfully clear and simple instructions. Hurry, though, because the entry period ends Tuesday, October 13th at 11:59 pm EST. And good luck!