Just a Quick Note

Just a brief catch-up entry before I pull my Adult Surprise Jacket from its rather untidy puddle of yarn beside my recliner and start knitting a few more miles of garter stitch.

I'm honestly not complaining.  This is a day I need the lovely mindless knitting of rows and rows of garter stitch.  Today is a day away from the office and I decided at 5:00 am that the most productive thing I intended to do today was dress myself.  And "dress" is a relative term.  I'm in sweatpants and a t-shirt; I could open the door if UPS decides to make a delivery today, but I'd be embarrassed to be seen by anyone who actually knows me.

But I don't care.  I was off work yesterday, and that day was spent running errands, getting a set of tires put on the car, and going to have my eyes examined.  So I DESERVE today in the recliner.

So this morning I caught up on some home computer work (I can't believe how fast my Hotmail inbox accumulates stuff) and watched a little TV.  I also downloaded three library books to my Kindle and an audiobook to listen to while knitting this afternoon.  "Angela's Ashes"....a favorite movie, and I'm anxious to hear the book.  I sometimes have actually put the DVD of the movie on to listen to while knitting.  Maybe it speaks to my Irish ancestry, but I just love the rhythm of the words in that movie.  I'm sure the book will have the same effect.

And so, off the PC and onto the knitting!

Have a great weekend, knitsters!

Cast On!

Okay, I'm notorious for finally catching onto things long, LONG after the rest of the world has already been enjoying them for awhile.  Therefore, I am probably the last knitter in the world to discover the perfectly delightful Cast On podcast by Brenda Dayne.

Brenda has a perfect podcasting voice, clear diction with a soothing tone.  She refers to her listeners as "knitsibs", which I find to be a perfect title for us.  We're siblings under the skin because of our affection for knitting, right?

I only started listening last night, and am listening to the episodes in reverse order.  I know, I know, I should start at the beginning and work forward, and maybe I'll do that after listening to a dozen or so episodes, but for now I'm enjoying listening to her remarks about the current season in Wales, where she lives.

Her music choices in the episodes I've heard so far are lovely (some in Welsh) and appropriate to the subject matter of each podcast.

It's perfect to listen to while knitting during much-needed breaks from household drudgery on Saturday mornings.....like today.  :-)

Okay, back to drudgery so that I can work my way toward another Cast On/knitting break.

I hope you all have a wonderful, safe and Happy Easter weekend!

I'm baaaaaaaaaack....

It's been awhile since I posted (a MONTH!) because I've actually not been able to get in much knitting time lately. Which tells you a little about how MY life has been lately. :-)

The horrific computer system they forced on us at the office about a year ago is being "upgraded". Not "fixed", mind you, but "upgraded". So, there's been lots of training, a trip out of town for a few days, and many, many teleconference calls. Sheesh.

On top of that, my beloved Dell desktop computer bit the dust, taking with it a ton of things I hadn't backed up. I have a terrible tendency to become complacent about backups when my computer is working well, and this is the second time I've been caught in this situation. Luckily, while out of town on my training I made a visit to Staples (there's not one close by where I live) and bought myself a new Toshiba laptop....ON SALE!! *happy dance* So, I've been spending a lot of time getting it set up with all the little goodies I like to have on a computer. Oh....and I bought myself an external hard drive a couple of days ago. Just in case. *LOL*

Now, back to knitting, both as a topic and as recreation!! The last time I picked up my needles was EIGHT DAYS AGO. It's been that kind of a week. However, I'm going to visit my parents this afternoon and already have my knitting bag ready to take along. I'm still working on the grown-up version of Zimmermann's Baby Surprise Jacket for myself. I doubt that I'll have it finished before the weather turns warm for good here in my corner of the world, but I'll have it ready for next fall. It's a lot of garter stitch, but it's good relaxing knitting and believe me, I could use a little relaxation right now!

I hope you all have a great Sunday!

Hard to Believe

It's hard to believe, looking out my living room windows at the bright sunny Saturday morning, that snow is predicted for tonight. Not a lot of snow, just a dusting, but snow all the same. February. 'Nuff said.

I've been knitting this morning because my favorite Saturday morning activity is knitting and sipping good coffee. This morning I've been working on my adult version of Zimmerman's Baby Surprise Jacket. It's a lot of garter stitch, but it's good relaxing knitting. I've made enough progress on it that I can't carry it around very easily. (I usually carry socks to knit in public.) I'm going to visit my parents this afternoon since the weather's predicted to turn semi-ugly tonight, and I plan to take my Surprise Jacket along to work on it while visiting. I'm hoping to finish it in time to wear it a few times before I have to switch to my spring wardrobe. *LOL*

And so, fellow knitsters, I wish you all a terrific weekend with lots of sticks and string!

A Peaceful Morning

I'm starting my Saturday in a lovely mellow state, having begun by listening to James Horner soundtracks on my Zune and sipping a delicious cup of coffee.  I'm actually waiting for it to get a little later in the morning so I won't disturb my neighbors by doing noisy household drudgery.

My only concern currently is that I am so content and relaxed that I might find it difficult to haul myself out of this recliner and do some actual WORK.

Hmmmm....my knitting basket is within reach.  Maybe one more cup of coffee and knitting a few rows before starting housework.  Sounds reasonable, right?  :-)

Happy Saturday, everyone!

2012 Begins

This evening I noticed that my KnitMeter currently says "I haven't knit any this year."  That's not true.  I HAVE knit this year.  I just haven't FINISHED anything yet this year.  *LOL*

I have, as usual, several different things on needles.  But this weekend I had to be out of town due to a death in the family (a dear cousin who lost a hard-fought battle against esophageal cancer).  None of the projects I had on needles were a good size to pack for travel, so I started a small cowl to work on during spare moments at the motel.  I didn't get much done on it, so I now have one more WIP.

That's okay.  It's January.  :-)

Christmas Eve Eve

It's my favorite kind of pre-holiday afternoon.  The weather is cool and overcast, all my holiday knitting is done.  Gifts are all wrapped and either delivered or under the tree.  All the holiday cooking I can do ahead of time is finished.  Except for a few minor items (a couple of loads of laundry, putting the kitchen to rights, ironing the holiday tablecloth) all I have to do the rest of the day is relax, knit and watch holiday movies while letting Roomba do the vacuuming.

What am I knitting?  Well, since I'm sort of taking the afternoon off, I'm knitting Granny's Favorite Dishcloth, also known as the "Idiot's Dishcloth" since it was published in "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Knitting & Crocheting".  When I finish this post, I'm going to finish up my few little chores, then kick back and knit until I nap.

I send each of you all my hopes for a holiday season full of peace and contentment!