by Kat | Mar 22, 2017 | General, Making
Knitting and reading have been in a bit of a holding pattern.
I am almost done with A Rule Against Murder with Inspector Gamache. I should have it finished later today.
Up next is this gem from the library. I simply loved Norwegian by Night and I hope I love The Girl in Green as well.
I keep thinking I just have a few more inches to go, but I don’t seem to be getting there. After yesterday’s internal debate about ripping back, the ‘make it perfect’ voice inside me won out, I ripped back and added in the shaping…but!!! This allowed me to try the sweater on again and yep, I now have about 3 inches to go before I have some additional short row shaping and then the ribbing. So, the body is soooo close to being done! I am actually looking forward to getting to Sleeve Island!! Good thing there is a new season of The Bridge available.
Happy Wednesday!
by Kat | Mar 21, 2017 | General, In This Moment
The Woman’s March focus this week is “Reflect & Resist”
In that same vein… here are some things to reflect on this week…
Sometimes the (continued) brilliance of knitters astounds me, but this is insane! Because of this, I have added “take at least one class with Mary Scot Huff” to my list of things to do before I die…
Life has been super stressful with the daily barrage of nonsense coming out of Washington, so I was thrilled when The Night Gardner was available from my local library. Reading it has brought Maximum Stress Reduction… I highly recommend it! I have read it twice so far and it is a lovely, lovely book! Feed your inner child this week – read a kid’s book!
Sweater knitting continues but, sometimes it does not go well…
I will let you know how that blocks out, because I am not ripping back again!
That is all I have for today, but please – tell me something random that is happening in your world today.
by Kat | Mar 17, 2017 | General
Into every bloggers life, there comes that moment when you say to yourself – wow, I would love to hang out with all of them, like every day! And, you wonder what might happen if you could spend a few hours with a blogger friend. Would it feel like you have known each other forever? Would it be weird? Would they be nothing like their blog? Would it be the best time ever.
That happened to me this week…on Monday I was incredibly fortunate to be able to spend a couple of hours with Kym and it was so awesome! (Really, you can’t tell at all that I was having any fun especially with the grin I have from ear to ear and I think subliminally I am trying to hang on to her so she could not leave… lol)
So, true fact – we are a one car household and Steve heads off to work at the ass crack of dawn, so yeah – my hair was looking marvelous – not. Oy.Vey. And, I cannot even believe I am sharing the above photo…haha! Although, Kym tried to clue me in on the angle thing… she won the day for sure! (Also, her Peace Cowl is gorgeous! And, Peace Cowl… Peace Sign Earrings – she had it all going on! Oh, and her LipSense was perfect!!)
So – because you probably want to know – it did feel like we knew each other, it was not weird, she is even more incredible than her blog, and it was the best time ever!
But, you know what Dickens said about the best of times; it is directly followed by the worst of times…
Yep, enter Thursday… and the day of the DOCTORS APPOINTMENT.
I simply love how everything about visiting the doctor is “hurry up and wait” – I mean really. I get to the appointment (early) and I am told that in 10 minutes I can check in via a “remote user-friendly” access point. Why the 10-minute wait? Apparently, you cannot check in more than 30 minutes early!
Once the 10-minutes have expired, I head off to the kiosk to “check in” only to have the remote log in station tell me I need to go to the desk to check in. I kid you not. They needed to get my “finger print” for future visits… really. So, how hard would it have been to ask me that first? (or freaking look at the record, which they have access to on their computer system – right?) By now, it is about 15 minutes before my appointment time and I am pleasantly surprised when they call me back almost immediately.
This surprise quickly was squelched when I realized that I was only being taken to another ‘waiting area’ where the board with all the physician’s names were listed along with if they were “on time” for appointments. Please note, every physician BUT mine was on time. My physician – 30 minutes BEHIND.
However, I am not the only one sitting in “cattle class” and the children there are beyond adorable so I have plenty to keep me occupied. (AND, dear Armand Gamache was with me too!!)
So, by now it is over an hour after my ‘scheduled appointment’ and I finally get the fun necessary part started – you know, those lovely vitals. I was most certain my blood pressure would be at dangerous levels… however, crazy as it may be my BP was LOWER than it has ever been (and I have never had high blood pressure) and when I had to get on the scale, the nurse said – wow, you have lost weight! I wanted to do the dance of joy! So maybe that was the fun part after all.
The appointment ended on the highest of notes – my very behind doctor is behind for a reason, he actually talks with his patients and more importantly – he listens to what they say. My office is a “teaching office” so he usually has a “doctor in training” with him – so if he can share with the new generation of physicians that this is the most crucial part of being a doctor, I don’t mind waiting.
Oh, and I won the “award of the day” for listening to him about losing weight.
The REAL reward of the day was (a very late for us) dinner at Casa Reyna’s in the Strip – with Guacamole prepared tableside and Margaritas for two! (Because you know Guacamole and Margaritas are the BEST of diet foods! LOL)
Now, how about some links?
First up – did you all notice the excellent update to Ravelry this week? If not, you should head there and look! It is AWESOME!
Next… this craziness happened this week. Really… I know, crazy!
That is all I have for this week, have a safe and very happy St. Pat’s Day! See you back here on Monday!
by Kat | Mar 15, 2017 | General, Making
Mother Nature has reminded me that we still have winter, despite her tempting us with spring. (although we only got two-ish inches of snow here in my neighborhood, the temperature this morning is bitterly cold! You know – so cold we have a bit of a Pug Strike going on here!)
Thus, sweater knitting has resumed. I had to frog back a bit though, there are these increases/decreases at each side to give the sweater some interest, however, my angle was getting too far over. So I ripped back a bit and am now back on track but without those increases or decreases. I will knit another couple of inches and see how I like that.
Along with listening to Moby Dick. I am not quite half way through, but I confess I am loving the Big Read – hearing each chapter read by a different reader is excellent! I am finding it easy to resume after getting sidetracked by Overdrive titles that have a due date!
Also, a couple of weeks ago, I finished this wonderful hat from Drop Dead Easy Knits – silly me for thinking it would not get much use until next winter! It is getting a work out this week for sure!
Don’t forget March Madness over at MDK today! VOTING has begun!!
Joining Ginny’s Yarn Along where the knitting and reading are always so good.
Finally, one last reminder that my daughter is a reader and she is raising a reader! You can help her Usborne Book Party today here and thank you in advance!!
What are you knitting in this crazy weather!
by Kat | Mar 10, 2017 | General
Happy Friday? Yeah, I am not so sure with all the SNOW that we got last night. Oy vey. The warmth of the week has abruptly ended and it is back to hats, mittens, socks, and sweaters here! I am thankful that the snow blanketed everything to protect it from the bitter cold that is forecast for later this weekend. Fun times, I am telling you!
Now, how about some diverting links?
- Romi’s Mystery Shawl 2017 – I am really tempted to join in with this. I will be tossing my stash this morning to see what I might have that would work! Who’s interested in joining me?
- Stormy Sky Shawl – I love the simplicity of this pattern, and the suggestion of using a special skein of yarn for it is brilliant. I might just have one that would work…(also FREE!)
- Linen Noir is perfect for the thoughts of summer dancing in my head!
- These Kissing Cousin Socks are GENIUS! Really… oh.my.gosh. Genius!
- Isabel Kraemer’s Aileas… perfect timing for this sucky weather!
- Kimono – In theory, I love this…but I think wearing it would be disastrous, at least for klutzy me! Although, this might be perfect for a yarn that you know will pill like mad, because there won’t be many friction points!
- This one is for Carole – something she can knit up with all that gorgeous yarn she spun last weekend!
- Rainbrioche – the name says it all!
- Now, this speaks to the Sheep Rare Breed Lover in me – Coburg Mittens knit from yarn that is 70% German Coburg Fox Sheep with 30% Merino. (You only need one skein…just sayin’) Oh, and in case you have never seen German Coburg Fox Sheep… some sheepy cuteness for you!
Do you get Taproot Magazine? The Weave Issue has two really cute patterns: Quill and Three French Hens (LOVE!!)
And, lastly – a huge Congratulations to Gudrun Johnston for designing the official 2017 Shetland Wool Week ‘Bousta Beanie’ pattern. You can get a free copy of it here.
That is all I have for this week – stay warm and I will see you back here on Monday!
