Quietish

There it goes, one more year. Welcome to the obligatory “So, it’s a new year” post. I thought about skipping it but quickly felt the slacker-guilt creep up.

How do I feel about a new year passing? I basically ditto what I said last year.

I can’t really resist making resolutions; I’m such a listmaker. They are as follows:

• be nicer
• be healthier
• just chill and do my thing
• er, uh, all the other goals in my subcategories….

In 2006 I have a few small plans for my blog. You may have noticed that the link in the sidebar to my photo blog is gone. Instead of daily photos I will be doing a weekly photo post, which I think will be accompanied by more actual writing. This will be one of the several regular weekly features I want to do to bring a little structure to the ole blog and encourage me to stay on the ball. I also hope to work on a friends/blogs/links page. Yay links!

In 2006 I want to pace my gift stitching, spreading it throughout the year, and I want to make lots of progress on my Fortunate Traveler. That is plenty stitching to get me through the whole year, but then I don’t doubt I’ll itch to start more projects from time to time.

In 2006, I will be continuing my journey through many more knitting techniques and projects. I am most excited about this part of my upcoming year. I look forward to making many, many more socks, working my first sweater (maybe a Weasley, or a cute cardigan!), and knitting a Clapotis along with Julie.

So, there it is. I spent most of the morning going through and making a list of this year’s highlights to post. But really. There is champagne to be drunk and well, it’s all in the archives.

Happy new year!

We have a heel flap!

I had been feeling off the ball and was somewhat ashamed of my lack of progress, so upon getting the kids’ day started I grabbed up my beautimous (albeit unfinished) 2nd Draco Jaywalker sock and went to it.

I figured I’d get a good hour or so in this morning and then, you know, give my visiting brother my full attention. By 11am though, I realized I could plan on at least finishing this heel flap. HELLO DINGBAT! Your brother is a 22 year old bachelor on winter break. You’ll be lucky to see him awake before 1pm.

So yay, knitting time! I wonder if I’ll get them done and be able to count them in my finished-objects-of-2005 list.

These update-type posts are always in danger of being crazy-long, so I’ll just list a few things.

1. Sign my map. Really, there’s always room for more.

2. I have a new alarm clock! The formerly empty field save for a few pretty trees will soon house a strip mall. Yay for bulldozers at 7am.

The course of the construction might be interesting to watch anyway.

3. I didn’t go much further on Draco2, but I will be starting the heel soon.

4. My brother’s never flown before, but somehow I talked him into getting on a plane to come visit today. Unfortunately, United cancelled his original flight and have rebooked him an itinerary which causes him to transfer in Denver, which causes both he and myself to be a tad more stressed, and makes him 4 hours late. Sigh. I doubt he’ll ever fly again. But yay! James is visiting for a week-ish!

5. Public Service Announcement: ‘95 Ford Contour + funny rattling sound + holiday + travel sometimes may = over $1K of unexpected car repair. That is all.

6. I finally got to meet Gretchen.

7. Somebody (who really ought to update her blog) really likes me. A yarny gift was waiting for me at the Post Office when we got home.

It’s from a local spinner near Shelly. It’s bulky hand-spun, hand-dyed and is quite yummy. Trouble is, it is so darn nice that I have no clue what I could do with it.
If you are of the knitter persuasion and have any project ideas for 116 grams of something like this, PLEASE do lemme know. I suppose I could unwind it and measure the length, but it’s so pretty as is…

One of the freakiest things I have ever witnessed was something I saw last night as we drove towards home from our weekend in Texas. We hadn’t heard about the fires in Texas and Oklahoma until we were right up on them. Amy called and warned me just before we got to about Paul’s Valley, which was apparently where the roads had been closed earlier.

The roads weren’t closed when we went through. Shortly after I hung up with Amy, we smelled the smoke and saw the horizon glowing. Although it was dark I could see that on both sides of the road we were driving on, the grass (er, everything) was charred and the trees glowed orange.

There have been no deaths in Oklahoma, but I know the damage is tremendous.

I’m lame and don’t feel like sitting here long enough to write anything but yeah. Christmas, yay!

I put off posting all day hoping that I’d find something interesting to write about. I don’t think I came across anything.

Today I have been preparing for our trip to the fam’s for Christmas. That’s it. No knitting, no fic reading, and just one lonely cup of coffee. What a weird day.

So yeah, tomorrow (which also happens to be my dear sweet husband’s birthday) we will be driving the stretch between Oklahoma City-ish and Houston-ish. I’ll have the computer, the cell, the knitting, the kitchen sink, so yes I’ll be contactable.

And a Draco Jaywalker update, for those interested:

TTYL!

He’s three today.

Minus the fact that I have yet to have any coffee (soon to come, I assure you), the kids and I are having a pleasant Monday morning.

We awoke to a little snow

which I doubt will stick much.

Since it was somewhat cold in our apartment, I managed to convince the kids that some comfy socks would be just swell and would keep their little toesies warm. Pink for Jamie, blue and white for Cian. A bit ago they came in and said “Look, mama!”

They chose this morning to learn how to put on their own socks, just so they could switch and be REALLY STINKIN’ CUTE.

I had only taken a couple of pictures when Cian felt it was his turn to try out the camera. Artistic genius, he is.

So that’s it– just another regular day at home. I expect it will be a pretty normal week as we count down to our trip to Texas for a long Christmas weekend. Can’t wait. In the meantime I plan to spend a large portion of my time on my knitting. Of course.

I give you: Draco1

Jaywalker sock, with a 4-inch cuff.

Love it!

Stacey tagged me. So yeah. Here are some random things.

1. Apparently I cannot function without a copy of Photoshop installed on my computer.
2. I need a new computer.
3. I like hot pink.
4. I am ready for a nap.
5. I like owls. And cats.
6. I constantly have kid shows/kid songs in the background.
7. I need to re-tint my hair streaks.
8. I’m ready for it to be 2006.
9. My brother is going to visit me over the New Years holiday!!
10. I’m ready for Justin to come home now.

And while I’m meme-ing:

You are Rowlf.
You are a loner, and love classical music, You can
play the piano without opposable thumbs. Then
again, you are just a Muppet.

ALSO KNOWN AS:
Ol’ Brown Ears
HOBBIES:
Piano playing, punning, fetching.

QUOTE:
“My bark is worse than my bite, and my piano
playing beats ‘em both.”

FAVORITE MOVIE:
“The Dogfather”

FAVORITE COMPOSER:
Poochini

FAVORITE SONG:
“I’ve Never Harmed An Onion, So Why Should
They Make Me Cry?”

What Muppet are you?
Thanks Angie :)

You know that sock I started the other day on two cable-needles? It’s, erm, back on double-pointed needles.

I tried, I really did. I just didn’t enjoy it. Straight stockinette goes along just fine on the Addis, but I have the hardest time with the increases and decreases. I think the bamboo DPNs have just the right amount of give for that. The metal of the circs is just so slippery I think, and it turns this pattern that has become 2nd nature to me into a dropped-stitch obstacle-course nailbiter. So maybe at some point I’ll get bamboo circs and try again.

And yeah I know, there hasn’t been much progress at all. I’m ready to get back at it though because I think I’m over the funk I mentioned yesterday. How did I achieve this liberation, you ask? I crafted all day, of course!

If your name has a “Waits” at the end of it and you do not wish to have a Christmassy thing spoiled, please ignore the following link.

I finished the last of my cross-stitched ornaments today. And by today, I don’t mean “this morning” or “at lunchtime.” I mean ALL DAY. Sigh. It really shouldn’t have been a big deal but well, when I was sewing the last one, my sewing machine became bratty.

She and I had words.

Once she was cooperating again, I proceeded to sew the ornament together wrong. Twice.

When I had the little pillows all finished, I began making twisted cording and hot-gluing it to the edges. (Oh, hm. I guess I could have put a cover-your-tender-ears warning at the beginning of this paragraph for the stitching purists out there. Heh, my bad.) Then, as if I were committing some dreadful sin I needed to be punished for, I burnt my finger.

Having always been messy with, um, everything, I’ve hot-glued myself plenty of times. This time, however, really hurt! I hope this doesn’t interfere with my upcoming knitting frenzy.

So yeah, while yesterday I was very bleh, today I’m [mostly] happy. I mean, it is still freaking dry in our apartment and I’m pouting that I have to cook tonight, but yep. Happy. Crafting makes me glad. I’ve missed it.

I’m crafty a lot really, but “general crafting” is fun once in awhile because you get to employ multiple tasks to complete your creation. It is active. Cut, sew, stitch, glue, stand on your head, etc, etc.

Callie, previously called Scrappy Kitty, has missed it too. She and I used to spend daily quality time over paper crafts, but I haven’t done it as much lately. Too many of the things I am working on nowadays are much more portable.

So when she saw that I was spending a substantial amount of time at the worktable, boy, she was all over that.

Maybe I’ll just call her Crafty Kitty.