Quietish

A plain stockinette vest for CIC, which I was too lazy to bring out to take a picture,

aaaand, my return to sock knitting!

Meet Hedwig1:

Cookie A’s Monkey pattern, knit with Sunshine Yarns‘ Hedwig colorway. 3 pattern repeats so far.

I had 4 repeats yesterday, but then decided I needed to go up a needle size and started over.

Middle Earth update:

Not much further, lol. (12 miles)

First finished object of 2007.

Pattern:
Icarus by Miriam Felton (I worked it as published in Interweave Knits, Summer 2006)
Yarn:
Jaggerspun Zephyr in Ebony
Comments:
The beginning of this pattern went so pleasantly and effortlessly, that I can hardly remember actually knitting most of it. I think I started sometime in December. Yep, December. When the pattern was first revealed, I immediately added it to my “must knit” list, unlike the countless shawl patterns that I have put into my list of “patterns to choose from later.” I was glad when I was freed up to start it.
In the course of knitting this shawl and especially since blocking, I have decided that I do indeed knit quite a bit looser on the metal needles (read Addi Turbos or Knit Picks) I now prefer for most things. So, I shall plan to actually do swatches on any further lace projects. Icarus was intended to be about 72″ across the top. Mine is 96.
So, don’t skip the swatching. No good can come from resisting.

More pictures:

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Middle Earth update: I’m in

The Green Hill Country (10 miles)

Here I am earlier today, knitting on one of the final rows of Icarus.

I bound off tonight and will hopefully block first thing tomorrow. Happy, happy!

I thought since this is the beginning of year two of Self-Portrait Sunday, I should do a little regrouping.

I have enjoyed posting SPSes this last year, and despite a few missed weeks, I’m looking forward to another. I’d like to invite anyone who’s interested to join in the fun, and encourage those that are already signed up to keep on or pick it back up. I love seeing everyone’s entries!

SPS is a fun thing and provides a little content and opportunity to post in your blog at least weekly. I think it is an interesting sort of prompt to tell a little about yourself and/or something you’ve been up to that week. And at least for me, makes me think up different creative shots for a bit of variety.

To join (now or at any point) shoot an email to me at rosemaryDOTwaitsATgmailDOTcom. If you’re already signed up and wish to continue, please also let me know. If you’re on the list, but don’t really want to be anymore I promise I won’t be offended. Just let me know. If I haven’t heard from you either way before the end of January, I plan to prune the list back then.

And, just to let you know

Hobbiton is about to slip from view. (8 miles)

Cheers!

I want this t-shirt.

That is all.

I’m being prodded by art and craft inspiration from all sides, some of which seem to have hot pokers. Being completely circled in, however, has kept me from going too far in any particular direction as of yet. I’m encouraged though, I feel the creativity coming on.

Last night I got some walking time in. Now I can be found

Entering Tookland. (5 miles)

*grumbles*
I thought I had some watercolor pencils around here somewhere…
*wanders off*

Photo bonus, as I have nothing to show:

Cian has been getting his creativity on too, this week.

I love random acts of craftiness. I got a little inkling this morning and within about 20 minutes I had 2 very cute fabric yoyo pins.

They’re so quick and easy, I figure it couldn’t hurt to make a Craft Mission out of them in the near future.

My Middle Earth position as of last night is

Still in Hobbiton, crossing a plank bridge. (3 miles)

I hope to pick up the pace soon and get more miles a day.

Ring a dong! hop along! fal lal the willow! ~ Tom Bombadil

So, walking to Rivendell. It occurs to me now that it would be helpful to have a treadmill that can keep accurate track of how much I walk. Although I guess I can do without, especially since the treadmill generally bores me to tears.

Instead, I will get very good at estimating! Behold, my favorite haunt to walk, The path around the “lake” at the park in Mustang.

(highlighted)

One time around that bad boy is a whopping 1/3 of a mile. So if I keep going there I have an easy way to know how far I’ve gone. The other day I went 3 times around. Which makes my status

Heading West, away from Bag End. I can still see it though, if I look back. (1 Mile)

Back out on the trail tonight. Had to stop, organize my pack, and knit a little bit. If I jog, I may eventually catch up to Susan of the Shire.

The majority of my brain has been actively writing up a list of resolutions, poking me all week to spend some time getting it together and posted. However, I think the little gremlin at the helm has been deliberately moving in another direction whenever I drift close enough to take action. Starting a New Year means change, and lazy brain-gremlins would rather drift aimlessly than make progress. Thankfully logic and good sense are brawny enough to sit on said gremlin and take over once in awhile.

I know the the start of a new year is really just another day with a new number at the end, but somehow it still makes me motivated to attempt to clear the slate try to do things differently. Possibly, the new year exists just to remind people to get out of any ruts that might have appeared over the past 12 months. Either way, I like to take advantage of it.

So, my list. Readers will be glad to see that item number one is

This is the one I’m most concerned I’ll fail at. Everything else is in the bag.

We already discussed my

I am banking on the idea that the slight limits on this hobby will help me to achieve maximum success in some or all of my other resolutions. Balance is key, I think.

Then there are a few other items specific to crafting.

Last year I sort of resolved to make monthly cross-stitched ornaments, and failed pretty miserably. I want to try again though, and possibly add in crocheted and other crafty ornaments. I’d like to totally take the pressure of holiday knitting off (even though I hardly did anything crafty for this last time), which leads me to another crafty resolution.

I happen to be feeling a desire to make things for others, lately. Odd, huh?

I hope that my newly organized crafty life will afford me time to focus on some things that I used to consider a large part of my identity.

The first being one I just haven’t made time for lately and the final two being things that I find intimidating after all the time I haven’t done them seriously. Eeps.

I have some weight/health related items as well.

I don’t know that I’ve ever officially mentioned that I have been attending WW meetings this year. Since about the beginning of June, actually. To my surprise and delight, the program actually seems to work! I’ve also been keeping a ticker in a mostly inconspicuous place on the site. I hope Julie doesn’t mind too much that I’m drawing attention to it now. You may feel free to check in and see how well or poorly I’ve been doing.
Another healthy, but also rather geeky, thing I plan to do this year is

I’d heard of it before, but Susan reminded me of it the other day and now I think Shelly has also said that she plans to as well. I have to admit to being a bit of a bandwagon hopper. But honestly, am I to resist something LOTR that will help me get skinny? As if. So anywho, I shall have periodic “location in Middle Earth” reports.

And finally

which I think rounds things off nicely in favor of a very good year. I’m excited.