Stash Enhancement

But with specific projects in mind.
This week, I bought the yarn for the clematis purse. I worried over trying to use some of my stash yarn, but just decided to go with all new in the recommended yarn and colors. I think it will look better.





Because they had free shipping on $75 or more, I HAD to add some, so I also got this to do "hey teach". I'm just drawn to greens, so I'm going with it right now. I have to say, I highly recommend yarn country I ordered my yarn on thursday, and, there it was in my mailbox on friday. Amazing!












The LYS also had a sale, my two favorite things, sale and yarn, so I HAD to get some of that too. I have a tank in mind that I think I'm going to really like. I'm trying to focus on some summer knitting that I will wear.











Made quite a bit of progress on the flirty tank. I keep thinking it's a bit too big, but we'll see......














And finally, our doggie pic for the week.

Ok, I'm moving on

I spent a week wallowing in my flow failure. AGAIN.
I give up. I was determined not to let it get the best of me, but it's gone back to the frog pond. Maybe next time.

In an effort to find something "summery", I fished out this project from last season.
Flirty Tank from Y2knit. It's just lacy enough to be fun, but not so much that is shows more than you would want. A relatively easy knit, too. I started this yesterday afternoon and after 2 movies, this was how far I'd gotten. I'm thinking I'm going to like this. I just hope it fits!











Anyway, I'm working on it because I'm going to need some summer stuff to wear to Sock Summit.

I fell in love with this also, and had to immediately order the pattern.
Clematis Bag
There's a sale at my LYS next weekend, so I plan to get what I need to do this. I think it's gaudy, but cool. Call me crazy.
I can also use some of the stash to make the flowers, etc.

For our doggie distraction of the day.....
WHAT could be so fascinating??







This guy, of course!

california there I went

Well,
spent the weekend at mind/body in california. The conference was fun, even if it was a bit disorganized. Seems that's just the way this conference is. Disorganized.





Flow is 1/2 done, but I'm not liking it. AGAIN. Now it seems too small.
I'm going to do the other side in the larger size (they'll be the same length) and see how that works out.

I'll leave with some awesome pics of the trip home.....
Crater Lake











Mount Rainier in all its glory.
I LOVE the Pacific NW

Happy Easter!

From the boxer-bunny








(amazing what a little peanut butter will do for you!)

It's going to be a dark and stormy day here. That's OK, plenty to do inside.











In the knitting world, I finally re-started "Flow" and got a pretty good go of it. It's a fast knit anyway, but I bought the yarn - Elizabeth Lavold "Hempathy", so I thought I'd better finish it. The other is a sock I started so that I would have a motel room knitting project when I go to CA. next week. THEN I got the Cookie A. book, and wanted to make ALL of those. One thing at a time.
I'm really hoping to take a class from her at sock summit.

I don't know how much knitting I'll have this week, since the week is going to be compressed into 4 days because of my trip. We'll see

Hummingbird wars continue......

Just can't get enought of these guys!

Finally! Spring!

Hard to believe it was snowing a week ago. Yesterday it was 75 degrees.
Ya gotta love the pacific nw. You want different weather? Wait 10 minutes.

No new knitting content to report. I spent the last 4 days at a weight watchers training in portland. It was OK, but you know, training for work.
This week I'm planning on getting out "flow" and firing that up again. The nice weather inspired me.

Still having major hummingbird wars here. They're hungry little devils

A lazy day for some, spring fever for others!

It's been a lazy day around here for some of us.












There was a nice present in the mail today. This looks like an awesome challenge. Not colors I would pick if I was shopping for socks, but the idea of belonging to the sock club is to challenge my traditional ideas and stretch the boundaries of my knitting capabilities. So, here we go....













February Lady is done, just waiting for some buttons.













I decided to make this quick baby blankie for a gal at work. Good thing it's almost done, I think today is going to be his birthday!

















Here's the spring fever section.....
It's been hummingbird mania around here today. We've seen at least 3 at a time, dive bombing and feeding all day. They're a constant source of entertainment.
This particular feeder wasn't even up for 20 minutes before it attracted this guy (actually we think it's a gal)

spring is sprung

Hard to believe a week ago it was snowing!
Although this is not a very good pic, here's the first sign of spring here.
The feeders were only up for about an hour and this hungry and very agressive little guy moved in. We spent all day yesterday working in the yard and getting scolded for being in his space. If you look really closely, you can see him on the feeder there.
I'm trying to get a closer and nicer pic of one on the bedroom window feeder, but they just won't hold still!












Made progress on Feb. Lady. It now has a sleeve and a half. I should be able to finish it today, since it's cold and rainy again. Next up, another stab at the "Flow" tank, then on to some of the summer knitting I put aside when it got cold.
Should have a new STR sock club kit this week too. I think that will go with me to the training I have to sit through in a couple of weeks.













And for our parting shot today.....LOOK WHAT I MADE!
Well, I can't actually say I made it, but..... I've never, ever had one of these bloom a second time. This one got a wild hair and decided to do it all by it's little self. Pretty cool. Now if the other ones will just follow along.....

February Lady progress, finally!

Well, this was a busy week, but I managed to take apart the first feb. lady and start again. It's looking much more like it's going to fit, almost too big this time. All I did was go up a needle size, keeping the same knitting size, so I hope it's going to work.
Here it is in all its glory. Of course, sister had to be in the middle. Can't get left out.
Next up, I think I'll try another whack at the "Flow" tank. After all, it might warm up SOME day.














Have I mentioned how much I hate snow? It's snowing here AGAIN. Honestly, enough already! This time it's sloppy and wet. Like driving in a big slushie. It was nearly 60 degrees on thursday and sunday, snow. ARGH! I guess we won't be doing any yard work today.














As a matter of fact, we'll probably be doing this......
Snow just kind of makes you lazy.

Got Pilates?

The finished product......
Build it and they will come.....















Now all I need to do is pass that test.
(a few new clients wouldn't hurt either)

february lady, or is it march??

First of all, let me say, spring ahead SUCKS. That alarm is just going to hurt when it goes off at what was formerly 3 am. It takes me so long to adjust. I wish we could just leave things well enough alone. I mean, we really don't have to go out and work the farm any more, so we don't need the daylight like that. ARGH!

Amyway.....after a trip to the dr earlier in the week, and some industrial strength antibiotics, I'm finally starting to feel like a human being. Good thing, there's a busy and important week lined up and I can't put my clients off any more.

I spent my down time working on february lady. Love the pattern, love the yarn, love the color, hate the size....too small. Darn! So, off to the frog pond for another try.











There was also a nice, big, fun, present to me delivered this week. My other reformer! We spent yesterday getting the studio ready and assembling the final piece.


Only one brief moment of panic when it looked like the durned thing was taller than the ceiling. Didn't think about THAT. Good thing we figured it out.
Now I have a down right cool pilates studio, if I do say so myself. I just hope the clients and potential clients think so too. I'll post pics later after we do some heavy-duty cleaning.

me vs the crud, round 2

Just as I thought I was getting better, WHAM!!
The crud is back. This time totally sore throat and no voice.
Not a good quality in a fitness instructor.

The gumdrops socks are finished, Cinnamon is modeling them here.



Cast on for February Lady, no pics yet.









One final doggie pic,
Doesn't she have the cutest butt?

to the flower show and back!

Yesterday we went to the seattle flower show. It's kind of sad to know that it probably is the last one. There's SO much there and I ALWAYS come home inspired and with a very serious case of spring fever!











The work on the studio continues. This is my last week at "the other place", and then, I'm on my own. Next week will be the grand opening, or whatever you'd like to call it. Hopefully that last piece of equipment will show up at the end of the week.
The good news is, it's been a great opportunity to de-clutter the rest of the house. The bad news is, it's been very stressful, and expensive and the stress continues in the form of organizing the business into a LLC. (limited liability company)
Once the re-org is all done, it should be better.

What does one do when stressed?? (besides eat) KNIT!
Here's some of the gumdrops socks. I'm just about to the heel on the second one.
It's gone pretty fast. I think I'm motivated to start the February Lady Sweater. All that nice STR heavyweight just calling my name!




This week, more studio stuff, hopefully some yard work, more cleaning, and at the end of the week, a Les Mills workshop in portland. Good Times!

OH! Madrona!!!

I know, I know, I was MIA last week. I was SO sick I couldn't get off the couch.
Feeling much better now, but it's STILL hanging on a bit.


Yesterday was the annual local fiber fest, Madrona. It's always very dangerous for the pocketbook. Mostly because Blue Moon is there and a whole bunch of other folks that don't usually get out much. I mostly spent all of my allowance at the Blue Moon booth, purchasing STR Heavyweight for the february lady sweater, and a couple of other things that I just couldn't resist.



The patterns are very cool, as well as the free one that I downloaded on the internet. The yarn they had made them in was very stiff and scratchy, I'm sure I could do better, but I loved the cabling and the pattern. Just what I needed, another project.






I do have to finish the gumdrops socks first, before anything else, and they're making some progress.












I'm also starting to think about some spring knitting, maybe another shot a the "Flow" tank, or a couple of the other tanks I have yarn for, but never started last season.

I'll leave you with a shot of a boxer girl in the sun. She had to kick the cat out of that spot, but that nice sunbeam was just too much to resist.


And, Bea, I haven't forgotten your blog award, just too sick and too busy.
I'll get to it soon, I promise.

A couple of FO's

This week brough a ton of stress about moving the studio to the house, but a couple of FO's. In my race to beat the sock club shipment, finished cloning anemone socks, modeled by Boo. He's very excited, you can tell











I also finished this little pair of wrist warmers. Made from the leftover man socks STR from christmas. I needed the needles they were on to start the gumdrops socks.
I'm trying to get caught up with last year's Sock club before starting on the new one.












SPEAKING of the new one, isn't THIS yummy.....












I'll be starting the goody gumdrops socks soon, but I really need to get to painting, working on the inside of the house, moving equipment, and learning that new bodypump and bodyflow..... What spare time?????

We're headed out to the home show today to check out potential house stuff, with a side trip to trader joe's and the Cannery to look at furniture.
Madrona is in 2 weeks, so I need to be at least kind of good now to justify going there. Hard to do when you have to spend a HUGE lump for another reformer.

Sock and a Half

The race is on to finish the anemone socks before the first installment of the 2009 club. It's going to be a tight one, since the new club shipment went out yesterday according to the website.

There's a lot going on around here, too. This week, I was forced to make the difficult decision to move my pilates practice to my home. We thought about it over the summer, but, because of the construction next door, it just wasn't practical. Now we have a nice road, and a place to park, so it's not as bad. The thought of turning my living room into a pilates studio is frightening. (not to mention a TON of work) We're taking a critical look at everything we own and trying to make our house "client friendly". Some of the clients will come right away, some will be later, and hopefully the'll be a new one or two. Just have to see.

Add the stress of needing to learn new bodyflow and bodypump, and NOT studying for my pilates final, plus spending a huge chunk of change on a second reformer, and dealing with leftover issues at the old place, where I'll still be until March 1.
It's no wonder I have a stomach ache that won't go away.

not too much news to report

Wow, january is half over already. YIKES!
It's going to be july faster than I want to think, and that test is looming overhead.
The good news is, we had a fairly dry week here, no snow, rain, sleet, hail, nothing. Just warmer than usual temps and a lot of fog. There are still huge piles of snow in the parking lots around town. Imagine....

In knitting news, the noro scarves are finished and I'm on to the cloning anemone sock from last year's STR club. I figure I'd better get going since the first 2009 shipment is due practically any day.
This is Boo, modeling the partially finished first sock. I'm almost to the heel and they're going pretty fast.

I'll wrap up today with a still life study.

A girl and her moose.
Imagine, a boxer being still. It's a miracle!

Another week, another post!

Well, this one is a day early. I'm headed out for more pilates training this weekend and it starts late today, and early tomorrow, so this seemed like the best time.
I'll be very glad when I'm finished. I love it, love teaching it, but I've been working on getting certified for 2 years now, and I'm ready to just enjoy the ride.
I still have a great deal of studying to go, but in the end, it'll be worth it. (I hope)

Not much knitting news, still trying to finish the second noro scarf. They really ARE kind of addictive.

We had a visitor this week. I think he lives under the front deck. It'll be interesting to see if there's any babies in the spring. There's no such thing as one bunny!

welcome to 2009

As much as I don't follow through with new year's resolutions, there are a few things I would like to accomplish in the new year.
Keep knitting and challenging myself
Attend sock summit
Finish my pilates certification
Build a house
Is that enough?

I would also like to post to this blog at least once a week. Sundays seem to work well, so here's the first sunday post.......

The snow is FINALLY gone. The shack fever is fading, and work is picking up like crazy. I'm taking on 2 new classes at the Y, back to teaching bodyflow, and trying to fit in my pilates practice hours somewhere.
I'm doing another training next weekend and then all I'll have left is one more weekend and many months of studying for the final exam.

In knitting news, finished cleopatra socks, which I thought were going to get the best of me. My first toe-up, with cables and all. Good thing I was house-bound with the snow at the time.














Also nearly finished with "the" noro scarf. When it was super cold, I realized that I needed a solid, not fun fur, not lace scarf just to keep warm, and the noro striped scarf fit the bill. I have enough to make one more, and I'll do that and put it away for next year's christmas present to someone, maybe me!
Noro scarf #1, 264/47,




#2 268/292.











Next up are the cloning anemone socks, trying to get caught up with my sock club before it starts again. I also need to finish my fingerless gloves I started, but that shouldn't take too long. I think a sweater will follow.