Say hello to my little friend

*title is a quote from Scarface*




Too much weight gain the past year. Probably stress. Regardless of the reason, I must do something to get myself moving again!

Because of the ankle issue, I need low impact exercise. Recumbent exercise bike seemed to be the most convenient choice of low impact exercise. A little research brought this one to the top of the affordable heap. It has the card slot for iFit workout cards. But most importantly, my short legs will comfortably reach the petals (5'1" ya know!?) Plus I believe I'll be able to KNIT while exercising which is a plus.

It's a done deal. Now I just need to stay motivated and away from the chocolate.

Knitting update - sample knit for Knit Picks finished and ready to ship tomorrow. Book re-knits 1/3 done.

Absent blogger

Absent from Twitter too. I've been super busy but happily it's a good busy!

Part of the time, I've worked on the family "to-do" list.

We've managed to get the swimming pool winterized and covered...

...while Elvis watched.


We also managed to settle my 86 yo mother-in-law into her assisted living apartment, cleaned out her house in Dallas, and are in the process of selling the property.

Plus we finally found what seems to be the right program for our daughter (21 yo with disabilities) so that she has something outside of family...her "niche" so-to-speak. Because everyone needs to have something that promotes self-worth - especially folks with disabilities.

Thankfully it appears we found it! I'm thrilled to say that my daughter has decided to participate in a sheltered workshop at Goodwill.


She works two days a week. Works! She started training last week. Job coach(s) have said she is doing fine. She says she loves it. A very important item on "to-do" list done!

The other busy stuff has been knitting. On the needles, I'm doing a sample knit for Knit Picks. Getting ready to block and happy to have it that far. On the loom, I'm re-knitting a couple of my designs for an up-coming loom knit book in colors preferred by the publisher.

Of course, I'm already making plans for what I want to work on after the deadlines are met. I think I'll plan it around this yarn...
...which is already in my stash. See? I am still sticking with that yarn diet!

Wednesday Wisdom

No chaos, no creation. Evidence: the kitchen at mealtime.
Mason Cooley

Looking around my house, I must be very creative.

Knit Purl Gurl WEBS Giveaway

I love my bamboo knitting needles. I started buying them 20 plus years ago and am still knitting with them...except for 1 poor needle that Elvis "borrowed" for a chew toy (he was thoroughly yelled at for that)

Anyway, Webs Yarn Store has interchangeable bamboo circs for sale. AND Knit Purl Gurl is giving us a chance to win a set.

In case you missed the link above...here it is again. Enter...go ahead, I dare you.

If you run into problems...

...with web site, drop me an email to let me know. I did a little housekeeping and moved files around. Everything seems to work but who knows.

Yarn diet

When we packed our household stuff for the move last year, it hit me...where did all that yarn come from? Well, I know the answer but had not realized how out of control it had become.

During the pack up, I donated skeins that I couldn't remember why I got them, or if it was one of those "what was I thinking" skeins. And the remainder moved to Oklahoma with us.

During the un-packing, I attempted to organize my new workspace...and realized it was still more yarn then I'll ever use. And I donated more.

I kept that which I knew I would use. Then I put myself on a yarn diet. A serious yarn diet...with 1 exception - yarn that would be needed to finish the last book.

I'm proud to announce that almost a year later, I've stuck to my diet.


The yarn stash is starting to look manageable. I still have a bit to go before I will ease up on my diet.

I say "ease up" because I know I will always have yarn stashed. But it needs to be in my studio space only - not here AND in the garage!

Now...start watching for designs and projects that I've done just from the stash!

P.S. It's still raining. So no work in the east-side patio area to show. However, my Mother is working on rose bushes for me. She is so talented with taking cuttings and rooting them for new bushes. I'm looking forward to visiting her next month and learning how to do that! ;)

A little knitting, a lotta reading

It's been raining for 3 days.  Makes me miss Southern California sunshine. Since I can't work in the garden, I've spent time knitting and actually finished something!

 

Hubby is happy since they were custom fit.  And I've managed to impress my MIL who is normally not impressed with me - at.all.  She lived with us for 3 months and never noticed that I knit rather well??  Oops, patience....perhaps she's forgotten (at 86, her memory is fading).

I've made time for another favorite hobby in the last two weeks - reading. And instead of buying, I went to the local library (pat myself on the back).

I drooled over thumbed through A Gathering of Lace for a few days.

 

So many patterns I would love to knit but I've put myself on a yarn diet (more about that another time) and do not have yarn for any of the projects.  Drats.  Book is now on my wish list.

And I've managed to catch up on fiction reading (don't you just love the library!?) 

With hubby away helping to pack his Mother's house in Dallas, I'm hitting the library again tomorrow to see what else I've missed.  Suggestions? 

Time to read is bliss!

Latest project...

...hasn't been knitting or beading. I am reclaiming the patio area on the eastside of our house. That is...reclaiming it from weeds and other unwanted green stuff.

It was suppose to be done in Spring but repairs from the wildfire kept us working in the back of the house and on the workshop. Summer brought it's own issues but included high temperatures - not conducive to outside activity other then swimming (my excuse and I'm sticking with it!) So crabgrass took over and invited their friends - weeds.

The temperatures are more reasonable now so I'm out with shovel and hoe in my gloved hands to tell them the party is over. They are not going quietly as my muscles ache at the end of every session. But I'm winning. :D

The plan includes eliminating the water grass in this flower bed so that I can have color (a.k.a. flowers) along the walkway.


Planters along the patio are also included in my mad little scheme. Hopefully next Spring I'll see more of this -

and less of weeds.

I have to admit that I am a student when it comes to gardening. Being a lover of reading, knitting and beading, I'm a couch potato - but I am learning and have the determination! Wish me luck!

Elvis gets a shower

Entertaining really....to watch a small dog bark at a swimming pool.



But what he's really barking at is the pool sweeper...



...'cause it squirts water up and out of the pool when it changes directions. And sometimes he's a little too close...



...so he gets a shower. Fun stuff. ;)

Back from trip

We had a wonderful visit with my Mother (who is 86 yo) last week! The best part was spending my birthday with her for the first time since my 18th birthday...which was quite awhile ago. Wondering how long ago? Scroll down to the cake picture.



Notice how the new camera shows off the gray in my hair? ugh

There was a little family get-together which turned into a bit of a birthday celebration complete with cake.


Knitting note: Finished "Deadliest Crab" for hubby during the trip.

Outta here

Since my ankle healed last March, I've told my Mother we would visit her in Texas . It hasn't happened because...

1. car at mechanics
   
2. wildfire and subsequent repairs to property
3. car at mechanics again
4. flooding in living room
5. Mother-In-Law medical problems (came to live with us, in hospital, back with us)
   
6. designing for a new book
7. car repairs AGAIN (have new car now)

Everything is taken care of (MIL is visiting her sister for a week) and we're outta here tomorrow. What a nice birthday present to myself!

CYA later!

Done...

...and shipped to publisher.


Now to catch up on sleep and clean the mess up.

Which stitch are you?

Beading that is. :D



You are: Peyote Stitch

You come across as put-together and easygoing, but the truth is you’re fairly lazy, often tread on thin ice, and like to play the horses. You don’t like to be confined to one way of doing things and would rather experiment, sometimes at the cost of showing off your inner workings.

A break from knitting...

...and playing with pictures. :D


The deadline is looming and I'm gonna make it! Yippee skippee

Wordless Wednesday (early birthday present)

Tweet Tweet

Nope, not a bird. I've taken the plunge into Twitter (or is that on to...??) While I'm not sure why I signed up, you can find me as knittingmuse if you're looking. :D

Next task....after all this knitting is done with, mailed off, etc....is to learn how to navigate the darn thing. Is there a manual anywhere?

This weeks entertainment...

...is squirrel watching.



The "boys" have discovered the joy of looking out the window. :)

RIP...

...Michael Jackson.

No matter what I thought of you as a person, your music rocked my world for many years. From Jackson 5's "ABC" to Off the Wall, I listened and danced.

I hope you find the peace now that you didn't find in life.


We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day
Just you and me

- We Are the World, 1985

Let freedom ring

New wheels

Lemon has been turned into a cherry ;)



Cruiser was traded for a 2009 Ford Escape. It's a nice little SUV with high reliability rating (safety too). We're pleased to have an auto that shouldn't have to visit the mechanic every other month - which was the problem with the Cruiser for the past 6 months.

And I'm finding time to knit again! Life is feeling "much more better" (Captain Jack, Pirates)