Last FO of 2008

I’m not going to lie to you — this year hasn’t seen my best work, knitting-wise.

I started to list the highlights of this past year, by month, and I got bored doing it. I got bored talking about my own self. How lame is that? And when I looked at my Ravelry projects I saw that I only have 10 projects completed for the entire 12 months of 2008. TEN. And two of them are actually one project (the snowflake IOU gift ornaments), so really it’s nine. Nine paltry lame-ass projects.

Part of me feels like a failure about this, and part of me is pretty much okay with it. So I didn’t knit everything I wrote down on my list. I enjoyed what I did knit and enjoyed the time I spent not knitting. So I didn’t accomplish everything on my other resolutions list. I did buy a house and I did get my ass in gear (though not all the way into shape…). I ran a 3K in August and currently have very stiff hamstrings from my latest trip to the gym, which now includes weight training. I’m counting that as a win.

Overall, 2008 was a pretty good year for me. I made a pair of socks. I made mittens. I traveled to New Jersey for the first time to visit an awesome friend. I sort of slept through an earthquake. I got a sweet tattoo. I took some good pictures. I took in a sweet cat. I started volunteering. See? Full of win.

And as it turned out, this past Sunday found me winning yet again. I was at Knit Night (having a really good time, with Heather and Anna and Sandi and more! all there in one place for the first time in like a billion years) working on Clapotis (Ravelry link) (my project page). I was in Section 4 and had 1 1/2 repeats left to go according to my little sticky note. I kept looking at the stitch count and thinking I had far fewer stitches than suggested for where I was. Turns out I was about 2 repeats ahead of myself and was actually at the end of Section 4! I don’t know if I had knit more than I thought and never noted it on the sticky (possible) or if benevolent Knitting Gnomes came to my aid and worked on my scarf for me (highly probable), but it didn’t matter — I was in the home stretch. Section 5 flew by and, amid the cheers of my fellow knitters, I came to the final stitch…

(Sorry for the blurry… the flash washed everything out and I wanted to document this piece of awesomesauce quickly.)

It’s now off the needles all I have left to do is help the remaining stitches drop down (like half of them are left) and weave in the ends. I hear blocking is not necessary with this scarf, but I might just wash it and gently pin it out anyway.

That’s my year. I’m glad it’s ending on a high note. How was your 2008? Epic win or epic fail? Share in the comments!

And even though I just installed The Internet in my house last night (first in-home internet since the move!), I’ll probably maintain radio silence as we’re having 12+ houseguests over the holiday. Happy New Year everyone!

Read Full Post »

Happy Happy

I finished the snowflakes!

And we’re about to open stockings…

Happy Holiday Of Your Choosing…

Read Full Post »

oh my god, winter, oh my god

Things I wanted to finish by today:
– Handknit gift for Mom
– Handknit gift for Dad
– Handknit gift for Middle Sister
– Handknit gift for Youngest Sister
– Clearing out the basement for the guests arriving in a week
– Get my car started and inside the garage so it can warm up
– Go through the boxes still in the garage from the move
– Refinance the house
– Not slog through snow-covered roads
– Set up a joint savings account at my bank
– Pack clothes and food for overnight visit with relatives
– Plan menu for New Year’s Eve and guests arriving in a week
– Find my brain long enough to remind myself that I am in fact a smart woman who can figure shit out and get shit done, because I’m starting to feel like everything is slipping through my hands due to my own incompetence

Things I actually finished by today:
– Refinanced the house
– Set up joint savings account at my bank

While I’m certainly counting those two as a win, there’s still a bunch of fail left on my list. And I’ll talk more about it (and share pictures) behind the jump BUT IF YOU’RE RELATED TO ME, DON’T LOOK BEHIND THE JUMP. Instead, enjoy this lovely picture of holiday cheer made tangible.

Read Full Post »

The Cat Has A Name

We decided against permanently saddling her with Miss Kitty Face. Which she appreciates.

And while Cat Benatar was clever and hilarious, we didn’t go with that either.

No, it was none of those. Nor was it any of the suggestions offered by you, dear readers, much as we loved them. Fishy The Cat was good, but we waited until we knew the cat’s personality better in order to find the best name for her.

Last weekend we were watching NinjaHusband’s favorite movie of all time. It is from the 1980s, and it is full of glorious hair, delicious synthesizer music, and outrageously bad kung-fu. Yes, I speak of The Karate Kid. Halfway through the movie I looked down to see the cat at my feet, ready to jump up into my lap, and yelled, “I know the cat’s name! It’s Miyagi!” This had the combined effect of freaking the cat out and making N fall in love further in love with me. Win-win, I say.

So, the cat is now Miyagi and we are looking forward to her lessons in karate (“Walk left side road, okay. Walk right side road, okay. Walk middle, [crisch], just like grape”) and bonsai-tree tending and how to make a Halloween costume out of a hula hoop and a sheet.

Any minute now.

Read Full Post »

I have found love

Seriously, this design is amazing. And I want to knit 37 variations of it.

I clicked over to Brooklyn Tweed because I hadn’t visited in a few days and was absolutely gobsmacked by Jared’s amazing photography and design. Really, I just sat here with my mouth open. The leaf/petal arrangement of the central motif screams “sunflower” to me. The way the yarnover eyelets change direction makes me think of swirling skirts at a dance. The solid ripples moving into lacey ripples at the outer edge keep that sense of movement going.

Wow.

It’s so amazing, I just… something. Something awesome. It’s so full of movement and swirl and bloom. This may be my in-the-depths-of-winter project.

Excuse me, I’m off to add this to my favorites.

How’s winter treating you so far?

Read Full Post »

Clearly, not much knitting is getting done around here

Cat Benatar/Miss Kitty Face/WhateverTheHell explored most of the rest of the house last night, and found a new favorite spot to hang out.

While she allowed me to take several pictures, she soon tired of such vulgar activities and feigned sleep so I would leave her alone.

………………..

NinjaHusband was sick over last weekend and I haven’t been feeling too great myself, so knitting is a little slow at present. Presents. Christmas. Christmas knitting. 20 days left

Ah shit.

Read Full Post »

Addendum

Why I Love Owning My Own Home, recent additions to the list:

* We have a garage. Even though I’m a total idiot who scraped off the sideview mirror last week while backing out of it, I’m in love with having a garage.

My car is the one that fits in the garage (there’s still a bunch of crap in there), which means my car is the one that does not need to be shoveled out, scraped off, or pre-heated. The garage is made of win, and now I don’t hate winter quite so freaking much.

* Since it’s ours, we get to decide on the appropriate level of catness or dogness, and last night we decided that we should increase our level of catness by +1.

She’s 3 years old, needed a new home due to a grumpy old dog, and she likes us. We brought her home last night and have been keeping her in NinjaHusband’s office till she gets used to being in a new place, then we’ll let her run free. Her previous family (N’s aunt & uncle) called her Missy, but we’re trying to come up with something else to call her. So far “Cat Benatar” is high on the list, as is “Miss Kitty Face.”

Any name suggestions?

Read Full Post »