the (anti-)glass menagerie

I haven't written a knitting post in awhile, so here's an update! Baby B's toy bin is getting fuller and fuller by the day! And I still have quite a few animals/toys in my ravelry queue to make.... ;)

Here's what we've got thus far (starting with most-recently finished):

thank fsm it's friday

I haven't ever linked up with Amanda for Friday Favorites, but my Bloglovin feed was full of linked-up posts this morning so I'm jumping on the bandwagon. Here are the things that are making me happy this week:

#100happydays

I'm late to this party (it seems that I'm late to every party), but I'm going to attempt this 100 Happy Days challenge. I think it'll be good for me in a lot of ways:

1. It'll get me posting to Instagram more regularly
2. It will (hopefully) make me better about focusing on/remembering all the good things that happen in my day-to-day life. It's so easy to focus on the negatives.
3. As I transition into officially TTC, I'll probably have my share of "BFN" days (both literally and figuratively). This should help keep me from ruminating on small setbacks.

Also, apparently if you finish the entire challenge, they send you a little book with your pictures in it! How cute! So here I go... today's Day 1! :)

it's done!!

After 4 long months, I've finally finished the hue shift afghan. I'm really quite enamored with it, although I don't think I'll ever knit a blanket from anything other than bulky yarn ever again.

It's already quite an Instagram hit, and 2 people on Ravelry have favorited it!! (Seriously, I'm easily excited.) I folded it up and put it on the back of the chair in Baby B's room. I may or may not drag it out on the regular to cuddle with, though. I kindof enjoyed the later part when I could cover up with it while knitting. :)

Now I just need to figure out what's next (although C has asked for a week-long knitting hiatus. HA!)!

UPDATE: Thanks to Tracy for really making me do the math on how long this blanket took me. It was around 175 hours. This, people, is why I'll never have an etsy store.

#widn -- knitting edition

I realized the other day that I haven't written anything about knitting in awhile. Yes, I'm still making stuff over here. I don't think I ever have fewer than two projects on the needles at any time. I did have an active push there for awhile to finish a bunch of my WIPs, because it was freaking me out, but I'm back down to baseline now.

Here's what I've been working on lately (in a picture-heavy post):

february goal board

I was really good in January with my no-spend month. I've really fallen off the wagon this month though. I'm embarrassed at how much money I've spent thus far. Seriously, it's shameful. I'm really not very focused if I don't have tangible goals to work toward, so I think it's important for me to make some goals again. I came across this link-up - Bloggers Keeping Bloggers Accountable - through the no-spend January link-up, and I support it wholeheartedly.

 

standing on the precipice

Well, folks, it's New Year's Eve. The day when Champagne is drunk, people are kissed, and resolutions are made. I've never really been a New Year's resolution sort of person. I figure, my goals are my goals, whether I make them on January 1st or September 20th. One thing that my wonderful husband has taught me, however, is that writing your goals down makes you more likely to achieve them. So I figured it would be a good idea to write down ALL of my current goals in one place, so I can refer back to them throughout my process of achieving them.

home again, home again, jiggety-jig

C came home yesterday after almost 2 weeks of being gone. First he had a work conference, and then he flew to California to buy a motorcycle. [He sold his old motorcycle to do it, so it's Year of Austerity approved.] We've never been apart from each other for this long (well, we have, but that time *I* was the one out having fun), and it was not a good time for me. Especially since I was sick and had a puppy to take care of. Blargh. Oh well. He's home now, and I'm NEVER LETTING HIM LEAVE AGAIN. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

uninspired

Sorry I've been sort of persona non grata 'round these parts, folks. Between being sick and taking care of the puppy by myself, I'm just one worn out momma.

if at first you don't succeed...

...rip it out until you get it right.

healthy break

So since I've started this whole 52 lbs thing, my friend Ashlye and I have been reasonably dedicated to taking what we call "healthy breaks" at work, every hour on the hour. We just get up and walk down the hallway, no big deal, but it's good for our mental health. (Humans just are not made to work 8+ hours a day sitting at a desk.)

the itch is back

OMG do I want to knit today. Found some yarn for the shawl my mom wants for her birthday. Better buy it soon so I can actually have it done by then!!! If only I weren't so slow. I still need to finish the gifts for C's friends. I really want to start on that blanket. Sigh. So many projects, so little time. Fortunately for me, I don't think I have anything going on this weekend other than a hair appointment on Saturday morning.

Now if only I could figure out a way to knit while walking on the treadmill... :)

sick days

Last Tuesday was my birthday (hooray!), but last Wednesday-Friday I had an unfortunate case of gastroenteritis. I made it to work on Wednesday, but Wednesday night brought fever, aches, and chills, so no work for me on Thursday or Friday.

Despite having intermittently working internet (Comcast rage), I managed to catch up on How I Met Your Mother. Now I can watch it live tonight for the first time since the first season! I also got some knitting projects finished up.

interminable sweater-- FINISHED! **updated**

I finished my sister's sweater!!! I'm so excited I can barely contain myself. I've been assembling it since Sunday... here's some time-elapsed photos:

the itch

Knitting is one of those things that comes and goes in waves for me. I can put all my stuff down and not knit anything for weeks, but then there are days like today where all I want to do is knit. I want to knit, and I want to knit all day, and I want to knit everything. I've been adding stuff to my Ravelry queue all morning, because I'm finding it impossible to concentrate on anything else. (Worst. Employee. Ever.)

binding off

Having so many knitting projects in progress is beginning to wear on me. The long weekend was a good opportunity to get closer to finishing my projects. The dish towel I'm working on needs more yarn, so I ordered some more yarn for it. ($12-- Year of Austerity be damned) Then I really cranked on my sister's sweater. This sweater has been torturous a labor of love. Making adult-sized clothes is a lot of work. And my sister's a small person! I am perilously close to being done with the sweater, and I'm so excited about that.

fini!

Seriously, how big are his feet?!

I finally finished those damn socks, and they look pretty good if you ask me! I could point out all the flaws and imperfections, but for my first go at it they're pretty impressive. C is wearing them to work today, because he loves me.

Lesson learned: perhaps knitting with size 1 needles isn't for me...

restraint

Anyone who knows me in real life knows that patience is not my strong suit. I blame part of it on the fact that I'm an uber-planner. Once I get an idea in my head, I don't let it go. It takes over all my thoughts until I either get what I want or plan it to within an inch of its life. I'm not entirely unlike Veruca Salt...

knitting as a respite

So I'm a knitter. I started knitting shortly after I finished studying for the bar as a way to fill my newly-found free time. At first I started out simply-- I made a (really horrible) scarf for my sister. Bless her heart she actually wore it despite the HUGE mistakes.