Mood:  mischievious

And I have.  This knitting thing has had a hold on me for a couple of years now.  I caved and bought more official Kauni yarn and started this:

Isn't it gorgeous?  Mine starts with orange/greens at the I-cord bottom and has already progressed to blue and almost yellow.  VERY addicting to knit!!  I forgot how much I enjoy knitting corrugated ribbing.   And... And!!  Ruth shapes the waist in the ribbing.  I love design elements like that.

The other project is one from Rowan.  Knit with Rowan yarn.  Just a touch of Cashmere.  Yummy. 

Ooh, sorry for the pic being so tiny.  I am at work and can't size it up because I step into the 20th century here every workday.  We do have nice computers, but not a fun software program in sight and very few printers.  Anyway, I am getting towards the armholes of this cardigan and love the pattern, the yarn and knitting.

What else you ask?  Oh, the red gloves from years past and 3 pairs of socks.  2 pair for me and one for the man.  He has a serious handknit sock addiction.  I think if mine fit him, he would be stealing them from my drawer.

How is Birdy?  Well, she is fine.  It took a month or so for her to stop missing Tweedy so much and she has disattached herself from my lap or leg more often, she was awfully clingy for awhile.  She gets lonely during the day, I think, and she is sure that I need to spend a certain amount of time playing with her when I get home, which I do.  What a spoiled kitty.

And me?  I have decided that I hate feeling so much like a slug and looking like one and will be back to the gym tonight and am eating low carb again.  I do like the food and it just takes me a couple of weeks to get back in the groove.  What helps most is the sun.  OMG, the sun!!  It's finally back!  It did snow very seriously on Saturday but finally stopped before I ran screaming from the house begging the sky to stop.  It's all melted now.  whew.  And I have a new battle.  The weeds who were growing like mad under the snow banks.  ARGH!!  I will attack those this next weekend.  At least between rows of that sweater.  :>)

Ta

Posted by Judy at 3:17 PM MST

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Mood:  lazy

Yup.  More snow.  And then more snow.  And by gosh, more.  I am sick of it I tell ya.  Well, sick of driving in it.  I drove the streets last night and it was ever so much more pleasant than avoiding being killed by the retards on the freeways.  This morning wasn't so bad.  I chanced the freeway and was surprised.  A few dopes cutting in and out and driving too fast, but none of them challenged me, so it didn't suck.

I didn't feel much like spinning for a couple of weeks but am back to it.  I figure I have that one last bobbin of this:

And it spins up so nicely, it's been fun.  When it's done, though, I can't start the intended sweater.  I got antsy and started another one instead.  And will continue finishing UFO'S around the house.

And last but not least today, the little sweetheart, her treats and her yummy winter salad.  This is when she was still feeling pretty good:

ta,

J

Posted by Judy at 10:02 AM MST

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Mood:  not sure

Is there anything good to be said about allergies?  I think not.  I woke up sneezing and blowing my dose and sneezing more.  I took a Claritin and a Sudafed and it has slowed down but takes it up again with the sneezing.  I am so over that. 

This week has been crazy and I want things to settle a bit.  I have had 2 partial work weeks and actually was looking forward to things going back to normal.  Well, life has decided to keep me on my toes.

As I have shared with you before, my little old kitty Tweedy, who has been going downhill, was so sick when I got home on Monday evening, I had to take her on her last trip to the vet.  So sad.  She was almost 18 and had a fabulous life living with me (and Jay and Birdy and Mr. Judy who said she was his favorite kitty of all time.)  She always adapted well to anything that went on.  The perfect kitty. 

Then Tuesday rolls around and Mr. Judy had a colonoscopy to get to, so I took him there and went through that with him.  It took a long time for all of that and so missed 5 hours at work.  I don't have vacation time until October, so am making the time up by working through lunches the rest of the week.  I used to do that at the electronics company years ago and it goes ok, but I miss knitting or reading during lunchtimes.  And then this weekend I will travel to Logan to have a late Xmas with my family.  That will be fun for a change and I can rest then at Mom's house.

I have been spinning!  Not exactly every day (you have seen what MY week has been like) but enough to finish another skein of the rainbow BFL for the Ruth sweater.  I have enough to start knitting but am finishing the Wrixlan sweater and Mr. Judy's blue hoody.  I want to finish UFO's again this winter and will do that but I get uncontrollable start-itis sometimes and that yarn is calling out to me.  All of the projects that I want to finish will be just as fun and I hope I can motor right on through them. 

I found out that my shoulder (the one that has been sore from bailing water out of a window well during a huge rain storm) is afflicted with Rotator Cuff Tendonitis.  yucky.  I am tired of it already.  But, I found if I don't sleep on that side very often, it gets better a lot faster.  So, that and being careful of when it hurts to back off of whatever I am doing to make it hurt have been really helpful.  Yup.  You have to actually do what they say to do.  whatever.  ha!  I choose to ignore pain.  I always have.  Works for me.

The only other thing I have had happen lately is trouble with my little Toyota truck.  I have narrowed the problem down though to the ignition coil.  Yup. The internet rocks.  I found out that this one thing is notorious in Toyotas.  Whenever it's really raining or really humid outside, I have trouble.  It idles wonderfully, but just try to put it in gear and go.  NOT.  Not until things warm up and dry up.  So, I will take care of that little problem and very soon.  It was that one more stressful thing this week that pushed me over the edge.  ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

But, as usually I clawed my way back up to the top and am on my way again.  :>D  Optimist that I am. 

All for now.  Ready, set, spin!

Posted by Judy at 12:15 PM MST

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Mood:  chillin'

Well, we have winter solstice here.  And it's been a very long time for me to blog.  No excuses, well, maybe a few.

I have been cleaning house in my life and got rid of some toxic things and am just getting my head above water again.  The most toxic thing in my life for awhile was my job, so I went out and found me a bright shiny new one.

Normal people to work with, happy atmosphere, lots of gratitude here on my part.  I am driving a lot more and can't go home for lunch very often, but sanity is so much more my style than chaos. 

We had a big snow this day.  Thunder and lightning last night on the drive home along with snow, crazy roads this morning.  I passed many, many snow plows and none of them were plowing.  WTF??!!  It did take me twice as long to get to the job, but I found out something amazing.  If you go 25 mph on Redwood Road, you hit all the lights green.  ha!!  What a secret to finally catch on about eh?

This time of year is very emotional for me.  Lots of memories about loved ones who have moved on to the cosmos and finding out about more who will be experiencing that soon as we all will someday.  I see it as a big retreat in the sky.  :>)  All are welcome, all are welcome.

I have been knitting a lot.  And my symptoms of hypothyroidism have subsided thanks to a fabulous Dr.  I am also back to the gym again.  So, I am hoping that the big belly that came back will go away again.  OH, the knitting? 

Oh, man, that's kind of small, but it's a fabulous cardigan from Jamiesons Shetland Knitting and I am almost done with it.  The yarn was from www.elann.com   I loved everything about this project.  The yarn, the pattern, the design.  Fabulous experience.  I am also knitting a little sumpin sumpin for Mr. Judy.  It won't be done for the holiday, but he will love it.  I did do a new pair of socks for the man.  He treasures those and I treasure him for feeling that way.  :>)

How could you not love a guy who remembers what you say and talks through problems with me?  I told him he was a great counselor a few days ago and he was surprised.  He shouldn't be.

Besides the weather experience we are having right now, I am loving the winter this year.  I haven't loved a winter for a very long time.  I love the snow and the way the trees look and the colored lights of Christmas.  I love my friends and that they feel the same way about me.  Hugs to you all.  Like I say, I am emotional this time of year.  lol

Happy holidays to you all and huggies and kissies

Judy

Posted by Judy at 10:55 AM MST

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Mood:  chatty

ha!  I have pictures.  It's been awhile.  My internet service is Networld, what can I say.  They haven't been very reliable for the last month.  It makes it hard to email the pics to myself at work.

 The first entry?  The brown sweater. 

It's really darker brown and has little flecks of white and yellow in it.  Very lichen-y.  And the big news is that I got a blue ribbon on it at the Utah State Fair.  woohoo!!  a detail:

Well, sort of anyway.  I should have taken a picture of the fabulous collar back and the cable detail on it.  This sweater was a very fun knit.  I would make it again.  Next?  The gray sweater!!

I call this my retreat sweater because I started it at retreat as a little gift to myself.  The edges are rolled and then a few rows of seed stitch, then stockinette.  It's an EZ percentage sweater and I can't wait to wear it.  The yarn is some I picked up on www.elann.com A very dangerous place for me. 

I bought some Rowan yarn on there this summer and that will be my next big Aran sweater project.  It's a nice muted pink.  Gorgeous.  No pics of that yet.

More pictures?  Yeah.  I have more.  Here are a couple of shots of the yarn that I dyed at retreat.  We used Osage Orange, Brazilwood, and Logwood this year in addition to Indigo.

I am so impressed with the colors.  I started a mitered square sweater in these and many, many other colors that I have dyed at retreat.  It will be a great project for this winter.

More?  :>)

Socks for the man.  He loves these.  They are made in Regia stretch wool/nylon.  He says they hug his feet and legs and has barely taken them off since receiving them.  :>)

What have I been spinning?  Blue Face Leister.  Yummy.  It's for the multi color Rauni yarn sweater that Harlot is knitting.  I decided to spin my own yarn and did a lot of thinking about this.  I figured out how much yarn I would need to spin, then decided how many colors to dye and how I would need to spin it.  What do you think?

I have more to spin, but not a ton more.  It's been a lot of fun and it was fun to dye for.  I found another pattern (go to the Strikning page, it's the multicolored flower pattern fair isle one)  to use this kind of yarn and will dye more up right after www.greatbasinfiberartsfair.org 

Last month I travelled down to Helper Utah for the Arts Festival.   We always have fun there.  It rained on Saturday afternoon.  Huge storm, came out of nowhere.  What a sneaky thing!

Everything was soaked, but we dried off quickly.  People-watching is so much fun there.  It's hard to not turn into the Fashion Police, and the assortment of food items like funnel cakes are fun to try too.  Thanks to Al and Michelle for having us again.

So, that's it for now peeps.  Onwards and upwards, huh?

J

Posted by Judy at 3:40 PM MDT

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