woo hoo. Seriously. LOL! Not that it matters a whole lot, I’m happily single. But I really do dislike how commercialized the whole thing has become, it’s just whack. And that’s about all I got to say about THAT! ;)
Running
Woo Hoo!!! Weather was simply *perfect* for a run today. I took Leonardo out for a 3 mile run this morning. Yeah, it’s been too long since I’ve run – my fitness has really suffered already. *sigh* But, hey, I got them done and I feel great! Leonardo had a really good time & we really didn’t get any lengthy stops along the way. He’s getting back into his running training, where he’s relearning to not go after squirrels and such along the way… he gets distracted, but I just tell him “uh-uh” and he keeps on going. Yay! We did get the usual amount of comments & exclamations (“holy shit” seems to be the most common, actually!), of course.
Knitting
Yeah, I haven’t done much lately. Spent time online & reading lately, so have accomplished very little knitting. I did get some gorgeous leftover sock yarn from one of my fellow RnRs, though – and I promptly knitted up one little fish for my fish blanket. w00t! It is just teh awesome & has all my fave colors!! HerOwnWings – you rawk! ;)
See? GORGEOUS, isn't it?!
Today’s Ravelry Search
So… now that this “holiday” is about over, time to start knitting for the next, eh? ;)
* Crocheted shamrocks!
Shamrock boy amigurumi - cute! :)
A shamrock hat - pattern covers children to adults!
* Wow - these shamrock socks are teh awesome!!
Socks for those that love beading, too!
Wow - another beaded sock! :)
* Knitted clovers! Nice!
Too cute - doggie sweater for a bit of canine wearing o' the green!
Wow, it is SO foggy outside – yesterday as well as today! You step out into it and it feels like you’ve been rained on within 2 minutes. Plus it’s a bit hard to see where you’re going & all. LOL Anyway – I’m waiting for the sun to come up so I can see a bit better in the fog for my run today. I plan on a 3 miler again today. I’m debating whether I’m going to take Leonardo or not… I’m kind of leaning towards not, actually.
I do love running in the fog – the world seems so very quiet, like it’s this big ole blanket muffling every little tweet, chirp, squeak as well as the rumble from the car engines. It reminds me of the silence of snow falling in many ways. :)
Knitting
So. I dropped a couple stitches in that freaking scarf. It laddered down too ugly to save. *sigh* Luckily, I only had 6 rows done that I had to rip back. I’m just about caught back up to where I was – this go round actually went much faster than the first pass through. I didn’t get to work on it at all last night, as the youngest manlet & I worked on the home computer instead.
Braces off!
Yesterday was a banner day for the oldest manlet ~ he got his braces off!! w00t! It took far less time than I had expected, so I only got to knit 2 rows on my scarf while I waited. When he came out, he was grinning like mad… I swear, he didn’t stop grinning until he went & took a nap 3 hours later! Just *look* at this awesome smile…
No word yet on how much longer *I* get to wait to have mine off. I’m over them already & cannot wait for them to come off! Luckily, he said it didn’t really hurt too badly to get them off, just a couple parts when it felt like they were pulling his teeth out. LOL I had to have a couple brackets removed to be repositioned, so I have a pretty good idea what it’s going to feel like. Let’s just say it was not pleasant. Something they neglect to tell you while you decide which type of brackets to get – the ceramic (clear) brackets hurt like a bitch to get off! Apparently, the metal ones are much easier to take off. I find this out AFTER I’ve already had the clear ones put on, of course. :)
Today’s Ravelry Search
So, I’m done with the Valentine related searches – that Hallmark holiday is tomorrow – if you plan to knit your sweetie something, it’s a bit late now, right? ;) Plus, I just had to search on something related to my other news. ;)
It's actually a Tooth Fairy Pillow - you put a pocket in back for the $$ - free pattern!
I just LOVE the googly eyes on these! :D psst - the pattern is free!
Felted backpack - it's really very cute! And the pattern is free, too!
I think I've had this guy on as a guest before, but he's worth another visit (and worth the cost of the pattern)! :)
I am really impressed with how many FOs on this pattern state "My first socks!" - this pattern couldn't have been an easy one for someone's first socks! oh, yeah - it's another free one,.
I'm not sure why this (free) pattern turned up on my search - most of these bunnies don't even have a mouth, much less teeth! LOL
YES! Got 3 miles done yesterday. They were slow as hell, but I had decided to take Leonardo with me so I would not push too hard/too fast. A good thing because I’m feeling it a bit in my legs this morning already. I wore capri running pants (but they were so big, they were down to my ankles! Long sleeved running shirt & sports bra – I was ready for the temps in the 50’s. It was actually a wee bit warm, I could have easily run in my usual running shorts – the temp hit the 60’s by the time we were done. :)
We only got stopped a couple times for pretty short visits for once, it was lovely. We were almost home when Leonardo stopped, started shaking his head, and coughed of sorts. He kept shaking his head & trying to cough something out of his mouth. I think he must have had a bug fly into his mouth, poor guy! Finally cleared it out & we finished.
Knitting
So I took a break from the Asphodel Lace Scarf yesterday. I’d picked up some SWS from Jo*Anns the other day in a colorway I just love – all pinks & brown. I knit up another Calorimetry with it & still had enough leftover to make something else to match.
Decided to finally make a Luna Lovegood scarf (which is actually crocheted) – I knew I could finish the whole scarf pretty quickly. It’s the scarf that Luna wears in Order of the Phoenix – very pretty & a great pattern! I finished it last night after a bit of a delay since I needed to pick up another skein. Now I still have some of the yarn left – what to do with it?! LOL I might knit it up into a mitered square, or maybe crocheted. Keep it in a box to eventually have enough squares for an afghan. We’ll see. LOL!
Luna Lovegood scarf!
The young manlets & I went shopping for a couch… no luck there, but in the process had stopped at a Tuesday Morning where I found some pretty wool yarn, just one skein and some wonderful Cashsilk in black. The wool is a cream & blue variegated with a thin black nylon wrap, really quite pretty. That’s getting turned into a Calorimetry as well. No idea what to make with the Cashsil, but I couldn’t pass those up – they had 4 skeins of it. :)
I really love crocheted doilies, even if I don't use them myself! :D
The pattern isn't free, but seriously? Totally worth it. it's awesome!
Roses and pineapples! I love, love, LOVE it! :D
Wow. Some of the FOs on this one are simply stunning - you must check them out!
Naturally, I had to include the Travelling Roses Scarf! :)
...as well as the Autumn Rose sweater, it's a classic!
I just got the book this pattern is in 2 days ago - trust me, if you can get your hands on one & you like lace - get it! If anything, just for this pattern, it's gorgeous!
OMG, OMG!! Doctor Who fans... you MUST follow this link!
This is gorgeous. My senior prom dress had roses just like this (well, the dress was black & the roses were pink). LOVE it!
I joined her Yahoo group for this pattern - it's so pretty!
I know without a doubt that my BFF Anett is going to LOVE this one. ;)
It is 33º out. Seriously, do you really think I’ve run in that? LOL I’m sitting here at home with the heat on & I’m still freezing. LOL This morning will be just a bit of strength training. The temps are supposed to get back to normal range by the weekend, so I’m shooting for a nice run on Saturday after the sun is up.
Knitting
Made a wee bit more progress on my Asphodel Lace Scarf last night. Spent most of my evening online though, so I didn’t make much progress. I have *got* to stay away from that Geo Challenge on Facebook!! LOL My friend & I keep trying to beat each other for the high score. We’re such geeks that way. he he he
Want a good laugh?
So an online friend posted this video on a board… I laughed hysterically from watching it. Posted it over on FB, but decided I had to share the goodness here, too. So enjoy! ;)
Today’s Ravelry Search
In keeping with the themes for Valentine’s Day, here are some finds from today’s search:
Pacifier clip - how cute is that?!
Flower washcloth - a really good use for chenille?! I love how they look.
Crocheted dishcloth, cute!
How adorable is that!? I just LOVE amigurumi!
Ya know, my father always pulls those tabs off his cans... here's one way to "recycle" them!
Scrubbies for the kitchen - gives a different meaning to flower power! ;)
These are just adorable! Add them to jeans, purses, bookmarks, headbands...
How utterly fantastic is this pattern?! I *love* these little elephants! And it's a FREE pattern, just email the designer!
That’s ma story & I’m sticking to it. I am FREEZING!! And this morning I’m not feeling so hot because I actually drank wine last night. I think if I try to run today, I’ll be puking in the bushes. I am SO not a drinker – WTF was I thinking?! And yeah, I had like 2 glasses of wine over 3 hours or something equally ridiculous. Maybe if I feel a bit less queasy later, I’ll attempt a run or maybe a Tae Bo workout (since it’s much warmer inside!).
Knitting
With all the cold weather, I’ve gotten some progress on the knitting front – yay!! :D I finished up the Candleflame Shawl and I’m quite pleased with how it turned out…
Why, yes, it IS a holiday gift for the 2009 holidays, why do you ask? ;)
A closeup so you can see the stitch pattern a bit.
So next up is a lace project for the Rubberneckers Not Rubbernecking group on Ravelry. We’re doing a lace KAL, pretty much any lace project we want. I’m tackling the Asphodel Lace Scarf for the first go round. I’m quite pleased with it so far…
I’ve broken my “only one project at a time” rule… I’ve also gotten a new sock pattern OTN! w00t! This one is Draco, for sure. I’ve got the plan worked out in my head – we shall see how it pans out. For the HP fans ~ think of Draco in Deathly Hallows… caught in a bad situation & unable to see his way out. No more hints! ;)
Reading
Speaking of HP… I just read some fan fiction last night whilst knitting. It was a dark read & while entertaining, it wasn’t entirely my cup of tea. I’m waiting for a long one to finish up, my fellow fan fic lovers on Ravelry have been singing the praises for Bundle of Joy, which is on The Petulant Poetess. I won’t read a WIP, myself, having been burned more than once by an abandoned story. Plus I hate that whole waiting a week (or sometimes a month!) just to read one chapter bit. I want to read stories in one sitting, damn it! LOL
In the meantime, I’m reading a funny little book I picked up from the library, Death, A Life by George Pendle . The beginning feels forced, but now that Satan has moved to Earth, the story is picking up and finding it’s flow. I’ve had a few moments of downright LOLing – like the T-Rex was a vegetarian until Satan got ahold of them. If you like Monty Python, Douglas Adams or Christopher Moore, then I think you’d get a few laughs out of this one. Definitely not for the serious nor the religious!
Today’s Ravelry Search
So I guess it should be related to Valentine’s Day again… give this one a go, you’ll see patterns like these:
Reversible Cable Red Scarf - pretty!
Little Red Riding Hood - literally! Adorable!
Rose Red - not a free pattern, but totally worth the price, I think!
Awesome Cookie A. design!
Red Hot Halter
Beautiful neckwarmer, just beautiful!
I simply MUST get this book - all the patterns are fantastic! :D
You’re kidding, right? It’s been so cold here, people were scraping frost/ice off their cars to get to work. Yeah, so not running in THAT! LOL… I am scheduled for 3 miles today – perhaps at lunch time when it is warmer outside. We shall see. I was too tired & too cold when the alarm first went off this morning, so I crawled back to bed for more sleep.
Finally got my medicine going again for Hashimoto’s, so should definitely see an improvement soon in my utter lack of energy & constant need for sleep. I’ll be glad to hit that point of having energy again.
Knitting
So yeah, been working the same shawl, of course. I’m a bit bored with it, truth be known. It’s a little hard to be enthusiastic enough to get it done, I have all year to do that. Started off like crazy with it, but have hit the “this is really boring” part of any larger project. I intend to get it finished this weekend, though, dammit! LOL
Countdown to Valentine’s Day
So yeah… for those that celebrate it or like it or what have you… Valentine’s Day is in 3 weeks. Me, I could care less about the event, but then, being happily single helps in that regard, I reckon. Besides, I really don’t need a special day to tell the people that I love that I love ’em! I tell them every day – you just never know when a truck might come blasting around the corner & wipe you out on your 5 miler! ;)
Today’s Ravelry Search
But, for those that want to knit up something special for their loved ones for Valentine’s Day, I’ll have a few searches related to it to give you all some ideas, anyway. Here are some from today’s search:
Heart rings for your sweetie
Seriously - this was just TOO irresistible!! ;)
Cute sweater for a little girl
Gorgeous doily! I really like making them, actually. :)
Very cute ~ Valentine Fortune Cookies!
In case your valentine is of the 4 legged variety!
Crocheted heart scarf ~ cool idea for decorating a classroom, maybe?
A love bug! I adore this little guy, seriously!
Someone's stunning version of Gramma K's Fair Isle Tam. Can't imagine WHO's version that might be, but it's perfect for Valentine's Day. ;)
Just a short post to honor what an incredibly historic day today is. Whether you voted for Barack Obama or not, today is so exciting and long overdue. I am keeping CNN.com Live up & running today even though I’m in the office. I honestly don’t know of many people that are getting much work done today! Have the box of tissues planted firmly in front of me. LOL
Running
Today is a rest day from running. I had wanted to get a Tae Bo workout done this morning, but when the alarm went off, I was simply too tired to get up early. Hopefully, this afternoon after work I’ll be up for it.
Knitting
I have my candle flame shawl with me, but I’m not sure how much I’ll get done on it during lunch… we shall see. :)
Today’s Ravelry Search
Wow! 4 pages from today’s search! I’m really impressed, actually.
Several hats have been done, here is one...
I love this picture! :)
he he he, this is really cute!
I don't think I've seen any previous President dolls before?! :)
It's a change purse - cute!
Another take on the Obama hats.
Socks! Awesome.
This pattern is called 'Inspiration'... perfect!
Happy Tuesday, everyone – keep warm! Today will be one of those days that you will always remember. :)
Woke up a wee bit sore from yesterday’s 5 mile run, but only had 3 scheduled for the day. So I decided to take it easy & took Leonardo out on the trail for a recovery run. We made better time today, as we only had one couple stop us to chat. We were out there early enough when the temps were still quite low – in the 50’s. I still managed to break a solid sweat, so it was good.
I had tons of energy left when we got home, so I did my 100 pushup challenge, then popped in a Tae Bo Advanced tape & did that for an hour. I was done in, but decided to sneak in a few crunches on the ball. Yeah. Should have stopped while I was ahead…
Murphy’s Law Day
So I have Pergo floors… with a healthy dose of doggie tracked in dirt in the back room. I didn’t think about it, just laid back on the ball & started to do the first crunch. The ball spun out from underneath me, causing my ass to hit the floor, along with my good hand. Now the wrist & palm base of my GOOD hand is all swollen & bruised. Just fantastic. *sigh* It’s bad enough the hand that was sliced open a month ago isn’t looking as good as I’d like (it really should have had internal stitches as well) – it’s gaping, red & today, swollen again. <grrr>
Iced the left hand, grabbed a shower, but was still late to meet a friend at the bookstore. Arrived at the bookstore only to discover that I had left my wallet at home. She was shopping elsewhere at the mall, so texted me back & said to go ahead & get it, she’d wait. Get my wallet & back to the bookstore I go. Found several things that I just HAD to get… new 2009 calendars (a Great Dane and Harry Potter & HBP – yum), Kanye West’s brand new CD – awesome, books for me as well as a book for each of the boys. Waited in line for 15 minutes, only to find after the cashier rang me up that I had no freaking checks left in the checkbook. Put it all on hold, had coffee & a low fat roll with the BFF in the coffee shop. We decided to meet up at Target after I hit the ATM & bought my bookstore selections.
On the drive, I listen to the new CD… I already loved the first release off it, “Love Lockdown”, so I knew I’d like it. First pass through on the CD, this one also caught my ear…
I arrive at Target & start wandering. Found a great sweater for the youngest manlet for $4 & a nice wallet (except it’s pink, ugh) for $9… texting the BFF all the while. “where r u?” “clothing”… I go there. She’s not to be found. She texts me again “going next door”. “where?” “shoes”… I head straight for the shoes. She’s not there. Sinking feeling… as my phone rings… it’s the BFF. I ask her “WHICH Target did you go to???” Yup. She had gone to a totally different Target. ROFL!
Knitting
Haven’t knit yet today, but I am totally heading that way once I’m done blogging! I need to de-stress. LOL! Still working on the candle flame shawl, though I’m eyeballing some other patterns for the next projects… undecided yet, but the brain is whirling with ideas, anyway. Still totally want to do up a new pattern for Draco. ;)
Today’s Ravelry Search
So maybe a search like this will turn around my day today, hmm? One can always hope, anyway!
Good luck cowl - should have been wearing one of these today!!
Ooooh, a Chinese Dragon - how cool!
I've loved this pattern since I first saw it!
Ladybugs!! This pattern includes matching booties - TOO adorable!
GOR-geous (I just channeled Miss Violet in my head with that)!!
I really do love my dogs… not so much when Leonardo insists he needs to go out at 2:30am. He stands next to my bed, wagging his tail and growling at me. If I don’t wake up fast enough (which, really, how could I not – having a 200 lb dog looking down at me in bed & growling?!), then I am treated to the classic “nose poke”. He pokes me in the arm, in the back, on my tummy – whereever he can – with his nose. Hard. When he does that to me while I’m standing up, he literally knocks me over – so you can imagine what it feels like to wake up to that!! LOL So… I get up to let him outside, but then I’m wide awake. I sit up for another hour, then I go back to my bed only to discover that Li’l Missy has taken my spot, curling up against my pillows & looking up at me as if to say “just exactly what do YOU want?!” I pick her up, lay back down & cuddle with her for a minute… and she darts off, insulted because I took “her” spot. Promptly at 6:00am, there’s Leonardo again. Looking down at me, growling softly “it’s time to get up!”. I give up on getting any more sleep & go make coffee.
Just as well, because I got a support call at 7:00am for work, so I guess I can’t complain about that doggie alarm clock too much. I was wide awake & totally capable of solving the problem. While waiting for the all clear signal, I cleared out my email inbox some. Came across this gem from my father and in spite of feeling a wee bit grumpy towards my own canine companions (with the odd exception of Scorpio for once), just had to share this story.
Running
So I was scheduled to do 4 today. Since I missed a couple days last week because of the cold temps, I decided to head out to the beach & back – my favorite 5 mile path. I started off cold despite the running pants, tank, long sleeved running shirt… but it turned out perfect in the end. By the time I made it back, I had pushed the sleeves up on my forearms a bit, but wasn’t too hot nor too cold! I felt like Goldilocks, “just right”. he he he
So what IS the deal with 1) people tossing beer bottles out their windows so that they smash on the sidewalks? and 2) people riding bicycles on the sidewalk in spite of a clear bicycle lane on the road?? I just do NOT get it – I nearly got mowed down by 3 different bicycles on my run today. Very irksome, I must say! In the process of my 100 inclined push-ups for today, though…
My shoulders are totally feeling the push-ups I did yesterday! I did 4 sets of the usual 25 inclined push-ups, then another 4 sets of 25, but I did these a bit differently. Still inclined, but I placed my hands closer together, raised up on one foot to my toes, held the other leg up in the air & then did the push-ups. After 25, I switched legs & so on. Worked my arms & shoulders harder than chest & back, but it’s always good to mix things up a bit. :)
Knitting
Spent yesterday afternoon with some friends, having lunch & doing some knitting. It was wonderful to get caught up with everyone! I made some solid progress on my candle flame shawl, too. I went through my stash & discovered that I had already tossed one skein of the colorway I’m using, so it’s going to be a bit smaller than I originally thought – but will still be plenty big enough for a nice shawl, though. I found that I did have 3 skeins of the same colorway that have a gold thread through it, so it’s going to have some plain & some sparkly through it. I think it will still be a nice wrap for wintertime, though. Plus it’s clearing out a nice chunk of stash! I’m determined to unload a good amount of stash this year. I made some good progress on it last year & am determined to make even more progress this year! I shouldn’t need to buy any new yarn for a very long time – provided I don’t get suddenly inspired to do something that I just don’t have the right yarn for, that is. LOL!
Speaking of knitting & dogs – do check out the new blog I added to my list ~ BarknKnit! I just realized this morning that I didn’t have her blog listed, so I remedied that real quick this morning! :)
A free pattern from The Snuggles Project, which is a very worthy cause for dog lovers! This image is linked to their website for more information, btw.
This is a really cute idea - designed so you can line with a plastic baggy for being a responsible dog owner!
What an adorable idea for Scottie lovers!
Because my guys would love this one, even if their girl Jessie at their father's is a long haird GS. :)
Cool dog leash! I should definitely make at least one of these. :)
Oh wow - my sister would totally love this little guy, he looks just like her Attila! :D
Bob mittens!! How can you not love 'em?! :D
My young manlets would NEVER let me make these for any of our dogs, but seriously, how cute is this picture?? :D
I just realized that I never posted pictures of Rocky’s finished saddlebags here. I have them up on Ravelry, but never got around to here. When Dad took pictures, he hadn’t tied the front strap on in the right place, so it’s drooping a bit more than it should, but here we go…
On the left, the pocket is a flat pocket with a button closure. On the right, the pouch is a mesh bag with a tied closure. This way, Dad can put things like veggies in the mesh bag and other things like business cards or small books in the other.
Dad has taken Rocky to the Saturday Morning Market a couple of times with his saddlebags, though he hasn’t bought anything yet, so no word yet on just how useful it has been.
Rocky wears it like a champ – no running around like a mad dog trying to get it off of him. And yes, that should sound like the voice of experience – let’s just say that Leonardo made for a lousy model, hence the delay in getting pictures!
So I got up early enough for a run… but it was SO cold, I decided to hang out for a bit in hopes of it warming up some. Much to my dismay, the temps were actually *dropping*! I’d have been better off running at 4:30 than waiting until 5:45 to head out the door. Ah well. I threw on sweatpants, thick socks, sports bra, long sleeved running shirt, gloves & a hat and out the door I went. It was slow going and about half a mile into it, my chest was burning like it does with bronchitis, but I stuck to it. Went 2 miles – by the time I hit around 1.5 miles, I felt much better, but was out of time to tack on another mile. Got back home, did my 100 inclined push-ups & off to the shower.
Of course, for all my whinging on about how damn cold it was this morning, this blog post really drives home just how insanely cold it really can be for some runners. One of my fellow runners over on Ravelry posted the link to it and I just *had* to share! I am definitely adding this blog to my “List of Blogs I read”… if anything, just because I love their “Running Pet Peeves” list! LOL
Knitting
So yeah… this week is exam week for the oldest. Haven’t gotten ANY knitting done, as I’ve been helping him prep for his exams every night. Tonight I’m hoping to make some good progress on the shawl while we catch up on laundry at the laundromat. We shall see, anyway!
This & that
The tattoos have hit the “scab” stage, so are looking a bit funky in the colors. Once they clear up, they will be back to looking great. I accidentally scratched one this morning & lemme tell ya – that is NOT fun! It feels just like scratching a sunburn, actually. :)
Gearing up for a long weekend, too. I’m really looking forward to it, actually. Especially since I was sick for most of my vacation! An extra day off is always nice, especially when I’m not sick for it! LOL
Knit Run, Purl Run 