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Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Ouch

Ok, so I walked on concrete for hours Friday, and on grass for hours Saturday. I tried to take it easy Sunday. Monday I logged 1,484 steps on the pedometer, because I got up & walked outside at morning break. I parked further from the building this morning, to get a few more steps in, and went out at break again this morning. But my entire left leg is protesting mightily -- it is one big ache, from hip to ankle. I made one short circuit around the building, and climbed the stairs back to the office. That was at about 10 a.m.; it's almost 12:30 and I'm still aching. We may need to rethink the idea of walking off some weight....

^^^

Last night I finished the preemie cap I was working on; now to make a crocheted flower for the edge! This is just the nicest yarn, ShiBuiKnits sock 100% superwash merino, in a baby pastels mix. Uber cute, no? I may have to ask the doting Gramma for a baby pic. Oh, have you seen Franklin Habit's pic, in Knitty, of the baby in a bonnet? Absolutely wonderful, and hysterically funny too. Honest to G, I'd love to travel with him sometime -- his airport stories crack me up. Check out the Panopticon blog.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Wear off weight?


Whew! (Couldn't resist another W; I am 11 after all) This has just been the best weekend I've had in a while. Friday DiscoDame & I went to Threadfest over at the community center on Knowles, just acoss the street from the Fairgrounds. We shopped there for about an hour; I've added to my growing collection of old craft (mostly knitting) magazines & pattern books. And I found a ball of a mysterious laceweight yarn in a lovely, slightly plummy red. Not usually a color I'd choose, but it is pretty. I don't think either picture does it justice:
I had about $30 to spend, and left with $6. Well, that just wouldn't do! Fortunately, it's Flea Market weekend at the Fairgrounds! So we just scooted on up the hill to the free parking, and went in search of coffee. We found it in the second building, had a cuppa, and started shopping. We were there so early we beat some of the vendors. We strolled around until Arthur Itis showed up, bought a few goodies, then headed home for lunch. Immediately after dining, I put together the grocery shopping list, grabbed DiscoDame, & headed out to the north side to hit the pet store (Frontline for the cats), the WalMart (the things that were cheaper there), and back to our neck of the woods for the rest of the groceries. Whew, indeed! I'm so glad someone else cooked.
Saturday was a Free day at Cheekwood Botanical & Art Museum, so I got up early enough to throw dinner into the crockpot, then spent about 2 hours trying to get the family out the door. We never made it inside to see the art installation, because it was such a gloriously beautiful day that we just wanted to see the gardens. Of course, not much is blooming yet. We took lots of pictures of violas, of which there were many varieties in bloom, and of the daffodils in the Daffodil Show. After about 2 hours of trucking around, the Plaidman's bad ankle started to give out; we were afraid we'd have to carry him to the car so we left while he could still get around. Got home, the potatoes in the pot weren't quite done, so we vegetated in front of the TV for another hour 'till they were, and had a delicious roast beef dinner.
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Sunday I was pretty achey from all the walking. Plaidman & Disco went out in the tiny car (not enough room for all the laundry & 3 people) to do the laundry; I stayed home & cruised around on Ravelry most of the day.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Lookin' good!



The Knitting Olympics Challenge Vest rides again! Yeehaw! (What?) These are pictures from yesterday; I have finished the upper left front & put those stitches on a holder for now. Today the clouds rolled back into Middle Tennessee, so it's probably a good day for grocery shopping. What joy.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Plugging away

I restarted the Knitting Olympics vest, and I decided to just forget about the vertical stripes. I'm working narrow stripes on the light tan ground, in various shades of blue & green. I have to keep the ground color stripes fairly narrow too, since I may not have enough tan and can't buy anymore. Wouldn't you know it, the weather's finally turning towards spring, so this vest will likely be too warm to wear once it's finished. That's ok, I'll have a new vest to wear in the fall. Once I get this silly thing done, I'm off to the races on the Drops lace tank -- which will likely be done about next fall, when the only way to wear it will be as an undershirt/camisole. Le Sigh!
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I'd like to visit Bliss Yarns Thursday, just to sit 'n stitch with all the gals there, but for sure I'd want to buy more yarn -- and I can't afford to. Truly, I don't need more yarn! I can't even find enough storage for all I got, and I still haven't unravelled all the thrift sweaters I bought! I've been thinking of them lately, just itching to get them frogged & clean the yarn & wind it up...
Haven't a clue what I'll do with any of it, but once it's all clean & either in hanks or wound into balls, I'm sure I'll think of something.
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I looked at CAP's budget sheet for Excel, even saved a copy for the Man with a Plan, but I'm not sure if the Plan is more than "hey, maybe we can pay another bill or two next week when you get paid." He's not into actually committing a plan to paper, just not his thing. If I have to do all the actual planning & budgeting, I'm going to be a real witch on wheels. I tend to get entirely too tightly wound about money, (Ya think?!?!) so asking me to be in charge of paying the bills is asking for one grumpy Momma. And when Mom's unhappy, God help anyone who smiles in her vicinity.
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Let's think of more pleasant things, shall we? I picked up the Spring Vogue Knitting at the store -- just a little morale boost, you understand -- and wow, have you seen the nice lacey patterns? Looks like fun. I'd love to be working on my lace tank right now, but I'm blogging at work and the only knitting I brought up here is the Knitting Olympics vest. Not lacey, just soft & chunky (I resemble that remark...).

Monday, March 1, 2010

Agony of defeat


Well, after that last post I just kinda lost interest in the vest. I'd still like to make it, only not with intarsia blocks of SO MANY colors. So, no Knitting Olympics medal for me. I believe I'll frog the thing one more time, and try it another way. Maybe I need to find a pattern that's knit "sideways" so that the stripes can be knit in as usual. Part of the problem: not enough warm colors in the yarn I wanted to use. I've got 3 shades of blue, 3 greens, blossom pink and orange -- and neither of the last two are my favorites. So a redesign is in order, and I believe this vest will wind up being all blue, green & tan. I'll just leave out the warm colors.
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The Plaidman is still laid off. DiscoDame is still unemployed (GRR!). Money is getting sparse. How many times in our nearly 33 years of married bliss (!?!?) have I been the sole breadwinner in the household? Gosh, when Disco was born the Plaidman was out of work! Good thing I had paid maternity leave, or we would have starved. Well, Plaidman & I would have starved; Disco wasn't bottle fed. What a joy THAT was! I felt like Bossie the cow the whole time.
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In more pleasant news: the sun's out today! and it's supposed to get up to 50F this afternoon! Drat, the sun's out & I gotta work all day. Double drat, I haven't even got a finished object to photograph. Insert pout here.