WIP Wednesday #1 of 2014

It takes me four weeks to write a WIP Wednesday post in 2014.  A little sad.  But that's how things have been with me lately.  A little busy, a little down, a little emotional.  It's to be expected when your husband is deployed.  I'm sure it also has to do with my health.  There's been some stuff and it means meds, changing meds and adjusting dosages.  Mostly to gain control over some debilitating tension headaches.  In other words....stress.

One great way to help cope with my stress?  Knitting!  Yay to knitting.  It really can be so meditative and relaxing.  One thing I'm definitely not practicing in 2014 is monogamy.  Lots of projects on the needles!   One thing I will be lacking in for a bit is pictures.  The only way I have of taking pictures is my iPhone, but I deleted my Google+ account and Blogger doesn't let me upload pics from my phone without one.  In order to get pictures into my post I have to take a picture, email it to myself, save it to my computer than upload it into Blogger.  If I figure out an easier way you will start seeing more pictures!  (suggestions welcome!) Also linking up to Yarn Along today.

Current WIPs

Project: Bay-Bee & Momma!  (imagine a toddler yelling that)
Pattern: Sock Yarn Bunny & Mini Sock Yarn Bunny by Susan B. Anderson
Yarn: Scraps
These were supposed to be birthday presents for my daughter.  Her birthday was the 14th....that didn't happen.  But now I'm thinking Easter basket since they are bunnies.  Not to mention she was spoiled enough on her birthday, even if she was sick.  She loves differentiating between Momma and baby so I thought these would be perfect for her.  As if she doesn't have enough stuffed animals.

Project: Matchy Matchy
Pattern: Owlet by Kate Davies
Yarn: Cascade 128 in Italian Plum.
 I'm knitting this as part of the Knitmore Girls Matchy Matchy KAL.  I might be short on yarn though.  I got it at my local yarnshop in her closing sale.  The yarn is discontinued and I'm having trouble finding another skein.  I've found the same thing, just in superwash but I dont know if the superwash takes the dye differently so I don't know if it would work.  So it might be a short sleeved sweater for Miss A.  When I'm done with this I'll start the Owl sweater for me!

Project: 2014 Socks #1
Pattern: Hedera by Cookie A
Yarn: Knit One Crochet Too Ty Dye
I love this yarn.  It really is so soft and wonderful to work with.  After knitting one repeat of the pattern I thought I wouldn't like the yarn/pattern combo.  Glad I kept at it because it turns out I love it.  I've own the book "knit. sock. love." for 2 years or so now and this is the first pair I've knit from the book.  I've decided I'm going to make a big effort to knit things from my library this year.  What's the point of all these gorgeous books with amazing patterns if I'm not going to use them?  This pair of socks is the first of 3 pairs I want to knit for myself this year.  Getting a good start on my New Years Resolution.

Project: Choose Your Own Knitventure
Pattern: Follow Your Arrow by Ysolde Teague
Yarn: Knit Picks Palette in the Rouge color
I got sucked in.  I don't usually do mystery KALs.  The only other one I've participated in was a gift pattern to me.  But I bought Ysolde's.  Although I'm a huge fan of her designs I've yet to knit one.  And the concept to this KAL just sold me.  There are two clues every week.  And you pick which one you want to knit.  All the shawls people are knitting look so different and theres a possibility of 32 different combinations.  So I decided not only is this fun (I used to love Choose Your Own Adventure books!) I really will knit it again and again and get a different FO!


Reading
Knitting Yarns; Writers on Knitting by Ann Hood - I'm listening to this book on Audible.  I love listening to books while I clean my kitchen, cook and fold laundry.  Sometimes I even listen while I'm sewing.  This book is great.  It is all different essays by different writers.  There really is something for everyone in this book.  All kinds of stories from different perspectives.  One nice thing I find great about books like this (that are not one continuous story) is it's great if you are going to be starting and stopping alot.  It's easy to turn off after an essay instead of in the middle of the story and you don't feel like you are hanging on.

Why Do Men Fall Asleep After Sex; More Questions You'd Only Ask A Doctor After Your Third Whiskey Sour  I keep reading this book, but I honestly don't know why.  I just think I'm motivated to finish it.  I don't think it's very good at all.  The humor these guys try to put in this book is so stupid.  They are trying way to hard to be funny.  They aren't.  Then the really interesting questions they don't actually answer in depth.  Your either wishing for more information on what you are learning, or you are wondering why on Earth they are answering such a stupid question.  Some of the information they cite references, some they reference people that are definitely not experts.  I find myself skipping the stupid introductions to each subject which also include "IM" conversations between the two.  The thing is, I'm pretty sure they made all these up specifically for the book and didn't actually have them.  And I will reiterate the fact that they are not funny.  I think I'm just finishing it so I can say I did, and include it in my books read count for the year.

WIP Wednesday - A Quiet House

I have to admit I would blog every morning dutifully if every morning went like this morning has so far.  And I would love life immensely.  It is 8:45 am.  I woke up at 8, started reading in bed for a bit, then I just came downstairs and got my coffee started.  It's storming outside my windows and my daughter is still asleep.  This is positively the most peaceful morning I have had in ages.  It must be karma.  I flat out and can tell you I deserve a morning like this and it's about damn time.

I also hope that there is more of this in my future with daylight savings coming to an end this week, but it could very well mean I'll have more of the opposite.  I'm scared though because Miss A has been up at 5 am twice this week.  How much earlier could it get?  I've had a week from utter hell.  She's been sick.  I've been sick.  She's been embracing the climbing, crying and utterly defying actions of the terrible twos all at the same time.  I've needed some solace.  It's no wonder that I've left my sewing behind this week and only concentrated on knitting.  I think the knitting honestly takes less brain work. And I've been doing alot of it.

Three projects going on this week.  One is off the needles so you can come back on Friday to see it.  I've been continuing on with my Grandpa scarf.  I'm knitting the pattern Celtic Cables and it's not like this is my first time knitting a cable.  But it is my first time knitting several traveling cables all at the same time like this pattern.  I was a little intimidated by it at first and thought it would just be one of those patterns that requires a bit of extra concentration.   I discovered that this is my "no brain required" knitting for the time being.  When I'm utterly drained at the end of the day and don't want to think about what I'm doing I'm pulling this cabled scarf out. This is a sure sign that I am advancing as a knitter.  I never once thought I would consider a cabled scarf like this autopilot knitting.  It's also becoming a bit potato-chippy which I think is probably a great sign since I have a lot more to go.

Next up, I'm getting back to Nozky for Baby.  I've realized I have all the things I want to cast on syndrome, but I always feel like I don't make real progress when I have so many projects on the needles at once.  So I like to whittle down my WIPs first.  These baby leg warmers are something small and easy that should be done in no time!  I'm thinking maybe today?  Especially with this wet and stormy day that lies ahead.

The book.  I'm reading The Yarn Whisperer as half the knitting world itself is.  Maria of Subway Knits instagrammed (that's not actually a word.  I made it a word) about reading it and in my head I shouted "Yay! I am too".  Then I said we should have a read-along in the group.  It's not really a formal one since some of us have started, some of us may have finished and some people just decided to order the book.  But it's a nice place to go and discuss Clara Parke's writing. This book is made up of small essays.  They all relate in some way to a fiber topic, but almost as in comparison to something else. I'm realizing while reading this book that I'm finding the topic at hand more compelling than the actual way it relates to fiber.  This tells me how great of a story teller she is that I could almost take or leave the fiber content.  And that's the only reason I picked it up in the first place.  That might sound like a criticism but really I'm saying that she does such a great job with her writing that she doesn't have to write about fiber to entice me to want to read more. This is a good thing.

Linking up to Tami's Amis for WIP Wednesday and Yarn Along this week since I actually had some reading to talk about.

Should Have Listened to My Teachers

This is the 3rd attempt at writing this post.  First was on the Blogger iPad app.  2nd was on the laptop.  Now I'm on my phone.  Apparently I have to learn to save my work because my typing disappears after so long.  Odd.  I feel like I'm in Middle School all over again learning to write papers on a Word Processor.  And the teachers always emphasized "Save Your Work"!

I've been trying to say that I miss also linking up with Ginny's Yarn Along on Wednesdays (as well as Tami's Amis WIP Wednesday).  But in order to post about reading I need to actually be reading.  I haven't been able to stick to my goal of reading 20 minutes a day (really blogs don't count.  It needs to be an actual book) .  After the craziness of my life subsides for a little bit in just a few months it should be easier to get back at it.  Not only will reading help me stay busy, but I should actually have the time.

One thing I have discovered this year though was Audible.  Most people in the knitting world have now heard of it.  When I signed up I got one month free and only did it for the read-along book.  Then I went to cancel and it asked why in the survey so I clicked the option that said it was too expensive.  From that, they offered me 3 months at 1/2 price which I think was about $7.50 a month.  Not bad for an audio book so I stuck with it.  I realized how much I enjoyed listening to them.  I mostly listen during chores and when cooking.  So I stayed with it and I think it's definitely worth it.  I listened to about a chapter of one book, didn't touch it for two months because I wasn't really interested and was then able to return it for a new book credit!   Currently I'm listening to Starting Now: A Blossom Street Novel by Debbie Macomber and I'm quite enjoying it.  I almost feel like the Blossom Street novels get better with each book.   The ones I like best though are always when they revisit the characters from the original book.  That's one appeal of a series I suppose.

I've also cast on for a new project this week.  Working on Low Tide by Tin Can Knits.  I checked the measurements and compared them with my Annabelle and I'm actually making the 12 month size.  I was surprised to a.) see how small and lanky my daughter is and b.) see how big the measurements they call for in the pattern were.  I'm really glad I measured.  This is also the first time I'm making something knit in pieces - and blocked parts before I finished knitting.  It sure is interested construction.  I can't wait to pick it back up and finish the body.  It will be a perfect addition to Miss A's vacation ensemble.