Phew........

It's over, the holidays and yet to walk through the grocery store's, drug stores, and malls, you would think that cupid went on a bender and yarked love and happiness all over the place when really after all the rush of Christmas, the Holiday Cheer both in spirit and in bottle, in fact on Christmas Day I found quite a bit of Holiday Cheer in about a bottle and a half of wine, oh well that was last year and we're forging ahead like a team of oxen into 2010. Which started with a yarn sale at my LYS So Much Yarn + a very generous gift card from my mom for Christmas + the fact that I am gainfully employed at So Much Yarn one day a week. All these combined = one happy knitter, who quite honestly is feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of it, but really, what else is new.

However it's a new year and time to set new goals or hit repeat on last years goals.....if I could remember what last years goals where.....hmmm, oh well time for new ones, out with the old, in with the new. Hold on tight, this may be a bumpy ride yet one I am looking forward to.

So far this year I've finished one project, well two or three little ones, one big one. The big one being Mom's birthday present which she has seen via pictures in various states of finishing but has asked to be surprised by the finished project, I'm hoping it's a good surprise. I knit Mud Season in Trabajos del Peru by Plymouth yarn. It's a top down sweater, literally no seaming but there is some picking up of stitches, which sucks, especially when you're almost done with all the neck stitches and your cable on your circular needle breaks and you say a bad word much to the surprise of all the people in the yarn shop, blush brightly, explain what happened while someone runs for a replacement to help salvage the situation. Bad words at least make the situation fun. Clearly, since I swear like a dirty pirate I am full of fun just bursting to get out. I am knitting a second Mud Season for my friend C. in dark grey Berrocco Comfort Chunky. It looks great, in fact as soon as I'm done here I'm going upstairs to get ready to put the sleeve stitches on waste yarn and start working on the body, which will go quickly since C. is petite and loves hand knit things. If you look back at last weeks post, Albert and Dewberry are her dogs and they love wool also, in fact we are starting a new project to see if we can get Dewberry to wear socks and finally walk on the hardwood floors, of course we'll use puffy paint on the soles for grip. Currently though I believe that he is eating the prototype that I sent home with C. We did decide though if the socks are a huge fail then we'll knit leg warmers and play the opening sequence to flash dance because if you've ever seen Dewberry stand at the edge of the carpet near the hard wood you can't help but hear that music. Albert of course still loves his whool cloth and I knit him a whoolien this week that he loves to chew on........the other experiment is to see if Albert only likes whool or if he like texture, so I need to knit him a swatch in a synthetic to see what happens.

(left to right) Whoolien, the prototype, probably in one or both Albert and Dewberry's bellies.
I knit a gazillion Knock-off AF Hats in Burly Spun by Lambs Pride. I think I've finally petered out on them, however the one I knit for Z. didn't fit so I am off to the stash to knit a replacement and get it in the mail to Minnesota ASAP.

Top: Eddie, Jenny, Carrie, Rod Middle: Me, me, Jenny, Z, Anne. Bottom: Anne, Cynthia, Carrie.

I'm working on a lace afghan that I was asked to knit as a gift for someone. I'm excited about it. It's knit in Lion Brand Woolease thick and quick, which is quite nice all knit up. Don't be fooled though, just because it falls in the 'super bulky' category doesn't mean it's going fast, especially since I had to back out a whole row because I had one unexplained extra stitch at the end that really when it's sitting between two other stitches looks like my project was giving me the finger 'ha ha ha I'll teach you to be confident with your lace knitting, oops did you forget how to count to ten, can you count me? I'm just one'. Yeah my knitting talks like a dirty pirate too.

So, before this post gets out of hand and turns into more of a brain dump than and informative learning experience for everyone here are a few of my goals.

1. to actually design, write, knit, re-knit and post a viable pattern on-line. I am starting to branch out and have ideas on what I want to create, I have the skills to make it happen now I just need to put it all together. I've designed a few things but need some work writing it out in a way that makes sense for someone who speaks english and not carmelstwistedwayofwritingwordstogethertosavetime. Yes, when I write in a hurry I end up blending a word with the word before it and even when I go back to read what I wrote, which my therapist told me never to do but clearly doesn't matter, I have no idea what I was thinking or talking about only that I am not thinking it any longer and that's the point.

2. To continue to re-build an old friendship. Thanks to Facebook I was able to reconnect with an old friend who I never thought I'd find again. It's true what people say, if a friendship is true, it'll work it's way back around. My thought, when something that was lost is found again, you never want to lose it a second time.

3. exercise, I'm only writing it because it would be a new year without a new affirmation to exercise. (i'm going to do it, I just don't want to make it the one big goal of the year and end up whipping myself in front of my treadmill because for another year it's mocked me and my distracted arse)

4. I'm going to write, that's correct, write at least 1 letter p/month to a special person in my life. I'm not talking email, I'm going to the store and buying stationary and a pen, and I'm going to take time to actually write a letter, maybe I'll even write two, and possibly include a photo or two.

5. I am going to work on being more patient. I was informed that I need to work on that. My friend who I mentioned in goal 2, laughed because back when we were really close, patience was my middle name. Now, well, I'm working on it. Let that be enough for now.

6. I will control my road rage, which ties in nicely with goal number five and being patient. Some drivers simply can't help that they are struck blind by sitting behind a windshield. I just need to be more understanding of that, and keep the hand gestures behind the door and not bolding shoved out the window, because honestly if they didn't see me before the hand gesture, they clearly didn't see the #1 I was waving at them and all I'm stuck with is a wet arm and a car full of exhaust laden rain drops.

7. Now that we have a faster internet connection at home, thank you comcast, #1 to you verizon, I am going to be more diligent about posting on my blog, which I've missed. The best part about my blog is the phone call I get from my mom the next day, laughing. I love to make my mom laugh, I never used to do that before, (if you don't know me well, I was a bit of a trouble maker back in the day........I might still have a little trouble gene in me but I've learned to control it for the most part, except on the ship canal bridge).

Well I could go on forever with my goals, aspirations, needs, wants, desires, likes, dislikes, yarn, knitting, boxer dogs (both of which are fine, they have finally forgiven me for babysitting Buster back in August, took them a month or two but I think we're back on track) husband, friends, mom, dad (i do have one, I don't mention him much but he's there, just down the road from me, emailing me asking me to skype with him.......)my nephews, my niece, and all the other family who saw me literally eat my Christmas dinner in a bowl because it was easier than a plate. Such is my life and my goal this year is to expose all of you too it, plus racing season is starting soon and I'll be out at the track as much as possible cheering between mini heart attacks watching my husband and our friends race/spin each other out. It's all in fun till someone gets thrown in the wall.........and no, I don't think I'll go Kart racing with all of you race car drivers again, I ended up thrown into the tire barrier and was bleeding at the end. (laughing my butt of)

Happy Friday Night

Merry 2010 may your year be light of worry, full of laughter, yarn, and pointing wooden sticks, which come in handy when there is a mad rash of vampires running about. Buffy has nothing on a knitter.