i don't feel much like posting today

but i will anyway.

it's one of those days where my fingers are itching to do stuff, but my bed is really comfortable. that's right, i'm still in my jammies. i could knit in bed, or read, but what i really want need to do is put my laundry away before i have to endure any more ribbing from my hubby, and clean up the kitchen and dining area so i can start my january sewing projects.

winter colds are really vicious. i'm still fighting one from december 28th. maybe that's why my bed feels so nice today... and i haven't had any caffeinne yet, either, so that could be contributing as well.

the important thing not to let myself get trapped inside my own head today. scary place, that is. yoda, i apparently am.

so, random list:

1. should a finish reading a book i'm not really all that into, simply because i'm 75% done with it already?

2. how much ribbing is sufficient for a hat?

3. is a stripe of purple too girly for a baby boy's sweater?

4. i really want to make dinner tonight, but a don't want to go to the store.

5. i kinda want to spin, but that's not really a bed-friendly activity.

6. etsy is a bad place when you're craving handmade stuff. or good, depending on your viewpoint.

7. fresh-baked bread makes really good french toast.

8. flannel is really, really cozy.

9. i'm on a bulky yarn, rainbow color kick.

10. i also need to find something to make with it other than hats and scarves

11. that is all, my friends.

progress proceeds apace

so i knit most of yesterday (with a few beers, winky wink) on the baby sweater and i'm almost done with the first sleeve. the concentric stripes baby cardigan is an ingenious pattern. you knit the yoke in one piece, then in one row, knit part of the front, all of one sleeve, across the back, all of the second sleeve, then the other side of the front. then you just pick up and knit the rest of the body, so, no seams!

wow....

i just sat and stared at the screen for five minutes.

so, with no further comments today, i'll leave you with this little nugget:

nothing is better than homemade bread, real butter, and a bit of honey.

so far, on track

yeah, yeah, it's only january 5th, i know.

but, i finished my first project of the year! granted, i started it in october last year, but whatever. i'm still proud of it. unfortunately, it's not the last of the christmas yarn projects.

grandma's beaded shawl - it's a bit short, but grandma likes them that way, so i hope it'll be okay. there's 5 frickin' tubes of seed beads on there that i had to pre-string and work in as i went. it's probably the second-most-epic project i've ever done (the first being the 120 square wedding afghan, and the third being the other wedding afghan).

these photos are all post-blocking....

and a close up! beads, beads, more beads

this whole cone is gone.... i have 6 beads left and a one-inch ball of silk. all finished.

in other news, i finished ALL my christmas sewing shopping, and i hope to report the first bag will be finished by the end of the month. that would be the goal, after all. i had also hoped to be wittier today, but i still feel quite under the weather. 'epic' is the word of the day apparently, because there's not other way to describe my headache!

and, shown here, is the first few inches of the concentric stripes baby cardigan from ravelry. it's my first sweater! so far it's going okay, but i need longer needles. badly. there's no way double-that-amount of stitches is going to fit on that needle. i'm feeling kind of cocky (spare me, oh knitting fates), but so far, this sweater has been CAKE. i've done three new techniques already (knit 2 together, yarn overs, and changing colors) and i'm having no problems. maybe i'd better knock on the coffee table, just in case.

and no, i have nothing to announce. the sweater is for bairloch's friend, who is expecting in march. trust me, if and when our own blessed event occurs, i will not announce it on the blog (well, not first, anyway).

p.s. jon stewart? hilarious.

happy new year!

the most overused title in blogging today!

so, 2010 was a big year. at the start of 2010, i had a fiance, a six-month-old kitty, and a career. then, i had a nervous breakdown, quit my job, got married and gained a whole new family, moved, learned to knit, went back to college and got a new job.

big improvement from last year. (well, everything except the hubby. he was just as wonderful back then, too).

so it seems i have a lot to be thankful for this year. we're comfortable enough to eat what we want, when we want, we have friends and family that love us, and while we're not financially "gifted" enough to go out and buy a new car tomorrow, we can puruse our own hobbie and leisure activities.

it only seems fair, then, that since 2010 has given me so much, i should ditch my usual resolutions (the same ones i've had for nearly 10 years: work out more, eat healthier, procrastinate less) in favor of something a little more concrete.

so, here it is:

as crazy as it sounds, i've already done my christmas shopping for next year. well, some of it. i've gotten all the raw materials, divided them into ziploc gallon bags (thanks for the idea, yarn harlot!) and i will do a bag a month. each month, as well, i'll finish a project i've already got started. for january, the space invaders scarf. february, the honeymoon shawl. etc. etc.

i know i can keep the first one. one bag a month is completely doable. the second one? we'll see. i get distracted by new yarns and projects all the time.

have a good year, everyone.