Happy Birthday Brodie!

Hard to believe that this cute little furball...

...Is now this handsome little man only 1 year later!


Yesterday was Baby Brodie's first birthday! And to herald his birthday, Mother Nature let loose one last hooray (hopefully) in a white out blizzard after lulling us all into thinking spring was here. I think we ended up with something like 6 inches of snow, which is nearly gone today. Brodie was in doggie heaven playing in the white stuff. He sure has a fondness for it. We celebrated his birthday with some stinky canned dog food and hours and hours of Frisbee fun. Truthfully, the boy never stops with that damn Frisbee.

I finally got around to weaving the ends today and taking a picture of the one and only placemat that I finished last week. Not blocked yet but I think it turned out ok. Another item to be packed away for the new place (if I ever find one).

Here is the specs:

Pattern- well, that was made up on the fly. Cast on 87 stitches, stockinette stitch, with a seed stitch border. 16x11 inches

Yarn : Knit Picks CotLin in Swan 1.5 skeins

Needles size 4

The size 4's made and nice tight fabric, but seemed forever on the needles.

Another only project here...that seems to be the theme this year.  Just a plain ribbed sock in Bamboo from SWTC. I love the bamboo for summer, and I love the mindless knitting, makes for a great sneak to work project. Now that things have settled down a bit at work, I have a little more time on  my hands and have been able to knit a wee bit on the low down. 

I guess technically it is not a true only- I did cast on number 2 today, but then again, I have had that second Tidal Wave on the needles for a long time and it is still not done. I did work on that today while I listened to yet another Jo Goodman tale, "Beyond a Wicked Kiss". It is a good sexy historical tale with quite a bit of intrigue.  It did get a little distracting a few times and I had to rip back a row a couple of times when I lost count. But I managed to make some headway.

Taking a break from all that knitting, I decided that I needed to make use of my table before I give it to the kids. I set up my swift and started winding balls. I had just gotten to the fifth hank of yarn when horrors of horrors...
A little itty bitty piece of wood came off my swift. Who woulda guessed that tiny piece of wood could bring my productivity to a stand still! Can you see it in the picture??? It is so freakin small it is barely there! And yet, it apparently played a major roll in holding the bolt in place when you adjust it. I kept trying to make the yarn taut, but the bolt just wouldn't stay. Luckily my Mr. Fix It friend came over and fixed it for me, maybe, I haven't actually tried it yet but the little wooden piece is back where it belongs. 

I did get some hopeful, sorta, news about my cousin. He is not taking the doctors diagnosis lying down. He got a call from some treatment place in Atlanta, and went for some holistic cleansing. He is planning on getting healthy no matter what it takes. My belief is that the will to live has to be strong before there can be any hope. He seems to have that in spades, so I will support him in any treatment he wants to try. 

The work monster has released it's grip

Finally! The Evil Work Monster has loosened it's hold. Since I am not yet independently wealthy, I still have to do that working thing, but at least it is not 80 hours a week anymore. 

Jeanne's schedule, Get up-go to work-stay there til you drop-drive home on auto pilot-walk the dog on auto pilot-fall into a dead sleep-repeat often.

Notice anything missing? No knitting happening...what kind of a schedule is that!

First day off in 14 I took a little road trip with Brodie. He is not real big on riding in my truck, like he is terrified of it or something. I bought him a harness because he thinks needs to be in my lap for the ride. My fault entirely, I am a complete sucker for the puppy browns. He is awful in the truck. He  is fine if he is in my lap- looks out the window and watches traffic but put him on the passenger side and Oh no! he shakes, turns himself backwards in the seat, or lays down, looks at me with pathetic eyes and then he usually pukes. WTF! I think it is all a ploy. He just wants to be in my lap!

See the pathetic stare? I tell you- all a ploy!  I am going to take him for rides to the park in my friends car to see if maybe it will make a difference in his comfort level. He does seem terrified by the truck, silly since he came home in it. 
On a sad note, tragedy strikes again in my family. My beloved cousin Robbie, Grandson to Everett who just passed away and Nephew to Elizabeth who also just passed away, was just diagnosed with terminal cancer. It must be in that Tennessee water, or those moronic doctors they see down there. I am crushed by the news, Robbie is only just turned 35. It is not fair for someone who is just a baby and barely lived to have to be told -"enjoy the time you have left"

Somehow I will have to make some time for a trip down there, just to hold him once more.

First F/O of the Year?

It would appear so! I could hardly believe it myself! My little shopping spree at Knit Picks got me started  on my new home accessories. I grabbed a ball of CotLin in Kohlrabi, and took it to work with me. (Yes I have managed to get caught up with my work, after a fashion, and found time to knit). CotLin is a blend of cotton and linen, which I have to say, I did enjoy the feel of. I am used to a heavier weight yarn in cotton so the dk weight took some getting used to. 

This little project was a breeze to finish and is darn near mindless, you know how I like those mindless ones. I used a size 7 needle but I think I would have liked a tighter weave for the fabric.  

Now I am not saying that I have actually been functional in the last week or so but I have been somewhat productive.  I have New Girl Lisa trained and on her own -Yay!  That means Jeanne gets a little bit of a break, or at least I can take a personal day or two.  This weekend was the Special Olympics Polar Plunge, usually I pump that up quite a bit before hand but the energy has been lacking in that regard. Even tho I am not the one plunging into Lake Michigan  (just playing the part department photographer) it is still a completely exhausting day. Standing on the ice for hours waiting and watching a group of crazy law enforcement personnel dress silly and jump into 32 degree water then compound that excitement with a complete turnaround in waking hours and you get one pooped out chick with sticks. Is it any wonder I am unbalanced??

Ya'll know I suck at project stats so this year- since this is my first Finished Object of the year (pathetic I know) I am going to start out right.

Kohlrabi Dish Towel

Pattern: Basket Rib Hand Towel Rav Link

Yarn: 1 Ball Knit Picks CotLin in Kohlrabi

Needles Size 7

Size 11x17

I got my March installment of Art Walk Sock Yarn from Zen Yarn Garden. This month is another tribute to Gustav Klimit, Musique. 

Another beauty out of Canada!  Some day I may actually knit with these yarns...in the meantime, I shall become a collector of affordable art...LOL 

This picture does not bring out the beautiful greens and blues to it's full advantage. The colors are much closer to the painting that this shows. 

Another no brainer project-  A new place placemat! Same CotLin yarn but in Swan. This project is a winger, meaning a no pattern project. It may also be a do over because I am not sure that it will be wide enough to suit. Do you think 16 inches (unblocked) will be wide enough for a placemat?? I wanted this to be a tighter fabric than the dish towel so I am using a size 4 needle. I like how the fabric is turning out, I am just unsure of the size. Give me your thoughts. 

Another Winger- Impulse yarn buy of Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick n Quick. I bought this a while ago when it was still frigid outside ( I think spring is finally here). Big yarns make my hands tired when I knit so I don't get very far with with them at any one time. A few rows at a time and eventually I had a scarf. Not enough yarn left to make a hat to match so I may have to go back to the store. 

 
Chocolate and Vanilla Scarf

Pattern: Simple garter stitch stripe

Yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick n Quick in Wood and Linen

Needles size 13

Size 6x58

CA Dawn's question about my thrummed mittens prompted me to get out that one lonely mitt and finally finish the thumb. That was all that was lacking, so I did that this morning. Like I mentioned, they are not going to be pretty but damn they're warm! With any luck I just might have a pair by summer!

I think I have about 3 days of mids then another flip for the CAD training for a week and then I can finally settle into a single shift. That will be a blessing! At this point I don't care which shift, as long as it is only one shift.

Maybe then I can get caught up on all my blog reading :p