WIP Wenesday

Hello Knitters.

Happy Wednesday. I came across an article yesterday, posted by my friend on Facebook, that I totally agree with. Check them out:

Never say this to a knitter. Really, just don't do it.

It is a great read about why knitters do not sell their work. For me, it is a way to relax and unwind. I started knitting as a way to turn my mind off after a stressful day of graduate school. A way to stop thinking about chemistry and research and to work on a mindless project. Now, I find it a way to enjoy life; slow down and appreciate my time. Finally, I find it as a way to socialize in the ice cold winters in Wisconsin.

This week, I am finishing up (fingers crossed I will finish up this week) my friends baby blanket. When I first started this project it was difficult and needed my undivided attention. As I worked through the pattern, I find it easier and almost routine to knit through the rows. I hope she finds the baby blanket beautiful.

I broke down and bought some super cute stitch markers: 

I also worked a bit on my Jitterbug socks. I picked the Zigzagular pattern and I love how it is working with the yarn. 

Finally, I am super excited to buy the yarn for Quicksilver shawl. I saw the pattern on Caffiene Girl's Blog and I fell in love instantly. Once those truck repairs are off my credit card I know the first thing I am going to purchase!

I have a sick boy and hubby. I am writing a quick post while they snuggle. I am still reading Enders game. It is a struggle to read with a son around Enders age. They things he goes through are insane. 

Linking up with Ginny today! I cannot wait to see what is on everyone's needles.

WIP Wednesday

Hello Knitters.

I hope this Wednesdays finds you well. I am back in the full swing of the semester and it really caught me off guard. I was not prepared to jump right back in, I thought I was but boy was I wrong. The day started out on schedule and I was pumped to get going. Then, I started to get my times and dates confused, scheduling meetings when I teach, GAH! I even cancelled a meeting because I thought I had class and I dont... Oops! Oh well, hopefully, more coffee will help and Google calendar. 

I  made some serious progress on the baby blanket:

 I love to knit in the morning sunlight with a cup of coffee!

 I have been getting a bit sick of the baby blanket so I cast on a new project with my Jitter Bug Yarn. I decided to try the Zigzagular pattern. I am just loving this yarn and the colors. They are so pretty especially the bursts of bright blue, that is my favorite part. (The superhero book is my sons. He is really getting into reading and I love to read to him. This book contains a chapter for each marvel superhero and explains how they became superheros. My son loves it. Last night we finished 4 chapters.)

My yarn came in the mail today. (Yes, I bought it before I knew about my truck repairs!) I bought this off of the Etsy Store, NeeleysKnits called Nightmare Before Christmas. I am very excited to cast on this yarn and see how it looks!!! 

Thanks for stopping by and I am very excited to see everyone's WIPS!

Another 2015 promise and WIP Wednesday

Hello Knitters.

I hope this hump day finds you well. I did a quick Trader Joes run last night and on the way my truck decided not to work. I know, I am an adult and cars are expensive. However, I cannot help the little kid voice inside me that wants to jump up and down and cry about how much yarn I could have bought with that money! GAH! Moving on....

Because of these recent events I am not buying yarn until the truck repairs are off my credit card. Which who knows how long that may take because it needs a bit of work! :) However there is hope, I have a huge stash. No surprise there. (Plus I just bought some last week, my bad.)

I have not been using my needles lately. A bit here, a few rows there. Nothing too exciting. I have been working on the baby blanket still:

 And I started the second sock of my opal yarn. However, the gauge is really off with the second one... Its like an inch bigger if that is even possible!!! Fail! But I will have time to fix it when my little man is at hockey practice. How can you not love that face! Tough guy, eh!

I am still working on the book Ender's Game. Almost half way done. It is pretty good and I really do like it, I am just tired lately and have not had time to read. Hopefully, I will have more progress on knitting and reading next week. I cannot wait to see what is on your needles!!! Thanks for stopping by! </endrant>

WIP Wednesday

I forgot my laptop at home so this blog post is an effort between my linux machine and my phone. Sorry, it may not be the best looking :(

I spent most of the holiday visiting or hosting family. I realized this holiday, while seeing family is so very important, I need alone time. I need time to think, regroup and just relax by myself. It is hard to do that when you are not at home. I started to get a little anxious but all was fine once I got home and got back into a routine.

While visiting family, knitting helped with getting some "me" time. I was able to just forget the surroundings and focus on my needles. I hope this does not come across as me not liking to see and spend time with family! I just need alone time at the end of the day. Anyways, I was able to get some serious progress done my friend baby blanket:

The pattern is a Drops pattern however, I am following the written instructions by Matrunda on Ravelry. I would never have selected the pattern myself. Would not have seen it's true beauty from the pictures on Ravelry. My friend choose this pattern to make her niece. I fell in love with how it turned out and wanted to try it for myself. 

I just finished the novel, The Silkworm. It was not as good as the first novel in the Corman Strike series, yet still good. I started Ender's game last night. I love sci-fi books so hopefully this will be awesome!

Happy knitting.

New Years Resolutions

It is already 5 days into the new year. Wow, time really does fly lately. I am a big fan of self reflection and assessment. 

2014:

...was a truly amazing year. Things started off very difficult and trying. It was cold here in WI and not the cold we are use too. We had wind chills of -40 F, which is insane. One cannot even go to get the mail without your face freezing. In addition, we were snowed in for 3 days. I went completely insane and walked in the cold to the closest store. I had to get out of the house! 

Once spring came everything fell into place. The warm air returned, the sun was in the sky and long weeks of grey skies was over. The summer continued to be a nice and busy time of year.

In June, I started to realize how fast time was going, how old my son had become and how much I wanted things to be different. I wanted life to slow down so I could enjoy every moment. After much reflection and personal growth, I came up with a plan on how to accomplish a more relaxing and enjoyable life style. First, I tackled the idea of not having all the laundry done, dishes cleaned or house tidy. I made a list of to-dos and instead of accomplishing everything on the list, I limited myself to two tasks a day max. This still gave me the feeling of accomplishment and achievement but also gave me time to relax after a work day and NOT feel like a lazy bum.

Personally, I have always wanted to be a better reader. I never read, except for work or school. I never felt the desire to read a book for pleasure. Last year, I decided I want to be a good role model for my son by reading more. I am a gadget person. I love little toys so to meet this goal I treated myself to a NOOK. I am proud to say that I read a trilogy, and 3 other novels as well. I a very proud of this goal.

Looking back some of my goals were not met last year. I started going to the gym and stopped. I started running and stopped. I started to eat better and stopped. I see a pattern here! I know it is the typical pattern for most people. I have struggled with this for many years.

Finally, last year, I decided to tackle some anxiety that I have. I worry. Not normal worrying either, I worry and over think EVERYTHING! Surprisingly, this is not the best way to slow life down and relax more. Go figure! I decided to start taking action to control my worrying. I would say 6 months later and I have been much happier and truly enjoying life because of addressing this issue. The anxiety is not gone and I do not think it will ever be completely out of my life. However, I can now control it and relax.

2015:

...first, I want to keep up the changes I have made in 2014. All of these new changes, are just that, new. They are not habits yet and I need to make sure I keep up with the healthy changes I have already made.

In addition, I do have the classic desire to eat healthier and lose some weight. However, jumping into a new exercise routine and changing my diet seems a bit much to chew off. First, I want to look at working out somehow. It needs to be part of my daily routine without taking time from my family. As a working mom, I have precious time with my son during the week. I realized a simple yet hopefully effective change I could make today. I work on the 9th floor... DUH! Why not just take the stairs, everyday, every time. I could do about 50 flights of stairs a day if I used them exclusively! I am hoping this change will show a difference in my weight by summer. Even 5 lbs would make me feel awesome. 

As for the food, this is tough for me. Eating unhealthy is fast, convenient and cheap. Plus the obvious, it tastes delicious!  Pizza, bacon, cheesy bread... CHOCOLATE. Who does not love these things? But I think you can eat whatever you want... in moderation. Again, I am hoping this will be the key to my future success, moderation. I love good food too, do not get me wrong. Fruit is amazing, veggies are good snacks. I just need to incorporate more of those and eat less (not completely cut out) bad food. This goal is not something I intend to accomplish by Feb or even June. I am giving myself until Dec 31, 2015 to have a better routine worked out for my habits. Fingers crossed I can get there.

Good luck to you and your resolutions. Here's to 2015.