Oh dear.  I have become one of those bloggers that drops off the face of the internets.  I always promised myself that I wouldn’t do that, and here I am… my apologies to anyone that noticed.

This year has been a little crazy… not as crazy as 2002 mind you, but still crazy.

As a way of catching up, I thought I would review my New Year’s resolutions and see how I’ve done thus far:

1. drink at least 2 quarts of water a day (about 2 liters)

Ohhhh!  I gave myself an easy one to start!  Isn’t that a great way to start resolutions?  Something easy.  I drink 2 to 4 quarts of water a day. I think I can honestly say I have nailed this one!

2. switch to green tea or white tea in the afternoon

I think I did too much celebrating on #1 there.  Green tea didn’t agree with me (something about funky sock odor)… to make up for it, I quit drinking tea in the afternoons.  The idea was to cut down on caffeine in the afternoon so that was good.

3. walk, walk, walk

I started out well but stopped quickly when an old achilles tendon problem popped up.  I limit myself to 15 minutes on the treadmill to give my heels a chance to heal.

4. walk the dog outside at least once a day

Poor, poor dog.  It is a good thing she is small enough to get all her running and exercise done in the house.

5. take my supplements/vitamins/minerals/meds without fail

Done, for the most part.

6. including the ever yucky cod liver oil (it’s so yucky it has to be a separate resolution)

Yucky, yucky CLO.  Yucky, yucky yucky.  It doesn’t matter how many times you take it, it never gets better.  But I’m doing it.

7. change out of my pj’s everyday… there are limits

So far, so good but my shark jammies are showing a good bit of wear from pushing this one to the limit.

8. spend the 15 minutes a day it takes to teach BC to read

Fifteen minutes a day?!  Who was I kidding?  Oh lordy, me!  I sort of switched us to other types of learning because teaching BC to read was becoming stressful for both of us.  He can read some but he chooses not to yet.  I will push reading again soon but at 5yo, I think he has plenty of time to learn.

9. use the yarn stash

Working on it.  If only my dear, dear friends and husband weren’t so sweet and didn’t keep enabling me with wonderful, new yarns, I would get further along.  How I suffer!  Thanks for the yarn, you all!!!!  I wouldn’t change a thing. Anyway, I just started a stash busting throw/shawl thingy.  I might make some progress before some sweet soul gives me more fiber. I hope not.

10. use the fabric stash

Ummmm… yeah, I should do that.  Does anyone want to gift me with a new sewing machine?…..  Hello?…. Anyone?….

11. keep simplifying where possible

Sometimes things aren’t as simple as you might think.  You might think one thing will make your life simpler but in reality it was a complication in disguise.  I’m working on it.  When I have the energy, I’m ruthless.  Other times, I’m not so much ruthless as I am a sentimental pack rat with a housekeeping deficiency.

12. make peace with a budget, any budget

I was actually doing this till the price of everything went through the roof.  All my savings essentially went right back out to pay for increased prices.

13. find humor… it’s gotta be here somewhere!

I did find some humor.  I have it right here… oh wait, where did I put that?…  No, seriously.

Ironically, when I went off antidepressants earlier this year, I found my funny bone had been tucked away at the same time as my cry bone.  You take the bad with the good, I guess.

I don’t want anyone to think I’m advocating kicking meds… I found my own path after much research and testing supplements on myself.  I have found some things that work for me but they aren’t 100%.  Antidepressants are a godsend when you need them.  That’s all I’m saying.

14. keep foods allergen free

I have been pretty good about the foods.  There are some things I never eat.  There are some things I eat occasionally…. all I want to know is what are the secret ingredients in Coca Cola’s “flavorings” that I’m allergic to?  And don’t say it’s the hfcs because I had Coke made with cane sugar and it did the same thing to me as regular Coke.  Just so you know…

15. eat foods I enjoy… in moderation

I can still fit the number of times I’ve had cheesecake on one hand.  I’m not suffering.  Mostly, when I want something “good”, I ask if this is something I really like…. brownies? not so much… caramel? sluuuurrrrppppp!

16. eat fewer foods I don’t enjoy

I’m getting better at saying no.  And I have found ways of informing MC that I’m really serious… mostly the brownie thing.  He is a choco-fanatic… me? not so much.

17. give MC and BC my full attention when they talk to me

I’ve been known to do this.  It would be kind of them if they would do the same for me.

18. demand MC’s full attention when I talk to him… turnabouts are fair

Ummmm… yeah, see #17.

19. clear out the garden and yard before it gets too hot (I’ve already made headway here)

I didn’t get as far as I wanted but BC and I did plant a small garden.  We also put flowers in some of my planters.  I have about 5 more years of neglect to make up for and the garden/yard will be pretty again.

20. plant something, anything, this year

Done.  Already ate our first tomato and two sugar snap peas (that would be 2 more than I thought we would get).  I’m expecting the zinnias to bloom any minute now.

21. get the house into some kind of presentable shape, and keep it there

You know this is one of those moving targets.  I get things organized and cleaned up… then BAM! the mess fairies tear it asunder.  (Cool… I used the word “asunder”.  Hehe!)

22. keep up with the blog

**ahem** **cough** **sputter**  Oops. **sputter** **mumble, mumble**

23. keep up with your blogs

**ditto**

24. find joy in everyday, and not so everyday, happenings

I do try.  Many days I fail.  Some days I do ok.  Other times I excel.

25. fewer resolutions!

Absolutely.

I finished a pair of socks.

Sock glamor:

Do you know how hard it is to get a decent sock shot using your own feet? I suspect sock knitters all know.

This shot looks like my feet are shy… or I have to goooo.

I took these pictures in the middle of the day, and I’m wearing shark jammies.

Sock info:

Yarn: Berroco Comfort Sock (50% nylon, 50% acrylic)
Pattern: Classic Sock Pattern from Folk Socks by Nancy Bush
Needles: No. 3 steel dpns… how I wish I had some light bamboo No.3’s!

These are classic (hence the pattern name) top-down socks with heel flaps. I have big ankles (but not cankles… I hope) so I used the largest pattern size. It is a smidge loose so halfway between the medium and the large would have been a better size for me. Not that that stopped me from immediately starting another pair in the same large size.  I refuse to stray from the pattern after losing my knitting mojo a couple months ago. I definitely recommend Nancy Bush’s book… it is working wonders for my sock mojo!

The yarn is okay.  If you need a cool sock, this will do the trick.  If you need warm socks, don’t use this yarn.  The day I tried these socks on it was 63F in my house and my tootsies were so cold.  Now it is 83F and my tootsies are comfy.  Not that I’m wearing socks today because it is too hot… bare feet are the order for hot days when your a/c is broken.

I received a great package from Cara at This Recycled Life last week.  This bracelet and necklace are even prettier in person than in photos.   I got the bracelet as part of winning her blog contest, and I exchanged one of my handmade things for the necklace.  I only hope she is as happy with my needlework as I am with her necklace!  Be sure to check out Cara’s blog and etsy shop.

The weather this past Friday was awful… there were tornado and thunderstorm warnings all day. We spent the day inside… BC spent his time grousing about what was on tv while I groused (to myself) about grocery bags. Plastic grocery bags are wonderful and awful at the same time.  Wonderful because they are so thin and utile.  Awful because they are plastic and will never go away.  You’d think I would have already solved my personal grocery bag dilemma seeing as how I make tote bags and such. But, as I’ve mentioned before, I’m lazy. Being stuck inside all day with a ton of unfinished housework finally propelled me 3 feet across the office from computer to sewing machine.

My mission: an easy-to-make but strong grocery bag that MC and I will actually use. I had 2 basic patterns in mind: one based on plastic grocery bags, and one tote-bag style. An additional goal was to use stash fabric or recycled fabric.

Bag #1: This first design was based on plastic grocery bags. I took apart a plastic bag to make the pattern. I used a thrifted bed sheet as the fabric of choice.

(no, that is not my hairy arm in the picture!)

Results: Exactly like a plastic grocery bag… except that the handles are a bit cumbersome because fabric doesn’t squish down like plastic does. The recycled bed sheet was awesome except the color and pattern were too emasculating for any man to carry even with the best of green intentions.  At least that was my interpretation of MC’s reaction which went along the lines of “You made this one for me?! Couldn’t you use more macho colors??”

The pattern was also a pain in my neck (except it wasn’t my neck that was in pain, the pain was at the other end of my spine). Curves and single piece handles were awkward and required too much work for my peace of mind.

On to style number 2 (which I was hoping would not be number 2 like the first style).

Bag #2: This design is a tote bag… but different from the style of tote bags that I usually make.

Results: We have a winner (the man held the bag so it looks wonky but it lays perfectly flat). I modified the bag design because the original tote bag I based it on was made from heavier, unlined fabric. I used newly purchased fat quarters for this bag and some muslin from my stash. I didn’t have enough “manly” stash fabric, and Joann’s was having a sale, and BC was pitching a tantrum about something so I distracted him by asking him to pick some fat quarters for daddy. Whew! That was a mouthful… and then we went to the park for 2 hours where I managed to get a sunburn despite being bundled up because it was in the 50’s and the wind was blowing straight through my clothes and I was freezing, and why was I the only one there wearing something heavier than a sweatshirt including my family? Seriously.  They didn’t get a sunburn either.

Bottom line: This style was quick and easy to sew. The seams are strong. The material is strong because it is lined. The handles may be too short but I won’t know till the man actually uses them for groceries. I didn’t tell him about the handles because I didn’t want to influence his evaluation, and I don’t want to take the bag apart to put longer handles in (lazy, remember?). I did manage to use some of my stash… I can use more stash when I make bags for myself seeing as how I like feminine colors and patterns.  And wear sunblock if you are going to spend 2 hours at the park.

As you can see, I liked the pattern enough to duplicate it.

The colors are still “cute” according to the man but what do you expect when you let a 5yo pick them out after you stirred up a hornet’s nest of a temper tantrum… at least they aren’t emasculating pink flowers.

(BTW, BC insisted on putting back his original choice after MC said how much he liked the fabric… me thinks the boy wanted daddy to suffer.)

The house is still a mess… I’m thinking I need at least 10 of these bags!

Just before I went out of town, I entered a contest at Cara’s blog This Recycled Life.  She creates unique jewelry and dolls from recycled materials.  I won the contest for a bracelet!  I can’t wait.  Make sure you look around her Etsy shop Beautiful Garbage too.  I’m drawn to her key necklaces.

I love the idea of making pretty, unique items from things that we all normally consider junk or garbage.  It appeals to my green side and my pink side (aka “girly”).  We all should find ways to rethink things, and Cara’s take is beautiful.  Be sure to check out her patterns for junk mail… they weren’t what I expected.  I plan to put my junk mail to good use soon!

I am so happy to be home. Vacation is exhausting… especially with a 5yo in tow. I am wiped out! But we had a great time visiting snow while we were there.

One very happy 5yo:

I took this picture of BC several hours after the snow started falling. The day before rain had melted all the snow. By the time the storm was over, the courtyard here was about 6 inches deep in snow with more falling. That may not be much for you all that live in snowy areas but it was plenty for one very happy little boy from Florida.

I had plenty of time for a vacation sock:

One sock… I finished the toe at home. As you can see, the second sock is on the way… can I avoid second sock syndrome?  If I do, I’ll show it to you a modeled picture.

There was one very major mishap on the road. Fortunately, I had my medical supplies handy.

Lamb suffered a rear leg blow out. BC handed him to me and told me I could fix it. Such confidence! I had no sewing supplies with me and yarn was not going to do the job. Lamb got a bandaid. I was completely surprised that the bandaid worked!  It is still working.
Lamb is a trooper.

I will be without a computer for the next week or so… I’ll resume posting as soon as I can1

Please pardon the quality of these photos… I really did try to take better pictures but my camera was having its little laugh.

When knitting took a nosedive, I picked up my embroidery needles. These works were my first attempts at this type of embroidery… faux jacobean.

I copied the first two patterns from a picture in my embroidery book. I chose different colors and different stitches but the patterns are similar.

This was my first attempt at creating a pattern that is mostly my own (I borrowed elements from other places but the arrangement is mine). I thought it would be cool to do a monochromatic pattern. As you can see, it is impossible to see photos of gold thread on gold lame… brilliant. It was that hard to see the pattern as I was stitching too. I used two different lamps to see the pencil marks… you can just see some of the white marks on the upper right side where I missed a small group of berries.

I need botox to get rid of my new squint lines!

I didn’t say much about making Lamb when I posted his/her (a little of both according to BC) pictures… too busy being lazy, I think.  The pattern is easy peasy with some caveats.  If you use flannel (or another loose weave fabric), you might want to apply interfacing on the backside.  Lamb’s stitches are pulling out in the most embarrassing places.  Also, if you are hand stitching, make it worth your while and use small, back stitches (or something similar).  Oh, and mark your seam allowance… trust me.  Learn from my exploits or you too will have a misshapen lambkin that is pulling seams and tearing its weave open.  Despite her idiosyncrasies, Lamb is much-loved.

Hi, there!

Do I know you?

I came from Pattern Bee.

My name is “Lamb”.

I live on a cliff.

It’s not a real cliff.

Bye!