A year in review

It's another turn of the Roman calendar year. I really have nothing more to say about this past year, so how about we just keep moving forward?

On Ravelry, I play two de-stashing games. This is good, because I have accumulated a crap-ton of yarn. I need to get rid of a bunch of it, and my preferred method is to actually knit with it. However, as I am as slow as molasses when knitting (and now have the yarnivorous puppy to contend with), it means I de-stash a whole lot more slowly than I re-stash.

For instance, just at Chrismas, I ended up with a load of lace yarns, luckily all free:

Not even going to confess how much fingering weight I got, never mind the worsted stuff. Sigh.

And those are just the highlights. There's more. Much, much more.

I need to actually use it, you know? So one of the de-stashing games I'm doing is setting challenges for us. The first challenge is to use our oldest yarn. Then, we're to use our Precioussss -- you know, that one skein that is just so super special you want to just hug it and love it and call it George?

It's hard to pick just one for that second challenge, I'll confess. Although that will end up being a project finish instead of starting something new, methinks. Let me rummage, see if I've got a picture....

That's my first skein of Malabrigo, ever. Ain't it purty?

So there's my goals for 2015: Find time to knit, knit with my oldest yarns:

Probably my multiple colors of this, Rowan Kidsilk Haze

 

Finish my oldest project (because it is my Precioussss), and maybe knit with this:

Mystery merino, lots of yardage, won in a contest early on

 

I know exactly what it's going to be. All that on top of the other stuff I'm knitting, plus my work and my writing...I'm going to be a very busy bee in 2015, Bob willing and the creek don't rise. 

We'll see how I've followed through in 365 days, won't we?

Aughnonononononono!

So, I was working on a Giftmas present for Nieceling. I got a yarn I thought was going to work, finished up two days ago, popped it in the washer (it said it was machine washable yarn) and....

It pilled up!!!

I am so verklempt right now. It was adorable and now it's just...just...fuzzy.

I will have to promise her to make one out of good yarn. Sturdy yarn.

I'm off to KnitPicks now, because say what you will about their policies, they have some sturdy as hell acrylics that are soft, durable and do not pill. 

Here is Rex, to cheer me up:

Come to my pillow fort, we can snuggle

Nobody comes here anymore, so....

I guess it's safe to post this here:

It's a glimpse of patterns to come. Just the colors, no detail work yet. I'll be posting the pattern shortly after Christmas (if only because I won't be getting a good overall photo until Christmas day.) The prototype is a gift for someone (shh, don't tell), and will be getting pulled out of a bag and (hopefully) worn for the first time that day. I hope she likes it.


It's really simple, and nothing anyone with a half an ounce of knitting experience couldn't reverse-engineer, but eh. Feels good to be getting my toes into the design waters again. If nothing else, it gives me an extra push to finish it -- so I can write it down and get it ready.

I'm such a weenie, that I should need an extra push to finish up a pattern. I don't like deadline knitting, but there's really no point in resisting it -- it's not like anyone forced me to knit this, I chose to do it. I get so frustrated with myself sometimes!

I have help in the knitting:

Nice picture, eh? I caught him in mid-scritch. Found it adorable, to be honest. Long curly whiskers, little floofy toes....

A total affront to my dignity, that last picture. What if I had been grooming?!?!?

I have other help, too, but of the "giant canine version of a yarn moth" sort. So I don't knit in front of my downstairs tv anymore. Someone might eat my yarn.

Hey. How you doin'?

 

HappyLight, I love you!

The past two years have been...eventful, to say the least. Being of a highly strung disposition, this has been giving me fits. Since late summer, I've been getting progressively more and more down. Not constantly, but, bouncing down and then just not rebounding as high, if you know what I mean.

I decided that until I get into the habit of yoga and puppy snuggling kicks in and improves my mood, I would get myself a HappyLight to keep the dark of winter from adding to my problems. I mean, I'm having enough problems dealing with the positive changes in my life, adding cold dark on top of it...yeah. No.

I've been using it during the week at work -- it fits nicely on my desk, you see. I haven't thought much of it, to be honest. I've been holding pat on the whole "getting depressed" thing, thought maybe I had just found a plateau to sit on.

Then I forgot to turn it on yesterday morning.

Holy Bob, y'all. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is Rex snuggled up in my furry blanket, curled up on Mom's lap, practically purring in canine Nirvana, and 1 is being completely ennervated into a soggy lump by existential despair, I was somewhere around a 3 (barely functional, weepy, wired and tense from near panic attack levels of anxiety). It was horrible. I could hardly wait to get to work this morning just so I could turn on that stupid light box.

And it works, just in case you wondered. I feel way, way, way better tonight. Praise Bob.

Although getting some knitting in may have helped, too. I worked my old desk today, for a couple of hours. I had a nice big window in front of me, music, an obvious heater at my feet...and my yarn.

I am, by the way, working on a new pattern. It's pretty basic, but I'll cut people in on it. I want to get back to designing in my off hours. I'm tired of not doing anything more strenuous than watching tv. I also need to get back to making myself dinner, with like vegetable and vitamins and stuff. All these changes, all the dark and gloomy, wet weather have apparently really been bringing me down.

But I have HappyLight now. And I felt good enough today to take the dog for a walk, so I'm hopeful that I'l be feeling good enough to make decent meals, which will help me feel better as well, and it will become a positive habit spiral that will get me out of the negative spiral I've been heading into.

I love you, HappyLight!

Oh, my Blob, what just happened?!?!?

I'm not sure even I know. Life has taken some bizarre turns, my friends. I'm really hoping that now that Rex has turned one, I'll be able to actually knit in my chair on occasion.

Otherwise, he and I are going to have to have a come to Dogus meeting.

I haven't managed to finish one thing in the past three months. I accumulate the yarn, I buy the needles, but I am continually frustrated by my inability to actually work on anything. Part of that is that I have an obligation project on the needles. I hate knitting obligation.

I may have to get off my backside, queue up some fun tv and knit the shit out of that thing tomorrow. Three hours (which happens, coincidentally, to be what I have of Vintage CSI: Original Crispy on the DVR) should do it.

And then, maybe, I can move forward? Without neglecting my knitting self?