Birthdays and Reflections

I turned 42 on Friday...  Here's a couple of the awesome gifts I got from mom!  Can't wait to knit these both up into awesome socks!!  ( Thanks mom!!! )

And like some of us do with birthdays, we reflect on the year we just "survived." I sat on the porch today and did a mental inventory of things I'm thankful for--my parents, husband, and pups, of course.  My awesome new job at a new school. The lovely view from my front porch and the quiet of the neighborhood.  And I also looked back on some failures and I realized that my only real failures are my friendships.  I broke off a friendship in November with a friend I had had for years.  It was time.  She drained me of my positive energy whenever she was around.  But I miss the things we used to do together and the cool things I would have never done had it not been for her.  The most recent failure is with my best friend.  She means the world to me. I love her so much that I think it may be too much.  She has noticeably drifted away from me and I don't feel as important as I used to feel.  Sure she lives 4 states away and her life is tough being so far away from her family, but I wonder if I expect too much.  A phone call once a month, a birthday card, a visit longer than an hour and a half when she's home for a week.  

And naturally, I assume I'm the problem.  I'm not usually needy and insecure.  Why can't I maintain a best friend?  Are my standards too high?  Am I too difficult?  Am I the annoying one?  Am I too vocal and stubborn?  So, I'm now alone.  Not a big deal--I was alone when she dubbed me her best friend.  So, I maintain my solitary existence in friendville.  But, I don't like it.  And I have a tough time making friends because I don't like to put myself out there.  Catch 22, indeed.

Stashbust 2014 Continues

So, I checked my stash online and noticed my stash now stands at 53 yarns.  That is so absolutely awesome!  I even unloaded all my cotton stash today to mom.  She's making dishcloths and said something about needing more cotton, so I graciously gave her all of mine.

So, I won't tell you I bought more sock yarn this week in retaliation of my husband buying a new Playstation 4.  It will just be my little secret.  And next weekend, we won't discuss the yarn I buy at A Knitters Fantasy.  My stash will just mysteriously grow a few skeins--until I can unload more of the stash I don't work from...

Happy Saturday!

Well.....  I finished Zuzu's Petals today.  I don't like the way it blocked, so it is currently "reblocking" on the mats.  It doesn't lay very nicely, so I'm trying to block it lengthwise instead of widthwise.  We shall see in the morning!  That being said, I love this cowl.  I love the yarn, I love the pattern, I love it all!  My next one will use a real gradient yarn that is worsted weight.  Yum!!

I always put the leftover yarn from a project into a bin.  I save them all for no real reason other than if I need a small amount to try a new technique or if I'm teaching someone to knit and I don't want them to use one of my full skeins.  Having said that, I came across an article on Buzzfeed about what creative things you can do with your yarn scraps.  I decided to take the leftovers from all my favorite yarns or projects and I put them in a vase that I've had sitting around.  Gives a little pop of color and also makes me happy to remember all the cool things I've made without dragging them out.

And I have the perfect spot for it!  Next to my colorful knitting needles from my "grandma" Flo and my Festival Glass candy dish that my mom gave me that was her mother's--my real grandma.  And after this picture was taken, I put up the paperweight my dad gave me that used to sit on his desk.  A lot of awesome memories for one corner!

Halfway through February

I checked my project list and it was pretty lofty.  Too many large projects to finish, so I'm already telling myself it's ok that I don't meet my goals this month.  One goal I DID meet was completing a pair of socks each month--here's this month's socks!!  Rainbow-y!!

I actually bought yarn Friday.  It's this lovely Madelinetosh Vintage, but it's for a good reason--my boss asked me to make him a hat.  It was not a frivolous whim purchase.  I promise.

And the stash bust continues!  I used up another miscellaneous skein of yarn on this Truffle Hat.  I modified the pattern so that every other rib was cabled instead of cabling every rib.  I like it better...

Now, back to the hat for Mr. Holmes. I wanted to finish my Trillian, but it will be a small miracle if it is finished by the end of the month.  To much "end" at the end of the pattern makes for a boring knit....  And the 10 squares on my afghan?  Forget about it...