I Was Knit Together In My Mother's Womb

How could I pass up this Ten on Tuesday? I love getting dressed in the morning, and I'm always interested in how to get the best wardrobe for the money...good classic stuff that I can wear and wear and wear.

Ten favorite articles of clothing I own?

1. My body shapers. Daily. Can't live without them.

 

2. Old Navy Yoga pants. Much do JR's dismay, they have become my after-work uniform. Daily. Can't live without them. Both pair are in the laundry this morning.

3. No- iron white shirt from Coldwater Creek.

4. A black fitted and flared at the bottom black skirt. Classic. I wear it all the time.

5.  A gray pencil skirt.

6. Jeans. A white pair, and a dark wash pair.  I even wear the white ones after Labor Day...even when it's snowing!!!  I do notice that I get some sideways glances from the old fashion police. The rules have changed, ladies!

7. My Red knitted skirt. Because it's fun to wear and it always gets noticed.

8. Basic black thin knit sweater from Eddie Bauer. I've had it for years, and I wear it, and wear it and wear it. It's the perfect weight and shape. I got it at the outlet and wish I had gotten two or three.

9. A new favorite...Columbia red quilted vest.  And also this winter, a black quilted vest with fur trim collar.

10. I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but I have a white peasanty type blouse, which is embroidered, loose fitting and probably stained. During the summer, I wear it all the time. Last summer, it seems like every time Meghan stopped by,  I was wearing that top. "Nice top, Mom," she'd always say.  And I'd notice that I was wearing it yet again.  So, it gets the vote as one of my favorites. Not to mention the fact that I paid $7  for it at Old Navy about four years ago.

 

So there you have it. All pretty basic, and functional. I never lack for an outfit to wear when I don't feel like thinking about  putting something together.  I can throw on pretty much any of these things with any of the other things in my closet and I'm good to go.

That was fun.

It's really exciting having a new commitment to my UFO's.  First on the list is that lace shawl. It took me a few tries to get back into the groove of lace knitting, but I'm committed. Yes I am.

Not being a "Lace Knitter," I have to wonder about my choice of needles for this project. I am using regular old bamboo needles, but they seem to slow me down. I find it challenging to pick up the stitches, especially K2Tog. I think I need pointier needles. Do you have suggestions for your favorite lace knitting needles?

When I was growing up, our vacations were of the camping type, involving car travel. Sometimes it was just a weekend away at a local-ish place, and at least once every summer, we drove hours to go to the mountains or to The Thousand Islands, or even to another state. Great preparations were made in advance...things like snacks and reading and maybe cards and a bag full of saved coins to call a best friend or a boyfriend from a payphone along the way.   And once the car was loaded and the camper hitched, we were off...crammed into the back seat, sometimes still in pajamas. 

You know when you're on a really long trip and you can't wait to get there? In my mind, every other day, I asked myself, "Are we there yet?"  as I knit on the back of Sylvi. Day after day of chart reading and cable knitting, which could only be done at home because of the complexity of it.  We finally arrived...the back of Sylvi:

(excuse the lousy photo...I'm not sure what happened!)

The rest of the sweater will be all seed stitch... yards and miles and skeins of seed stitch.

Are we there yet?

An interesting thing happened on the way to my yarn closet.

I had to face the reality of my knitting. I showed you four unfinished projects a few days ago. So, it's time for True Confessions ( remember those magazines that we looked at when we were kids? My mother had a few around the house, and I found them so scandalous and intriguing when I was 12.)

These are the rest of my Projects in Waiting:

Representing the "Blues:"

       

Coming in a close second are the "Black and Whites:"

     

And last, the "Brown" family of unfinished projects:

   

In recognition of the New Year, the New Inauguration, and the whole concept of "out with the old and in with the new,"  I give myself permission to frog what went wrong, what I don't like, and the "What Was I Thinking" projects.

Top row. The mittens need a cute little braid trim.  The baby sweater needs sleeves. Katharine Hepburn is a keeper. These are all keepers.  And the Midwest Moonlight scarf?  I'm frogging it. After four years, I think it needs to go. No matter how proud I was of one of my first lace attempts.

Second Row... I will finish my beautiful Latvian mittens. And the Vogue striped top? I'll wait til Spring to decide. The Rebecca hoodie made from the ivory  GGH Belaire has to go. STINK I love that yarn, but maybe I need a different project for it.

And last? The bamboo tank. What was I thinking? The yarn is lovely, but would I really wear such an open lace sleeveless top? No matter how I love the yarn, I think this one goes away.  But I'm not sure what to do with the pillow top. It's a great project, one that I used for teaching. But do I have a place for it? Will I ever finish it? Do I really like it? Would someone else like it instead?

I feel better already.

Freed from indifference and indecision...

 

And ready to become something loved and treasured. This is some beautiful yarn that needs to be out there...represented in a new way with a new style.

What are you hiding???? Are you ready to be out with it?

You would think that with my husband being away this week, I would have so much more time on my hands. I actually cannot think of how I've spent the last week since I really didn't do much of anything productive. It's been too cold to do anything involving outside.

 Oh,  sure, I've knit some. 

But I had ten yards of awesome fabric for bedroom window covering, which is still in the bag (I got it at a STEAL from Walmart for 1.50 a yard! And it's really nice fabric...you know, one of those overruns or whatever, where you don't get the manufacturer's name?). 

 I also have a coat to sew.

Well, I did clean my fan blades. Ran the vacuum cleaner. Once. And this morning, as I pulled out the scale from it's lair under the storage cabinet in the bathroom. I had to actually get a washrag out to clear away the dust from the top of it.  That of course, led me to clean the rest of the bathroom, and then step on the scale.  It was better news than when I weighed in at the doctor's office ten days ago. Six pounds better!

Have you ever taken the Real Age test? My husband is (chronologically) six years older than I am.  I'm almost 50. My Real Age?  57!   My husband's real age? 50.2!  (let's keep in mind that he eats desserts every day, and is recreationally physically active for one week in July and one week in March. He also, just last week decided that he would move a dish of Lindor Truffles to the table beside the sofa. I guess so he doesn't have to walk to the kitchen and stretch to get them off the top shelf.)

Me? I practically have to jog around the block to come back to the fridge to eat a Clementine if I don't want to gain a pound.

GAME ON, Mister.

Moses is also getting old. He also had a doctor's visit recently, and our news was a bit sad. He's starting to have some spinal chord atrophy. Stairs are getting harder for him.

I gave him  an extra down comforter under his dog bed after that visit.  Now I have to rouse him from his cushy bed in the morning to let him out, the old lazy bones. 

 Moses still has such a young spirit, and such energy ( in his waking moments!) for an old guy...still perky at the call for a walk, or a treat, always up from his bed to greet us at the door with big wags.

I think I'm going to make him another big sweater.

Some things that I was thinking about today:

I was thrilled when last week I discovered a Fan Blade and Corner Duster with a Four Segment Extension Pole. My fan blades and corners are now clean.

How do you clean something like this?

    Do real people have chandeliers like this?

I wonderif when my husband bought me that little red iPod  (which he had lovingly engraved), he knew that each night I would fall asleep to the soothing sounds of Kelly Petkun's KnitPicks Podcast and the equally enticing  Stash and Burn Podcast?  Yes dear, whatever you say. Goodnight, JR.

It's getting to be that exciting time of the football season, I guess. What is it that makes a man want to do this?

Could it be that wearing a team colored clown wig or  a giant #1 Foam Finger does not quite shout loudly enough that he's a fan?

                              

Is it true that the larger a man is, the more likely he is to wear body paint?

I'm wondering  if I'll ever finish these projects that have been on hold for anywhere from 1-4 years?

    

  

Just thinking.

JR and I spent several days in Arlington, Virginia  last week. We love diners and especially diner breakfasts.  This picture was taken on the porch of Elsie's Magic Skillet. One of the best breakfast meals I've had....eggs scrambled with ham and cheese, homemade biscuits with strawberry jam, and a big ole plate of homefries.

Guess who has to get her "high risk" cholesterol and trigycerides in check?

So, I am completely overwhelmed. I checked out the American Heart Association dietary suggestions.

How do I do this?  Fish at least x number of times a week, under so many grams of this and at least x number of grams of that.

The Real Age site confused me more....nuts, whole grains,  more of this, this , this and this, and less of this, that and the other.  Fiber, trans fats, good fats, bad fats.  Vitamin this and mineral that.

Can someone please just show me a menu plan so that I can follow it?

Not to mention the fact that since my foot surgery, I've been a slug. So I have to exercise again. Dr. Oz says 10,000 steps a day. Let's see...It's 12 steps to my car, forty seven steps from my car to my desk, where I am basically parked for 8 hours. Repeat in reverse. 9 steps to my sofa, where I knit.

I am NOT giving up knitting!

Health is high maintenence. But I'm up for it. Anyone else that can relate?

Sylvi is coming along nicely....

Working my way up the back.

And another FO:

Just Enough Ruffles by Laura Chau

Well, here we go. It's a New Year. I've got to confess, I'm hoping for a better year ahead. I want to look forward to it. I remember a few years ago, I was thinking that turning fifty would be a cool thing...I had it mind that I was going to be the best fifty I could be....and of course, with fifty being the new forty, what could be better than that?  I never had age issues, and I wonder if I do now? I'm not sure what went wrong!

So, the countdown to March begins for me...wanting desperately to be on the way to the next big  birthday feeling like I'm living life the way I should be...I need some work. Physically. Spiritually. Emotionally. Relationally.   A work in progress since the day I was conceived, which means more to me now than just loosing ten pounds! 

Christmas was different for us this year....cried as hard as I laughed! Alone time and family time...blessed by the joy of two little boys on Christmas Eve and blessed by the joy of families unknown to us, to whom we delivered meals on Christmas morning. Missing my dad and my son, but loving the simplicity of celebrating with family sans gift-giving.  It was different, and I'm glad.

So, thinking ahead to 2009, I want to continue to embrace each of those blessings of Christmas...and embrace them daily, with appreciation and thankfulness, love and generosity. And loose those ten pounds!

Speaking of New Year...New Year's Baby...well, anyway, I needed a transition here...

  Want to see why I love knitting for babies?

     

This is Amelia (with her Christmas Stocking, which I knit last year for her...and a huge thanks to Elizabeth for assisting with the embroidery this year!)

Brayden (sporting his baby jacket and oops over-sized hat)

Gavin ( looking positively elf-like in his Stocking Hat.)

With a new baby on the way in our family, I've already bought Debbie Bliss Simply Baby. With Grand and Cute Ideas for my next grandchild!