Knitting? What's that?

I have, not one, not two, not three, but FOUR WIPs sitting on needles, all in beginning stages.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have a problem. >.> Just not enough time, etc. Well this is my 2015 resolution: carve out time for ME. That means time for reading, time for blogging, time for knitting, time for exercise, vacation, etc.

2015 is all about ME. Okay, and my niecelette who is due to be born around the end of February. :) I cannot wait to meet her!

In sad news, my darling Maddie, the sweetest little westie in the world, had to be put to sleep on December 7th. After months of medication and treatment, we finally reached that point where we had to do the humane thing as she was suffering.

The grief comes and goes. I was bereft when we took her over. I cuddled her and sang to her all her favorite songs. (I learned that these songs were her favorite by trial and error. As she lost her sight and got older, I would sing her to sleep at bedtime. She'd snuggle in and give a happy little sigh and then start to snore.) I got to hold her as she left this world. I was ugly crying and sobbing, and kissing her head, and still singing as her eyes closed, although my voice was broken. My heart is broken. And then some days I'm okay. And then I swear I see her out of the corner of my eye or I'll see an adorable westie on instagram that reminds me of her, and I'm reduced to a bucket of tears.

They all touch your heart, but some hurt more than others. Last January we said goodbye to my cat Mokie (15 years old) and almost a year later, I had to say goodbye to Maddie, also 15. It sucked.

But I have happy memories to sustain me! And I shall make 2015 all about me and happiness.

Sending out love in the world in Maddie and Mokie's names!

Knitting a baby dress!

I have too many projects going on. Starting a new job, overbooked myself (pun intended) for the book blog, taking care of my little old westie who has cancer, drowning under bills, you know...usual stuffs. :D

But I have deadlines and things to make. Like that scarf. Or the vest for my mom (I wanted to get it done for next month, but something tells me that ain't happening). Or this stuffed trout thing that I want to make for my dad.

So what did I decide to knit? A lilac baby dress. I'm not pregnant, no. But SOMEONE is. *coughsbitesliphardpromisednottotell*

So I'm making this:

I'm knitting it in Bernat Softee Baby yarn in Soft Lilac. It's super soft and washable and a lovely light light lilac.

Of course...I had moments of

This photo is from http://www.purplekittyyarns.com/ and used with their permission

over and over again. The pattern is really simple and easy to follow long, but for whatever reason, I took one sentence to mean something else and instead of knitting in the established pattern, kept trying to reverse it. D'oh!  Don't ask. I was making dumb mistakes all night. But now it's soaring along and I'm thinking that baby items are nice and tiny and small and maybe I'll keep making those instead until the late February deadline, eh?

=D






I got the yarn from amazon.com, which was nicely discounted, but with a new job comes new yarn affordability! I think I might limit myself, however, until I finish these three or four projects first!



I am quite excited to be knitting. Quite excited for SOMEONE's baby girl to be born. And generally just happy happy lately. :D

What are you up to? What are you reading? What are you knitting? Anyone? Anyone?

HOW CUTE IS THIS?

http://sincerelylouise.blogspot.com/2014/08/jiji-cat-free-knitting-pattern.html

Check out this ADORABLE pattern for Jiji the Cat! It's free from Sincerely Louise! 

OMG I MUST MAKE THIS. So cute. 

I need this, her owl, the fox hat, a knitted Murloc, and more. 

What cute patterns have you come across lately?

Cancer sucks.

You know me by now, I'm sure. When it's a larger project, I do a few rows at a time. I'm often interrupted when I'm knitting, usually taking care of my mother or one of the pets. I was watching 'Chocolat' with Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp the other night and got a few rows done on the vest I'm making for my mother. My goal was to get it done for her birthday, but I can already hear that deadline whistling as it sails over my head. Lately, my knitting is often more interrupted by a certain white woof, who has needed more care.

My sweet westie, Madeline Matilda, is diabetic, blind, and recently diagnosed with having an enormous, inoperable bladder tumor as well as other tumors peppering the insides of her tiny little body. She is 14 years old and one of the oldest westies our vet has ever seen, which is a wonderful thing, I suppose! =)

I can't, and won't, say no to this face!

She brings me joy, even when we are in the darkest of times. She has always been the sweetest, most friendly pup in the world. And it is my privilege to be her chosen human. She could've chosen someone else in the family, but she chose me. So my days are often spent rushing her out to pee, crouching low to the ground with a flashlight at night to make sure her urine is steady and she's not straining. There is always blood, but as long as it's not completely hemorrhagic, we are still in the clear. It is about pain management and keeping her comfy.

She is getting more spoiled now than ever! From eating what she wants at any time she wants, to the burden of being kissed and hugged and pet and brushed by her humans, this girl is lapping up the extra attention. She's always been spoiled and laden with kisses, but we are all taking the extra time with her.

She has staked out a bathroom as her own. We've put her bed in there, with sheets to keep her cool, a rolled up towel to help keep the bed bolstered so she can rest her head, and on bad days, she gets an ice pack every few hours. She also has a cooling pad that she can choose to use. It's adorable to watch her maneuver and position herself JUST SO on that ice pack .

We lost her feline sister, Mokie, this January due to cancer. She was also 14; she would've been 15 in April. I don't think I handle this very well either and am often quite on the verge of tears, but I am so thankful that she loves me, she knows she's loved, and that I got to share her life.

Knitting and Reading and Writing

I've been playing around with story ideas and have random little notes everywhere as I read, knit, watch TV, etc. One of these days, I might actually try to WRITE a book instead of dreaming about writing one!

I knew a couple of these knitting rhymes, but found a few more while thinking about story ideas, etc. It made me wonder what else has nursery rhymes to help teach. It also made me think about WHY they have these little learning devices and then it hit me: it must be because the literacy rate was lower then! A few more Google searches and it seems my supposition is on the money.

How to do the Knit stitch (for little kids):

Into the Bunny hole
Run around the tree
Out of the bunny hole
Away runs he.

(This is the one that I knew already)
In through the front door
Once around the Back
Out through the Window
And off jumps Jack.

Wow, this one is a bit...dark. For those who need knitting therapy ;)

Stab 'em
Choke 'em
Drag 'em back
Throw 'em away!

For the purl stitch:

In front of the fence,
Catch the goat,
Back we go,
Jump off the boat!

Under the fence,
Catch the sheep,
Back we come,
Off we leap!

Aren't those cute? Now I'm going to look for more for crochet, sewing, embroidery, etc.

Absolutely No Knitting Progress :(

I have made absolutely NO knitting progress at all. The hat I made for my soon to be SIL was WAAAAAAAAAAAY off on the ribbing. About 2 inches too wide. So I need to frog the whole thing or add some elastic. I have more yarn, so I'll just knit a new one, but it's March and she won't need it for a while.

The scarf sits. The vest sits. I overbooked myself in reading commitments so February and March were a lot more busy than expected for the blog.

I'm still behind on my reading over there, plus behind in my knitting, and there's a ton of other things going on including an injured ankle and I'm cranky from not getting my miles in. I may only be powerwalking, but dammit I need it. Winter needs to go away! lol

I should be able to pick up my knitting more often soon. I'm going to slow WAAAAAAAAAY down on my book blog, too. I need to knit. I need to walk. I need the balance. I love reading, but then fall behind on reviews, which I don't like. But I need to find that balance.

SO!

Works in Progress or that will soon be in progress are:

• Smariek Knits Persephone scarf
• Cabled tie vest
• fenced in hat
• sweater or two for penguins

Wish me luck! 

{WIP} Persephone Scarf from Smariek Knits

I'm rather a slow knitter. Well, it's not that I'm slow really. It's that I don't do a lot at once like most other knitters. Three to five rows and then I get distracted. Books, fur kids, another knitting project.

Maybe this one will be done by next winter! In the meantime, I'm doing a few rows while watching ALMOST HUMAN. I really like Karl Urban. I've seen him in lots of movies, of course, but he really won me over with he was mourning what he thought was his sister's death in Lord of the Rings: Return of the King!

Anyway, just an update on one of my WIPs. :)