How's about some books?

Oops. Got a little sidetracked what with the whole laryngitis/fever/dizzy thing I came down with a few weeks ago.
But happily in the midst of that, my order from the lovely folks at Knit Picks arrived :) And what came was books :) Knitting books :)
Sadly, the bulk of my knitting books are still in Saskatchewan so I'm trying to build a small library here without duplicating what's back West.
So I have two titles here to ramble about today: The Magic of Shetland Lace Knitting by Elizabeth Lovick and Folks Socks (updated) by Nancy Bush :)
I love lace knitting. I love the stitches and the histories of different areas where it has become an art. I was immediately drawn to The Magic of Shetland Lace Knitting. This book is excellent. The opening chapter gives a lovely overview of the history of knitting in the Shetland islands. There is an essential skills chapter that explains techniques step-by-step. There are even six projects with suggestions on substitute lace patterns to try. My favorite part is the stitch dictionary. Organized by stitch and row count, it's easy to find just the right stitch to set off your current WIP. I'm currently working "Queen's Lace" onto a project! I love how this book is laid out. It's clear and concise. Just what a novice knitter needs to jump into the world of yos and K2togs :) While I'm no novice, the stitch dictionary and the history were of great interest to me. An excellent addition to my library.
Onto Folk Socks by Nancy Bush :) I wanted this book the first time it was out. And before I had a chance to get my hands on it, it was out of print. But now it's back and better :) And I have my own copy! This is such a great book. The history chapters alone are worth the price of admission! Then there are the lovely patterns, updated with more current yarn choices. I have several of Ms. Bush's sock books and have knit several pairs of socks from them. I don't see this one being any different. I especially want a pair of the kilthose! Another fabulous addition to my little library :)
And at nearly 1am (NDT) I think that about wraps things up. Two new books full of possibilities :) I shall dream of FOs ;) And WIPs of course. lol A girl can't forget those.
TTFN

FO Report!!

I know this doesn't happen very often lol My Wingspan is done. Complete. Off the needles. That's all she wrote. :)
I knit 10 points using about 6yds shy of an entire skein of Elann Sock it to Me dankai. Lovely yarn to work with; luh-ve how the colors shade!
So that's my excitement of the day :)
TTFN

So Much for Spring

Big storm hit last night and still nasty winds today. Thank goodness it's my weekend; I've stayed inside with cups of tea and my knitting.

And my knitting has turned back to designing. I got inspired when I saw that someone knit my "Pyewacket" on Ravelry :) I've had this piece in progress since not long after I moved here. Time to breathe some life into it. And it's going well too. It's a bit quirky and I'm thinking of submitting it to Knitty. Actually it's going so well, I just composed the pattern blurb and designer profile a la Knitty lol Feeling optimistic in the face of not losing power last night I guess!

In kitty life, we're celebrating Charlie's 11month birthday today :) He's turned into such a distinguished looking cat! Maureen's doing well here in her new home, I'm happy to report. And Jake is a bundle of fluffy, energetic kitten cuteness. First pic is Maureen and Jake on my bed. Second is Charlie on yhe back of the couch :)

That sums up the day. I'm off to brew another cup of David's Tea 'Toasted Walnut' and get back to this piece of lace ;)

TTFN

Hello Spring?

Well, Spring may have arrived here in my little corner of Newfoundland. The snow is melting and streets are actually quite dry. Ice isn't out of Random Sound yet though so we might see another go. Gotta say I'm not gonna miss the snow this year.

In injury news, my wrist wasn't actually broken but the ligament in my wrist was torn as was the one that controls my thumb. Been 7+ weeks now and still have to wrap it with a tensor for work. But it is getting stronger.

Not much in knitting news because of the above. Done a bit more work on the Wingspan and started a lovely new piece just the other day. I had picked up Interweave Knits Spring issue while we were in Town the first weekend (celebrating my 2nd year anniversary in my adopted province of Newfoundland :) I can't hardly believe it's already 2 years!!!!) so I was flipping through it while the laundry was in and a number of the patterns were appealing to me. Long story short, I cast on the Serendipity Tee (Jesie Ostermiller) using DGB Confort from my stash. (this is the yarn I used to knit my St. Moritz sweater a few years back) Loving it :) The pattern is a simple but engaging top-down sweater with a lovely "smocking" look from well placed cables at the neck and top of the sleeves. It looks very classic, dare I say vintage inspired, and extremely wearable. And I already love the yarn so isn't that a bonus? ;)

As mentioned above, I've now been here for 2 years. Wow. Some days it feels like I was never anywhere else; like this is and always has been Home. That's an odd feeling for a girl who never quite felt like she belonged anywhere because she was uprooted too many times. But Home I seem to be and Home I'll stay.

It's Saturday night and there's a Habs v Leafs game on CBC. I've got chips, an Eatmore bar and a Snack-and-a-1/2 waiting in the freezer; other than my team, I'm Dad's girl lol So Go Habs Go!! (sorry, Daddy; hope your Wings can pull ahead) And hope everyone enjoys their weekend

TTFN

I Hate Ice

I have good reason too. And it's nothing to do with being cold.

I slipped and fell at the end of the driveway yesterday. Road rashed my left hand a bit and bruised my butt. Got up, dusted myself off and continued on my walk up to work.

After being at work about an hour, I noticed that not my left hand was not only a bit sore but there was major swelling going on at the base of my thumb and I was becoming unable to move it without a lot of pain.

I figured I'd last to the end of my shift and then go to the hospital. I only made it 4.25 hours before the pain got to be too much :(

After xrays, I have a hairline fracture near the top of the big bone in my wrist. Because of the amount swelling, I was fitted with a backplate and have to go back up for a full cast next Monday. I'm off work until then, at least :(

So now, I'm in pain and I can't knit, can't bake and can't dance. I'm supposed to "rest". Rest? I'm bored out of my friggin skull!!!! I want to scream! I can't even wash my own hair!

So yeah; I HATE ICE!!!!

One Down :)

Yay me!!!! *Kermit arm flail*

Just over an hour ago, I completed my first project of 2014. It's another Pimpelliese, this time in solid red Diamond Luxury Collection Superwash Merino DK :)

Only one problem: what can I cast on and finish in a month? It's one month to the cast on for the Ravellenic Games. Must go ponder queue and stash...

TTFN

Bye-bye 2013

Here it is. The final day of 2013. And here I am, lying on my bed with an attack of tendonitis in my left shoulder listening to "Mrs Crandell's Boarding House" by the Irish Rovers. My musical taste never really changed passed age 12 lol

What will happen in 2014? I can tell you what I hope to accomplish anyway.

Knitting Resolutions:
Gotta confess: these last couple years have been sadly lacking in the FOs. 2013 has netted me 3. Seriously. That's just sad. So, to start 2014 I'm determined to finish up my "Daydreams in Lace" (Brooke Nico; Rav project Majestic Dreams) and my "Ardrum Scarf/Wrap" (Aisling Doonan; Rav project Kinelea Lace). After that I have the yarn ready and waiting for Annie Modesitt's "Corset Top". That might be my Ravellenic Games project; more on that later. I want to complete at least 5 projects in 2014.

Dance Resolutions:
Although still residing in the middle of no-where in regards to dance, I'm determined to get off the couch and do something. Maureen, my darling 15.5 year old cat, gave me both Jean Butler's Masterclass and Colin Dunne's Celtic Feet for Yule/Christmas. I might not have a teacher pointing out my bad back foot turnout and my failure to kick my butt on my treble-hopbacks but at least I can move in a more proper Irish dance manner again. My resolution is to spend one morning a week in the company of one or both of the dvds.

Weight Loss Resolutions:
On April 1st, 2013, I started using the My Fitness Pal app on my phone. My goal was to lose 60lbs by April 1, 2014. As of December 27, I've lost 43.6lbs; less than 20lbs to go :) I'm quite proud of myself despite some setbacks recently. But I'm determined to make my goal in three more months. (And I think my Dance resolution will help with this too ;) )

General Resolutions:
I've covered the important things but knitting and dance and my weight goals aren't, unfortunately, my entire focus in life. What else do I want to do in 2014?
For starters, I need to find a new job. Much as I like my co-workers, the job itself is starting to feel soul-sucking.
That being said, the Roomie Sis and I have been discussing the merits of moving to Pretty City. A different job is pretty well guaranteed if we can make the necessary preparations.
What else? I'm not happy where I'm at in terms of being single far-longer than I care to admit. So I'm resolving to be more open to letting someone in again; not every guy on the planet is an asshole. I need to remind myself of that more often.
Thanks to the lovely website, Dress911, I've discovered the joys of vintage style dresses. Counting the lovely lavender one I bought the other night (due to arrive Jan 8th:) ), I now have 4 little  numbers for when I need a little pick-me-up. I'm resolving to wear them whenever I feel like it, not save them for an occasion. Any day can be an occasion in a nice dress! Now I need to learn how to do something with my hair... ;)
I resolve to buy more shoes. This girl does not have enough pairs of heels ;)
I resolve to listen to music every day. I used to; I'm not quite sure what happened. I have a piece on my wall that says: "Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life"; how true is that? My soul is dusty; turn up the tunes and blow it away!
Maureen would like me to add her resolutions to the post:
nap more
thump Charlie hard enough to make him stop biting me
con Mommy out of more goodies
look cute and innocent
act surprised on my 16th birthday
enjoy more sun beams
signed, Maureen Mavourneen T_____

My wish is for everyone to find Peace, Love and Luck in 2014 :)
Happy New Year from Newfoundland, everyone!!