My Knit Life

Nautie the Nautiloid, aka Max

2006-04-28T05:53:00.000-06:00

Yay! I finally have a finished object to post here! Granted, it is only a tiny mollusk, but soon I should be posting images of a feathery lace stole and a lovely honeymoon cami!

Anyway, back to Nautie, or Max, as mine is called. I knit max on size 4 dpns with some unnamed acrilyic scraps from a friend's stash. I am quite pleased with the little guy and i am sure he will become good friends with Kate (the kitten in britches from knitty).

Time Flies!

2006-04-24T11:17:00.000-06:00

Wow, I haven't created a single post since January, and now it is nearly May. I can tell you exactly what happend: Graduate School. All of a sudden I decided I wanted an MBA, so i dutifully studied for and took the GMAT, applied to several schools, and just recieved a letter notifying me of my admission to one of my top choices. And, they offered me a scholarship! So, now I get to rest easy for a while... until mid-august, at least.

I'm hoping to knit quite a lot between now and then, because once classes begin I don't expect to have much free time.

I am still working on my feathery lace stole... I ignored it for all of February and March. I also just started Nautie the Nautiloid from the most recent issue of knitty. I knit her body and most of her face this weekend. Hopefully I'll be posting pictures of a complete Nautie by this Tuesday or Wednesday.

I hope to begin knitting the honey moon cami (also from Knitty) sometime this week, being that I'm getting married and going on a honeymoon this summer!

The only other knitting I've done recently was to create a small knit hamster for a friend's birthday. Unfortunately, I never got a picture of it.

Feathery Lace Stole

2006-01-21T08:42:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to the only picture of the feathery lace stole that I could find on the web. This one is knit in Rowan's Kidsilk Haze. http://www.yarnmarket.com/projects/Shawls,_Stoles_Wraps-Feathery_Lace_Stole-327.html

New Yarn!

2006-01-21T08:36:00.000-07:00

Mmm... new yarn. My absolutely wonderful mother sent me 2.5 skeins (leftovers) of this lovely yarn the other day. She also sent a pattern along with it, the "Feathery Lace Stole" from Exquisite Little Knits. I loved the pattern and I thought it seemed simple enough... but I've already frogged it three times! I'm going to give it one more shot today. I bought myself new stitch markers as encouragement. I've contemplated other patterns... kiri, birch, etc... but I'm not in the mood for a triagnle. I'm going for more of a stole than a shawl.

Kate: A kitten in britches (only mine is naked)

2006-01-10T05:40:00.000-07:00

Kate! Or, an unripe eggplant, depending how you look at her. Yes, this is my version of the lovely Kate (the Kitten in Britches) from Knitty. It was a really fun, easy knit... I didn't spend enough time shaping the stuffing, so I think she is a bit lopsided. Also, I used some scrap yarn that would have knit up much better on size 5 or 6 needles, but since I only had size 7 dpns I used those. I really just knit her as an experiment... my next knit critter will look much more professional. But I'm happy to have Ms. Eggplant... she's my new pet since I don't have a cat or dog, or even as much as a fish!

Leg Warmers

2006-01-10T05:35:00.000-07:00

These are my new legwarmers. When I visited my family for Christmas my sister was knitting a pair for herself and I just had to have my own. I simply knit two 14" long tubes in the round. I used Artful Yarns'

Whew!

2006-01-10T05:28:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't posted here in well over two months. I have been knitting, however, and I have some lovely FO's laying around to show for it. I had some Christmas knitting, as well. Unfortunately, I failed to photograph it. I made four hats and a capelet with matching gloves for my sister in law. They were lovely... and they will forever live on in my memory since I don't have any pictures of them!

Arizona

2005-10-25T05:52:00.000-06:00

I have to confess, I did not take this picture. I spent a long weekend in Arizona with my Aunt and my cousin, and it was my aunt that took this picture while she and my cousing were waiting for me to arrive.

2005-10-25T05:50:00.000-06:00

Well, here is the only image I have of my Clapotis right now. I looked so horrid in the picture that I had to crop my head out... I was in a store trying on a funny cowboy hat when my Aunt snapped this photo. I am very happy with the way my Clapotis turned out... It is small, but I knit it to wear it as a scarf, anyway. Since it isn't scarf weather, yet, I had to wear it as a shawl the day I finished it. Clapotis is very soft... I used a delicious wool/cashmere blend that was reduced from 16.75 a skein to only 2 dollars apiece!!!

2005-10-16T11:42:00.001-06:00

2005-10-16T11:42:00.000-06:00

This is a shot of just a few of the many hot air balloons I saw while visiting Albuquerque's International Balloon Fiesta last week. Seeing so many balloons inflate and take flight was magical-- especially because it took place in the early hours of the morning as the sun was rising.

Clapotis!

2005-10-16T11:35:00.000-06:00

Ahh... Clapotis. I've wanted to make one since I don't know how long, and last week while I was visiting Phoenix I stumbled upon a wonderful yarn store that was having a wonderful sale. I bought three balls of the most beautiful wool/cashmere blend. It is a rich brown color and it is so soft to touch. Yes, I know, I'm not using a variegated yarn-- but I just prefer the look of a monochromatic shawl. And yes, I only have three balls... so my Clapotis will be a bit smaller than average-- I'm okay with that, I already have a number of larger scarves/shawls/wraps (as most knitters probably do!)

I will post pictures in a couple of days, once I've dropped a few more stitches-- I just dropped the first stitch before writing this post.

And now, travel news. I am fortunate enough to be able to go back to Arizona next weekend to visit with some family-- I'm so excited. My DH has been away training for about 4 weeks now, and I'm pretty lonely here. The weekend in Arizona is perfect, because I will return on Sunday, just in time to prepare for the hubby's Monday arrival.

2005-10-09T22:06:00.000-06:00

Meet Libby. I knit this sweater over the past winter and I finally wore it while visiting Albuquerque this past week. The pattern is from the Rowan Cork Collection and I used the yarn by the same name: Rowan Cork. Unfortunately, I misplaced the rest of my information on this sweater when I moved, so I cannot say what size I knit, what my guage was, or even what needle size I used!

2005-10-09T22:03:00.000-06:00

Here are two full images of my finished Tivoli. Wearing it was a pleasure while in sunny Phoenix!

2005-10-09T22:02:00.000-06:00

2005-09-29T10:22:00.000-06:00

Here is my finished Tivoli T-shirt! I just bound off, wove in the ends and blocked it! I finished it just on time to wear on the vacation I'm leaving for at 1 pm today. This top will be perfect while I'm visiting Phoenix and Scottsdale-- the temperatures there are still around 100 degrees but my top will keep me feeling nice and cool. And hopefully I'll get a nice shot of myself actually wearing the top while I'm away. (I'm sick of taking pictures of myself in the mirror.) I had just enough yarn to finish this project-- literally I only had about 24 inches of yarn left after the BO. This was such a fun, quick project!

Auf Wiedersehen

2005-09-29T00:01:00.000-06:00

Well, its official. I've spent 2 full weeks without the hubby and I did not accomplish the 'serious' knitting I dreamt of on the eve of his departure. Granted, I finished a pair of socks and I'm down to the last 5 or so rounds on my Tivoli T, but that is the only knitting I did! Looking back, I know where my time went. I read a number of books, watched even more movies, and had 3 intense nights of playing scrabble with the one person I am friends with in El Paso. I feel pathetic admitting I have only one friend, but, this friend has lived here twice as long as me and he hasn't made any friends besides me yet, either. Moving to a new place is kinda tough, I've realized.

Tomorrow I'm going on the trip with my parents that I've been looking forward to so much. We are going to the annual hot air balloon fest in Albuquerque. I can't wait to see all the balloons! I love traveling with my parents, but I'm looking forward to coming back because the day after I return I get to go pick up my DH at the airport. His birthday is this sunday, but obviously we're waiting to celebrate it until we're actually together. I'm going to bake him a carrot cake from scratch. I think I cook and bake more than the average urban twenty-something, but the idea of baking a carrot cake from scratch seems like a huge deal to me, for some reason.

Where have I been?

2005-09-27T06:36:00.000-06:00

My I haven't posted for quite a while. Well, I guess it was just about a week since my last post. I thought that while my husband is away (3 weeks military training) I'd write plenty of posts, but instead I seem to have spent a lot of time knitting, reading and watching movies. I have watched so many movies recently! Two of my favorites were Almost Famous and Employee of the Month. I watched House of Flying Daggers and thought it was a major dissappointment compared to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. I've also been busy because the day after my husband left I began substitute teaching.

Happily, this Thursday my parents are coming into town and we're taking a road trip through New Mexico into Arizona where we'll spend a few days at the delightful Boulders Resort and Spa, but we'll only go there to relax after we've been to Ruidoso, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Flagstaff, along with any interesting sights we see along the way!

2005-09-27T06:33:00.000-06:00

Here is one other image of my T, please excuse the little bit of belly that I'm showing!

2005-09-27T06:27:00.000-06:00

Well here is my Tivoli T so far. It ends just below the bottom of the picture-- I tried it on right after I finished the decreases. I am extremely pleased with how it is turning out, especially because my guage was pretty far off, so I decided to knit the very smallest size, which I would normally never be able to squeeze into! But, with this yarn it is coming out to just the right size! The yarn is a cotton blend that I purchased in Portugal this past march. There was no ball band with it, and I bought it in a typical Portuguese yarn shop where they sell yarn by the kilogram!

2005-09-18T08:27:00.000-06:00

Hurray, I finished my first pair of socks! The striping came out nearly identical, despite some problems with knotted yarn in the skein. What didn't come out as nearly identical are the toe decreases. The sock on the left is my first sock-- I like those decreases much better. The sock on the right is a little too pointy for my tastes. I didn't write down how I did the first decreases so I winged it on my second sock and unfortunately I didn't wing it the same way I did in the first sock.

Time for Some Serious Knitting

2005-09-15T16:42:00.000-06:00

Well, my husband is away for the next three weeks. I'm trying to look at the bright side-- that I'll have so much more time to knit, but I can't help feeling lonely! I'm trying to ignore my feelings of sadness. I have three knitting goals for the next couple of weeks. Number 1 is very easy-- I have to fnish my second sock so I have a pair. Number 2 is more challenging-- I need to swatch some yarn and then begin knitting the Picovoli T-shirt. Number 3 is my ongoing project-- I want to make a little more progress on my knit afghan. I do not have enough yarn for this project and I have yet to find a suitable yarn to use for the border, so my going has been slow because it just isn't exciting to knit a project that I know I can't finish for lack of yarn.

Anyway, I'm very excited by my knitting prospects. What's even more exciting is that my intrepid parents are going to visit me in two weeks and solve my loneliness problem and take me on a wonderful odyessey through New Mexico and Arizona. The trip will be heavenly... details later.

2005-09-13T08:50:00.000-06:00

I knit a sock! I knit a sock! My first sock! Overall, I am very happy with the results of my first sock. Note, that is just one sock-- I still have to knit the other one! Turning the heel was far easier than I expected-- I only encountered two problems: 1) somehow I have a small hole in the heel-- it looks like a dropped stitch but I didn't drop any stitches. I'll be able to sew up the hole invisibly, but I'm still upset that it is there. 2) this problem is a little larger. Once I had turned the heel, I didn't like the way it felt to knit in the round with more stitches on the instep needle than on the other two needles... so, I just put an equal number of stitches on each needle. This solution caused my toe decreases to be in the wrong place-- they're on top of my toes instead of on the sides! Oops! Oh well, I plan on making my other sock to match! My next pair of socks will be better.

Socks socks socks!

2005-09-08T11:05:00.001-06:00

No, I did not knit these socks. These socks were knit for me by my mother about two years ago. Ever since they have been nagging me saying 'when are you going to knit yourself a pair so we have some company?' I'm using these socks as a guide as I knit my first pair on my own.

2005-09-08T11:05:00.000-06:00

2005-09-08T11:03:00.001-06:00

Here is what I have so far on my first pair of socks! I don't even think it is an inch, but I'm proud of it. I have been meaning to cast on these socks for quite a while and I finally got started today. I love the color-- they'll look so nice this winter! (As long as it gets cold enough here in El Paso to actually need wool socks!)

2005-09-08T11:03:00.000-06:00

2005-09-06T21:18:00.000-06:00

This is a view from way up high... we were driving through a neighborhood admiring the houses and the beautiful wildflowers that seemed to be everywhere. Driving up these steep hills was a pleasure-- riding my mountain bike up them each day is a whole 'nother story!

2005-09-06T21:16:00.000-06:00

Here is the view from our hotel room in Ruidoso. It was breathtaking every morning!

No knitting here

2005-09-06T16:35:00.000-06:00

Oh dear, I haven't knit for days! Granted, four of those days were spent in beautiful Ruidoso, NM. My husband and I had an amazing labor day weekend. We drove up to Ruidoso with our mountain bikes and took beautiful rides each day. It was so refreshing to be among trees and bushes, not just scrubby desert plants! Now, of course, I'm back to the job search. It just struck me that I, being a former teacher, would make an excellent tutor and I think I need to spread the word that my services are available. That will be tomorrow's goal-- for now it is time to knit a little and then maybe I'll get around to posting a photo or two of lovely Ruidoso.

2005-09-05T23:34:00.000-06:00

Googled images. I saw this on a few other blogs and I couldn't resist using it to procrastinate before going to bed. I'll start off with #1, my first car. A 1992 black jeep cherokee. My car was hotter than the one in this picture!

2005-09-05T23:33:00.000-06:00

#2, place where I grew up. I grew up in a beautiful town in NJ. Yes, beautiful places do exist in NJ-- Rumson is just one of many. This is a picture of the Navesink River. Rumson is a peninsula between two rivers and the Atlantic. I love the water. And I miss it.

2005-09-05T23:32:00.000-06:00

#3, the place I live now. El Paso, TX. Appropriately, this image is where I got legally married in June.

2005-09-05T23:31:00.000-06:00

#4, what shows up when you type in your first name and your blog name. I liked this image-- it was title 'new growth.' very inspiring.

2005-09-05T23:30:00.001-06:00

#5, favorite food. I love chocolate. I always have and always will be a chocolate loving fiend.

2005-09-05T23:30:00.000-06:00

#6, favorite drink. I love mojitos. The mojito, or maybe just a mint julep, will be the signature drink at my wedding next summer. Yes, i'm already legally married... the ceremony and reception are to follow-- about 10 months from now.

2005-09-05T23:28:00.000-06:00

#7, favorite song. I don't really have a favorite favorite song, but I have always liked Tones of Home, by Blind Melon. Here's a pic of Shannon Hoon, the (now deceased) lead singer of the band.

2005-09-05T23:27:00.000-06:00

#8, favorite smell. This one may seem odd to a few of you. I love the scent of this specific deoderant (especially when my husband is wearing it). Unfortunately, this scent has been discontinued by speedstick! Horror!

2005-09-05T23:22:00.000-06:00

#9, favorite pair of shoes. I live for and love my Birkenstocks. They are by far the most comfortable shoes on the planet!

Rip-it, Rip-it

2005-08-30T06:50:00.000-06:00

My honeymoon cami is no more. I cast on a few days ago and knit, and knit, and knit. Yesterday afternoon I had about 7 inches done, and I sat there looking at it and realized I had a few problems. Problem 1: I did not like the way the twisted rib eyelet looked. Especially with the yarn I was using-- it just didn't look right. Problem 2: I hated the way the increases and decreases looked on the sides-- it was too visible for my tastes. Problem 3: I only had two balls of the yarn I was using and I was afraid I wouldn't have quite enough. I sat there staring at my project, letting the problems run through my head, and I still couldn't bring myself to frog it! So I called my dearest knitting confidant (my mother) and with her help I managed to remove the needle and frog the entire thing!

Now I'm back to knitting my afghan. I am very eager to knit my first pair of socks and I plan casting them on quite soon. I am looking for a pattern for a new camisole or tank top. I think I am going to have to knit something with a seam. I might just have to design this project myself!

2005-08-27T10:34:00.000-06:00

I cast on my honeymoon cami yesterday! The first couple inches with the twisted eyelet rib were a real pain in the butt, but now I've knit a few rounds in stockinette stitch and I'm progressing quite smoothly. I'm dreaming of finishing the cami before labor day weekend so I can wear it on my trip. My husband and I are going to New Mexico for some fun in the sun and some mountain biking. I will try to post a picture tomorrow-- I'm waiting until I've knit a bit more.

2005-08-26T12:26:00.000-06:00

2005-08-26T11:22:00.000-06:00

Yet another ear warmer! I was eager to knit a cabled ear warmer and I found this pattern here. This was a really fun, quick, knit and it is very warm and comfortable. I used a washable wool blend so hopefully it will be durable. I may give this as a Christmas gift and make another for myself.

2005-08-25T08:58:00.000-06:00

Here is a bizarre little collage I made showing two sweaters I like. I love the raglan sweater in the color photo, but I feel like I want something with more cables. In the black and white photo I like the sweater on the woman to the left, although I would want to update the shape somehow. I think I'll just have to knit the raglan sweater first and then move on to an aran knit!

2005-08-25T08:48:00.000-06:00

I am becoming more and more obsessed with knitting cabled items. I spend hours surfing the internet looking at different aran sweaters, etc. I am trying to find the perfect aran pattern for myself. I love Rogue, but I want something with more cables. I also found a great cabled head band here, that I am very eager to knit. For now I will have to satisfy myself with knitting the cables in my afghan. And I cannot wait to start my honeymoon cami! I hope my dpns arrive in the mail today!

2005-08-24T09:44:00.000-06:00

Goodmorning. Today I am working on the most complicated strip on my Alpaka afghan. By complex I mean it has a 28 row cable repeat. At least knitting this part doesn't bore me! I need to find a similar yarn to use as the border for the blanket when it is done. I'll be going north to New Mexico for labor day weekend and I plan on visiting a few yarn stores then. Fun! Today's the day for exciting errands like the car wash and grocery shopping, so its time for me to hit the shower and get out the door. I'll have to wait until this afternoon to knit more. :)

2005-08-23T17:39:00.000-06:00

2005-08-23T17:38:00.000-06:00

I knit my fourth very small project in a row today. I had some Kureyon scraps from a pair of handwarmers I made from Stitch N' Bitch Nation this winter. I was browsing patterns on Knitty.com and I decided I needed a matching ear warmer-- even though I live in El Paso, Texas, which is in the middle of the Chihuahuan Desert! I've been told that it can be chilly here in the winter. So, i designed this little cabled number to keep me warm in the event of a chilly day. I still have extra yarn, so I plan to make a second ear warmer with more complex cables. But I'm hoping to start my Honey Moon Cami before long-- I just need my Denise needles to arrive!

2005-08-22T16:51:00.000-06:00

Here it is-- a small pouch for my husband's wallet, cell phone and keys! I'm not sure why I chose pink scraps-- maybe I figured that if he wanted a purse-like item, I'd go all the way and make it extra girly. Or maybe I just wanted to be able to knit with Cascade Wool. The i-cord strap is knit with miniscule bits of Manos de Uruguay and Noro Kureyon-- how convenient that they matched! I hope this works out for him-- we'll see tonight when he gets home from work!

2005-08-22T11:19:00.000-06:00

Last night I asked my husband if there were any small projects Icould knit for him. I was surprised to hear him say that he actually needs me to knit him a small pouch. He plans to hang this pouch around his neck and place his wallet, keys and cell phone in it when he walks to the car each morning. Why can't he just stuff that stuff in his pockets or hold it in his hand? Well, he also has to carry his uniform, boots, gym bag, lunch box, etc, so the pouch is actually necessary. I made a simple design and I'm using up some scraps of yarn to make it-- I'll post a photo when its done!

2005-08-21T11:07:00.000-06:00

This is the other iPod case I knit. The person I knit it for calls it his iPod sweater. This was a fun knit, and I think I need to make one of these for myself so I'll have a case to use while I'm actually listening to music. Maybe I could make it out of Noro Kureyon scraps. Yum!

2005-08-21T11:05:00.000-06:00

I have also spent a few free moments lately knitting little iPod cases. I made this one for myself-- I just wanted something to protect while its in my purse. I used some Manos de Uruguay scraps leftover from a Christmas present I knit last month. Yes, I've already done some Christmas knitting!

2005-08-21T11:03:00.000-06:00

This is a photo of the Trellis strip, the second strip of my afghan. As you can see, it is much slimmer than the other strip, so my yarn will go a bit further than I originally expected. However, I still think I'll need to find a substitute yarn for the border. This is a daunting prospect here in El Paso-- there is only one LYS. I went to Hobby Lobby yesterday to check out their selection-- there was nothing even remotely approaching the look, feel and guage of my Alpaka.

2005-08-20T10:14:00.000-06:00

Disaster somewhat averted! I spoke to my mother, aka my knitting guru, and we worked out a solution for my afghan. I was calculating the blanket's size based on the idea that each strip I knit would be the same width-- not so, my friend, not so. The strips vary in width, most are rather narrow, actually, and that means that Iwill get more length out of each strip. I still think I'll need to take my mother's advice, though, and buy a very similar yarn to do the border with, so I can dedicate all 20 skeins of my Lion Brand Alpaka to the main body of the blanket. She knit this blanket with 25 skeins. I think I can get mine almost as large as hers if I supplement my stash. I started a different strip-- I'll post a picture later!

2005-08-18T21:55:00.000-06:00

A knitting disaster!! Oh no! I have been working on the afghan for about 1 and a half months now. Even though I have a ton of free time the going has been slow because I'm good at procrastinating and their are other hobbies that I like to pursue during the day. But today was a milestone in the project because I finished the second ball of yarn. Hurray, I thought, progress! Having reached this milestone, I decided it was time to measure the strip and see how it measured up. And then my breakdown began...

I have knit up 2 of my 20 balls of yarn for this project. The strip, unblocked, measures about 40 inches. Each strip is supposed to be 66 inches in length-- and I have to knit 9 strips, not including the 4 border strips. So, lets say each main strip is going to take about 3 balls of yarn, or maybe a bit less. 3 times 9 is 27! I do not have 27 balls of yarn, I have only 20!

The first idea that ran through my head was that I would just make a small blanket. With my 20 balls of yarn I calculated that I could come up with a blanket that would total about 48 x 48 inches. Then I thought it over and began to wonder what I would do with a square like that. It wouldn't cover me when I stretched out on the couch... And it wouldn't accommodate two people very well.

It was too late to call any knitting buddies. I especially wanted to speak with my mother because she gave me the yarn and pattern for this project. But lacking knitting folk to talk with, I explained my problem to my husband. He immediately pointed out how ridiculous a small square blanket would be. He insisted I tear out the entire project and then suggested I buy new yarn and get a new pattern and make something completely different. He just didn't understand that this is the blanket I want, and I want it done in THIS yarn! (Although it was generous of him to suggest I buy more yarn.)

My newest plan is to tear back and restart the project on larger needles. I'm currently using a size 9. I wonder if I could conceivably go up to an 11. I think that would be pushing it. But if I could knit the blanket on a size 10 and maybe make it a little narrower so I at least get enough length to cover someone laying down on a couch, it could work. Maybe I'm being too optimistic, but I won't give up this project. My mother knit this same blanket a few years ago, and of all the afghans in our house, this was always my favorite. Being newly married I am very eager to knit my first afghan for my husband and I. Maybe it was just too romantic of an idea...

In other knitting news, I wound my Portuguese yarn into balls to night and I plan on swatching tomorrow for a camisole I plan to knit. A nice camisole is perfect for the desert, and a nice change from a wooly blanket (and all of the other wool projects I did this winter).

Good night!

2005-08-18T07:35:00.000-06:00

Today I would like to introduce an ongoing project of mine. That small strip of knitting in the photograph is someday going to be part of the Cabled Afghan that I'm knitting. The blanket is knit in 9 strips with different cabled patterns that you later stitch together. It is a great portable project, but the seaming will probably be a nightmare. The pattern I'm using is from a 1984 issue of Woman's Day magazine, which means that the pattern is only a few years younger than me! I am using Lion Brand Alpaka-- my mother generously un-stashed this yarn for me. The picture doesn't show the three cables very well-- but you can at least get an idea of what they look like. The ball of yarn in the picture is only the second one I've knit up so far-- my goal is to finish this second ball today when I go to the knitting group. I guess I'd better get going with my errands so I can make it to knitting this afternoon!

2005-08-17T13:16:00.000-06:00

2005-08-17T13:15:00.000-06:00

Knitting, meet one of my other favority hobbies. Here you see the lovely Ruffles (knit up in Debbie Bliss Cotton Cashmere) draped over my husband's new (and still unridden!) mountain bike. Yes, that is a tree you see outside the window-- one of the few trees here in the desert.

2005-08-17T11:31:00.000-06:00

Goodmorning! Today feels great-- I started my day off right with a healthy breakfast, a phone conversation with an old friend, and a three mile run. My plan for today is to post some pictures on here-- specifically a photo or two from my knitting projects as well as a shot of the scenery where I like to exercise. I'll also use today to take care of errands and chores, so that tomorrow I'll have free time to go meet up with a knitting group! By the way, doesn't this blog's template just make you think of the old west? Viewing this blog makes me feel like I'm looking into the interior of a saloon. How perfect, now that I reside in west Texas!

2005-08-17T10:54:00.000-06:00

I know I just wrote that I wanted to post pictures relevant to my life now, but I found this picture in my files and couldn't resist posting it. I took this about a year ago when I stumbled upon a pond with beautiful lily pads in it. I call this picture purity, but looking at it really gives me a sense of serenity... perhaps a name change is in order.

2005-08-16T23:30:00.000-06:00

Here I am, just another insomniac waiting for sleep to arrive. I never had trouble sleeping before. I guess I'm out of my 'comfort zone' so I feel a little thrown off. I've moved half away across the country, gotten married, and I'm yet to find a job out here. Everything started out so promising-- I embraced each free day, getting up early to run or ride my mountain bike. Then, the days began to stretch out. I learned to procrastinate and soon my morning workout was an afternoon sprint I crammed in before my husband came home. I was never a big TV fan, but all of a sudden I find myself channel surfing for hours each day! It has to STOP! I was never lazy, and I cannot become lazy now. I am going to get in bed, fall asleep, and wake up renewed tomorrow-- I shall reclaim my life and document it in pictures! Noone likes to read a blogger's complaints, anyway. So, join me as I rededicate myself to the hobbies I love-- running, reading, cycling, painting, etc. Enjoy!