2/24/09

Still no snow. I am still hoping. It used to be that when the circus was in town, we got our biggest snow. This year the circus isn't coming until April, so maybe I should just give up hope for this year!!! ;-(

These are the first couple of blocks of the Baltimore Halloween quilt. They are fun blocks because of the subject. The center block took forever. The smaller side blocks are going faster. So far I have 3 blocks done, just 10 and the borders to go!!! Almost done!!! ;-) NOT!!!


I love this little owls expression!!!


























These are my alpaca socks. They are so soft and warm. Just plain K3 P1 rib socks.














There is a cat up the tree. The one that is upright in the center of the picture. But the main thing to look at is the silly Westie dog up the leaning trunk. He is about 8 feet in the air. he was up twice that high when I saw him, but by the time I grabed the camera he was on the way down. Sorry the picture isn't better, but it was a point and shoot NOW, or miss the picture completely.




I am still reading Liberal Facism. It is very dense vocabulary. Wish it was on the Kindle so I could easily look things up, but it was bought pre-Kindle. I will finish it one day, but it isn't a fun read.

I finished Slobbering Love Affair. It is a very good review on how the liberal mainstream press elected/appointed the President they wanted. It shows how little choice the press actually gave to the public in this election.

I read Inkheart. It is a good fantasy book. When the father reads outloud, the characters in the book actually come to life. It is very good. I hope the movie does it justice. I am now reading the second in the trilogy, Inkspell. In the second one, they readers are "read" into the book. Also very good. The third book is Inkdeath. I have that one on the bedside table waiting.




These are puppy dogs that wouldn't get near each other without growling when I had 3 dogs. Now that it is just the two of them. They are together much more. They are even playing some. It is so interesting to watch the dynamic change between them, with Chad gone.

Well off to read Inkspell!!! Hope to finish it tomorrow.

Chat later
Susan

2/11/09

Still no snow. It was 70 yesterday and supposed to be even warmer today. I think I need to give up the snow thing for this year!!! ;-(

This is my beaded button from class on Saturday. This was fun, easy and fairly quick to do. This button is on an 1 1/8" base button and it took about 2 hours, but it was my first one, so later ones will probably go faster. But I think it will be great to have buttons that match my knitting perfectly.




Here is a sleepy Macklin, curled up in the sunny spot.













Chelsea, with her head hanging over the arm of the couch.


Chat later
Susan

2/6/09

Puppies and I are adjusting to the loss of Chad. Thanks to everyone who has e-mailed me with their best wishes. Chelsea is still a little at a loss occasionally, but she is doing better.

I still want snow. They promised us 3 inches the other night, I didn't see the first flake. I want snow. Had I mentioned that before?? ;-)

This is Charming Leaves. The is the first of the quilting finished objects from the 2009 goal list. It, of course, isn't quilted, but that isn't on the list.



This is Sitcom Chic, a Knitty pattern from a couple of issues ago. I really like this sweater. Fit and feel. It is done in Galway, Pastel Marl. I will probably knit this sweater again. Matter of fact, I am making a larger twin for my mother right now.

This is the Boston Terrier mittens from Ravelry. It is SO CUTE. Yes, I said IT. It is a very sad story. IT is adorable, but IT doesn't fit anyone!!! ;-( Now I don't whether to just knit 2 bigger, knit the mate for this one, or just have one cute mitten!! Any suggestions??? I used Knitpicks Gloss.

This is a terrible picture of On The Vine. I LOVE it. It is knit in alpaca I picked up in Delaware, no name stuff, but SOFT. Look at it on Ravelry, it looks much better without the Lady and the Tramp sweatshirt!!!

This is a scarf done in a slip stitch pattern from left over afghan yarn. Just a get rid of loose ends thing.

I think that gets me caught up on projects. I am working on the center block of Baltimore Halloween. I want to finish that before I really go back to knitting.

We had a great stitching weekend, as always. The puppies stayed with us this time, that is the first time they have done that. They were very well behaved. I was quite impressed. They ususally have no manners at all!!!

On the reading front. I read Coraline. The movie is coming out soon. It is Alice in Wonderland meets Tim Burton. Wierd but interesting. Not sure if I will read more by Neil Geiman or not. Still undecided.

I finished World Without End. It is excellent. I have read Pillars of the Earth twice and enjoyed it both times. It isn't necessary to read them in any order, or to read them both. Pillars takes place 200 years before World. There are some references in World to people in Pillars, but you don't miss anything if you haven't read it. They are both excellent and highly recommended.

Then a quick light mystery Death in the Daytime. Takes place on the set of a soap opera. Cute, quick, light. Fun read. I would read more by Eileen Davidson.

That brings me to 7 of the 52 books I hope to read this year. So very much on schedule. I am currently reading: Liberal Facism, Inkheart and the Slobbering Love Affair: The True (and Pathetic) Story of the Torrid Romance between Barrack Obama and the Mainstream Media, so I should have much to report in the next update.

Still staying consistant on my treadmilling ( I read while I am on it, so that helps). Eating still needs work.

Chat later

Susan

End of January Goals Update

Food - getting it under control
Do we really have to talk about this one right after a stitching weekend, with gobs of snack food available? Need I say more?

Exercise
I have been much more consistant with the treadmill, haven't added any of the other activities yet.

Quilting
Charming Leaves - DONE!!! Happy Dance - pictures next post, now that the stitching weekend is over, I wanted to debut it there.

Dear Jane borders - no progress

Expressions of Morris - no progress

Baltimore Halloween - working on center block, all blocks prepped and ready for attention

Beading
Signing up for a beaded button class today

Knitting/Crocheting
Haven't bought anything without checking stash first YET

Haven't finished any of the 2008 UFO's yet either

Reading
I have read 6 books for a total of 2,528 pages

So that is month 1, 11 more to go. I am happy with the January progress. I just have to stay at it.

I'll post some pictures with the next post, hopefully tomorrow

Chat later
Susan

1/14/09

Things are returning to somewhat normal, slowly. Chelsea seems to be grieving. She sat out on the deck, in the rain, quite a bit yesterday. This is not her norm, she is a pris who doesn't like her feet wet. She is also taking over all of Chad's favorite spots. Mack is Mack, he has always, and continues to just roll with the punches. He is made of velcro, but other than that...

Nervous energy works wonders. I have prepped all 13 blocks of the Baltimore Halloween quilt. I got the kit early last week. It is so cute. Lots of ghosts, black cats and spiders. So all I have to do is stitch. I have gotten one and one half of the borders of the Charming Leaves quilt done, so only 1 and 1/2 to go. I want to finish those before I start stitching on Baltimore Halloween.

I am working on book 4 of the year. I was so pleased with reading 59 books last year. Then I read someones blog and they had read 203!!! How do you read 203 books in a year unless they are kiddie books??? I seem like such an amateur!!!

I finished my Sitcom Chic sweater, I'll take some pictures (haven't really felt like taking pictures this last week) once it is blocked. No other knitting to report.

Books so far this year.

A Pedigree to Die for and Underdog, by Laurien Berenson, this is a series of Dog Show murders mysteries. They are really cute. And the dogs don't get hurt, they help solve the mysteries. Good light fluffy mystery. I read book 3 on the beach last summer, not realizing it was a series. Now I have gone back and read books 1 and 2. There are something like 14 in the series so far. I will keep reading. Not sure I will do all 14, they will probably get very repetitive. I usually find that in these series books this year.

Then I read The Man from Oakdale. This is based on the soap opera, As the World Turns. It is very cartoonish. I didn't expect anything deep, but the books makes the soap look quite deep and serious!!!

Now I am reading Cat and Mouse by James Patterson. This is good. Took a while to get into it, but I am fully engrossed now!!! It is an Alex Cross book. It is an old one, I read it when it first came out in like '96, but don't remember it!!! Maybe I should keep my books are recycle them through my reading list. I could save a lot of money that way!!! ;-)

I have been on a light and fluffy reading binge. I am planning to read some more serious stuff, but life has been too serious recently. I will get there. I am thinking of reading a biography of each of the presidents. This will be a several year project, since they seem to be long!!! I have also bought the 2 book series, The President's House. It is how the White House has evolved since it was conceived by George Washington. It is two books, like 700 pages each. So see, there is some serious reading in my future.

I have also been walking pretty consistantly so far this year. Eating has been pretty good.

I promise pictures next time.

Chat later
Susan

1/13/09

Chad (on the left)

July 31, 1999 - January 12, 2009

I found out Friday the his kidney's were failing. Yesterday, he laid down in a sunny spot on the deck and died. When I found him, his sister (real littermate, on the right) was sitting with him. It was very sweet, that she continued to look after him. She has always mothered him, since they were babies. He was my kissy, lovey boy. No more Chad kisses.

Please, everyone take you pets to have their bloodwork. I took them all last March and his bloodwork showed that his kidney's were fine. When I went on Friday, his kidney's had failed by over 75%. The vet said they masked all signs until their blood was so toxic that their stomachs were upset and they wouldn't eat.

Chat later

Susan

1/3/09

Thanks Jasmin for the really quite comment on my 1/2/09 post.

The scarf she is wearing that I was looking for is "On the Vine". The ravelry link is http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/on-the-vine-2 Jasmin is the one with the pink hair!! ;-)

For anyone who hasn't listened to the Knitmore Girls podcast, you should. It is a great banter between Mom and Daughter (Jasmin). They always sound like they are having such a good time, you have a good time listening. They are available at iTunes!!!

Look this is 4 posts in 3 days!!!! Does that help my goal of posting more regularly?? Don't get used to it!!!

Chat later
Susan
Off to order my On the Vine pattern, hopefully there is stash yarn to knit it out of!!!