As New Year celebrations have come and gone leaving us with the rest of winter and only Valentine’s Day to break it up, I am diligently working on yet another Boyland Knitworks creation, Ghost Horses. And as follows my modus operandi, I am modifying the design. You may be wondering Why bother with purchasing the pattern? Answer: I’m not that good! LOL!
I won’t be doing fair isle for the whole sweater – pretty much done with that. The colors I am using would make that too overwhelming.
Even though I have mentioned that I don’t do well with resolutions, I thought I would give it yet another go in 2022. Seems the thing to do. Last year about this time I posted on Facebook that I was going to endeavor to knit or crochet every single day, even if it was only a few stitches. And yes, I did. Don’t know if it’s actually a resolution in the true sense, more like a goal. A minute accomplishment, but one I am proud of.
Yup, this is STILL not done. My excuse? Fingering weight k2 p2 all the way.
As for actually finishing certain projects (see above), that remains to be seen. By the time I complete this baby I will have gained back all the weight I lost – no! This was started back in March of 2021 and I gave myself two months to a year to finish. I had no idea. I CAN do a sweater in a month, just not this one, apparently.
I did finish my own design, fair isle socks. Fairly proud of them and waiting to hear back from testers before I post the pattern. I will let you all know when that happens!
Basic photoshop fun was had with this image!
So do you, dear reader, have resolutions for the upcoming year? If so, what are they? How did you come to make them? What was the driving force?
Enough snow already! And we’re starting another Caitlin Hunter sweater.
Portable heater
After shoveling snow and processing downed trees all day with a woefully inadequate 10″ chainsaw, my back is aching and my legs still feel cold even though I’m sitting on the couch tucked under a quilt with my chihuahua snuggled next to me. I’ve already taken some ibuprofen in anticipation of further pain and am baking some cookies in our toaster oven since we’re running on a propane-fueled generator and the stove is out of service because there’s no electricity in our area.
Surveying this strange new landscape
A snowblower may be in our near future
Cuddling with one of my chihuahuas on a break
Just discovering the first downed tree
Dispatching first tree
As good as it gets
Long way to go…and then there’s another tree across the driveway.
It’s times like these that make me seriously consider moving…yet again. The first time I entertained the notion of moving was during the Fire Season. The constant vigilance and worry that came with knowing a fire was close by and not yet contained was rough. Couple that with my anxiety issue that I’m still trying to control made for a fairly miserable last 6 months. However, with the real estate prices in our area sky-rocketing, relocating at this time would be a losing proposition. That, and anywhere else I want to move would have the same issues.
So we live with the fire and ice.
In the meantime, the best-laid plans of mice and men… After five times of gauge checking and starts and stops, I decided to scuttle the Tecumseh pattern. I couldn’t make myself happy with the gauge or the weft and did not want to play what yarn crafters call “Yarn Chicken”. Because we’re trapped here, I couldn’t nip down to the local store and pick out some more appropriate weight yarn, nor can I have it delivered, but I still wanted to work on a Caitlin Hunter creation, so I researched my library and found another pullover, Birkin, that I could make using the same yarn. After several happy gauge swatch results, I decided to forge ahead.
I’ll be doing dark on light, vs. light on dark.
Since I’ve been doing lots of hard physical labor the last few days, I haven’t been able to work on it as much as I would like, and I feel this is going to take longer than the Halibut Sweater because this is a sport weight, not DK weight. Nertz! But I’m going to give it my all so I’ll be wearing it this winter – LOL!
I hope this quick read finds you in the best of health and remember to be the best version of you!
When life slaps you in the face, you punch it back (or at least you try)! Tired of being overweight, I am now at an acceptable BMI, have a new doggie, am still working on that same sweater, and dealing with Northern California Fire Season.
Hello, dear readers. It’s been awhile, I know, but that does appear to be my blogging modus operandi! That way, I am more assured of having some interesting content – we hope. In the interim, thank you so much for reading my entries when they do show.
Not sucking it in!
Not even trying
The picture on the right wasn’t me at my heaviest; I had a few pounds more to go. However, I was proud of the sweater I knit and the hooded scarf I crocheted!
Over the last several years, I know I’ve mentioned here in my blog that I am losing weight. I still am. I wanted to show off a little, even though I have another 20 pounds, or about another year, to go. The motivation? I was taking meds for cholesterol, hypertension, and my blood sugar was wobbling from prediabetic to diabetic. My “Fuck. This.” moment was when I got another medication added to my already intolerably long list.
I have lost weight before, but it’s never stuck. I’m a classic example of a yo-yo dieter. I didn’t want to do that – yet again. So when I asked my long-suffering doctor, who has since retired, what I needed to do to lose weight, he sighed, and repeated what he had been telling me for the previous five years; take long walks, don’t eat out at fast food joints/restaurants so much, lay off the white rice/white flour, and make sure you include vegetables and fruits in your daily regimen.
And I finally listened.
It’s been bumpy, and I back-slid, which was so discouraging, but I persevered. I haven’t been on any official diet, just being moderate in what I eat. My biggest hope is that by taking so long and being patient with the weight loss, I am teaching myself how to maintain it once I get there. The maintenance, or everyday living, once you reach a weight goal, is actually harder than losing it. That’s why there is such a thing as “yo-yo dieting”. I didn’t make it up, I promise.
Unfortunately, there are some drawbacks to losing weight as a late middle-aged woman. I noticed almost immediately that I literally lost my ass. I mean, seriously? That never happened when I lost weight as a young woman. Also, my hips are way too narrow. I imagine with more weight loss, the girls are also going to go. But I gotta do this; I don’t want to be taking anymore crappy drugs that mess up my homeostasis – not worth it. I also know that due to age and genetic predisposition, I won’t be able to cut out all the meds. I waited too long. My bad. But as the old adage goes “Better late than never”.
Truth.
So enough about that.
You need to meet Peanut, the latest addition to our fur baby family. He was a stray found wandering around in our neighborhood who was taken to the Placer County Animal Shelter, then ended up coming home with me. I just can’t imagine someone dropping off this little sweetheart, but I also can’t imagine he ended up way out in my neck of the woods all by himself. It’s a long walk to anywhere else. There were posts in social media (that’s how I discovered him) and he was at the shelter for 12 days. There was plenty of opportunity for a concerned dog parent to retrieve him, but that didn’t happen.
Hiking on Steven’s Trail
Regular introductory vet visit – he’s fine
OMG – look at those eyes!
Love me
A solo walk – and he hauls buns!
Meeting for the first time
And as with all my rescues I try not to dwell upon where they came from. Were they loved? Abused? Neglected? Do they miss their previous owners? The “trying” part doesn’t work, and my husband tells me to STOP. They are loved and well taken care of NOW.
I think he’s a chiweenie – what do you think?
Which brings me to the never-ending sweater project. In my last post in February, I was voicing my optimism about being done in two months. Riiigghhht.
Progress at time of last post
Progress as of yesterday!
As evidenced in the images, this is one slow-moving project that is killing my soul. I posted the same pic on my Facebook Nittin’ Ninja page, asking if I should just change out from the k2 p2 pattern and switch to knit only just to finish the damn thing! As of right now, I’m being encouraged to stick to the pattern. *sigh*
I do want to wear this eventually, and when I started this odyssey, I set this up for a “large”. I am counting on the fact that my tension can sometimes be a little tight, though I am concerned that only counts with the knit stitch. Ribbing is a different story altogether. I better not finally finish this just to discover it’s too big. I will be madder than hell!
And talking about hell, it’s summertime here in Northern California where Fire Season is in full swing. Yes. I did write “Fire” followed by the word “Season”. I have always associated the word “season” with something pleasant. Fast forward to now. Can you imagine trying to sell that concept for holiday makers? This summer, add a frisson of danger to your vacation – visit the western United States. Choke on the lovely smoke, see the flames licking up the once tall, majestic trees, flee for your life. What the fuck? But yes, there are fires all around us, people losing their homes, and businesses – thank God, no deaths so far. Anymore, this is an annual mini-season and it’s debilitating to one’s sense of well-being, let alone what it’s doing to your lung health. And don’t ask about the homeowners insurance rates.
This smoky haze in Colfax proper is from two counties over.
Last year we experienced unacceptable air conditions for around two months. I am not looking forward to that this year. It seems, and I may be wrong, that the fires started later this year. Maybe wishful thinking? In the meantime, I don’t walk the doggies when it’s too bad, I just get on the treadmill and do my normal summer thing; always have my nose on high alert and watch for fire notifications on social media.
So what do we do to keep cool in these unacceptable conditions? We go to the river, the lake, or higher up to Tahoe…which I don’t really do the last one because it’s way too damn busy with tourists and I’m too lazy to drive that 50 minutes or so! The rivers and lakes around here are 10 minutes away, can also be crowded with tourists, but, eh, like I said, it’s only ten minutes away! LOL
Eat cooling foods from your own garden tomatoes and basil
Too hot to cook, so it’s supermarket sushi!
Lake Rollins
Lake Rollins
Relaxing at Bear River
Bear River
So how’s your summer going? See you in the funny pages!
A week in the life of a mountain small town – WOOHOO!
Living in a small mountain town has its quirks, drawbacks, and bonuses. Take shopping, for instance. We have a fairly comprehensive shop in town where you can get most of your groceries – but at a cost. It’s hard to compete with Wal-Mart, even when it’s 30+ miles from home. Seriously. And going anywhere with amenities is at least 10 miles. But I live here…
Not everyone’s cup of tea, but I love it!
So when your local shop has an annual meat sale, you go, you stand in lines, chat with everyone else who’s waiting, and walk out with a full grocery cart and an empty bank account. Thank goodness for the stimulus checks!
The butchers were good-natured about my camera happy zeal! However, this being a small town, many of the locals who are social media savvy know who I am and what I post. 😇
And the excitement doesn’t stop there!😆 Even though I have enough yarn stashed away to open a small shop, there’s always room for more, especially when it’s a fun, thick yarn, such as Lion Brand Go For Faux Thick And Quick yarn. I purchased four skeins and was able to half double crochet my daughter a scarf in about one hour. It was much appreciated.
The colors and project were inspired by my daughter’s presence. She liked the colors and i hadn’t made her anything for quite some time.
Of course, I have a more long-term knit project going on. With Christmas sales on hold until October, I am working on another fingering weight pullover. Presenting Purl Soho’s Ribbed Raglan Pullover in Sweetgrass Beech Bark colorway. I started this about two weeks ago and I’m still on the yoke!
On my lunch break.
I’ll be updating on the progress of this sucker for about a year! Seriously, I’m shooting for about two more months. We shall see…
On a final note, there’s nothing like getting up at 5 A.M. to drive your friend 50 miles for an early surgical procedure, and one of the little roads you take has a big tree lying across it. We still made it on time because she caught a ride from her husband before he went to work (he doesn’t have paid time off; ergo, my timely intervention) where she was dropped off on the other side of the blockage! One person just muscled their way around the limbs (see pic), but I didn’t want to chance scratching up my paint.
The image on the left shows how one person just bulldozed their way around it – and how I was missing my Jeep at this point!
As it went, when we were leaving, one of the stranded motorists just happened to have a freaking chainsaw in their car and was gassing it up as we walked by. Imagine that!
As I’m sitting here in my car, waiting for the procedure to be over for my friend, I’m thinking this post feels more like a diary entry than compelling reading, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway.
What happens when you’re looking for work and don’t think about face mask etiquette!
As Heraclitus once said, “Everything changes but change itself.” He may have been on to something there. These last few weeks have been full of change, most of it unwelcome.
Some, though necessary, were good. I bid an early adieu to my Jeep and got a Subaru. Still good in snowy conditions and unpaved, bumpy roads, but way easier on the gas and payments. I must admit, though, that I miss the Jeep wave! And since finding a hair cutter still doing business right now is impossible, I just gathered my hair in a ponytail, grabbed my shears and cut it off. I like it!
Sweet!
As usual, never mind the dog hair on my shirt!
Love this silhouette look, pattern link below
One change I’ve made that has been overdue is looking for a proper job; the kind that challenges a person, is multi-faceted and you look forward to doing. One thing I didn’t I think of regarding interviews and COVID is the mask. So…guess who showed up at an interview for a job that crossed off all the boxes wearing this:
Great first impression!
Funny enough, I’m going in for a second interview next week. Maybe it doesn’t matter about the mask? I think I will wear a more subdued design next time to be on the safe side!
I haven’t forgotten about my knitting and crocheting even though I may not be making too much mention of them in my posts! I’ve been continuing to make beanies and selling them at a local taco spot, Homie Joes. With global warming affecting the length and timing of winter, it’s been fairly spotty. A good week is when I sell three *shrug*. It might be the venue. People are coming in for a delicious takeaway lunch or dinner, not a fabulous beanie!
Speaking of fabulous beanies, I love the silhouette style I have seen on social media feeds and thought I’d add my own twist. The Coyote Beanie (pictured) is worked in worsted weight yarn and is fairly easy to construct – hey, it’s a beanie! So here’s the link to make your own: Coyote Beanie.
As for the other changes I mentioned, the unwelcome ones, I just remind myself “and this too shall pass” and leave it at that.
I hope you’re feeling well and keeping safe, dear readers. Until next time!
In my last entry I said January was going to be a month for knitting socks.
That hasn’t happened.
A friend of mine owns Homie Joe’s, a diner right off I-80 that serves tacos, rice, beans, burritos, quesedillas, etc., and they are busy. What’s happening right now is the ski crowd coming up from the Bay area are stopping here to eat. And, according to my friend, they’re always complaining that they forgot their hats.
Of course, no one wanted their pic taken.
You see where this is going, right? My short selling season has been extended! I’m making ok sales, but what I like, is that I’m not tending a stall for 6 hours or longer! I just go in (which I’m planning to do in about an hour), check to see if I have any cashey-money, stock new items, and we’re done!
Love my clever friends!
I am also working on a website for a new client, and working on content for an existing client. I think my little biz may be growing? As for the graphic designs sales, that’s fallen a little flat. May be my designs aren’t that great, or my market is too niche? We’ll keep trying different angles. In the meantime, here is link to my Etsy shop (!!) if you would kindly share it. ❤
Ah, nothing like a plug.
The upside, at least for those of you who follow my occasional posts, is that I have a freebie beanie pattern – woo-hoo!
Super cute, easy, and just in time for Valentin’s Day.
Bitching about the Kitchener stitch, outdoor painting, 4 x 4 driving
Naw, we’re not going to talk about Steely Dan and that bitchin’ song. It’s a lazy Sunday and I’ve been editing my Amazon music playlists. Every time I remembered a song I wanted to add, a flood of memories followed. I’m sure I could spend my time better, but eh – some days are meant to while away. I have decided this is one of them.
Then it occurred to me what I could do that was…well, if not productive, then amusing for me! I’ve embedded a video detailing the most difficult part of making socks – the Kitchener Stitch. It’s not a tutorial. It’s just me snagging on about it.
Just me being frustrated!
In the meantime, I continue on my trial month with Outlaw Soaps as their social media content writer. I hope this turns into a regular gig, but like I said earlier, if not, then I’ll just go back to being a customer – their most important job!
With summer in full swing we’re going out with the new Jeep, and discovering areas relatively close to us – COOL! Yea, after Hawai’i, we had to have one! And yea, now we are broke, so the forays are few and far between! We also added a new rescue doggy to our family, Nala and we’re getting to know her. She’s the one smiling! This was a Saturday visit to Donner Summit – see the snow? Yea, that was earlier this month. Neat, huh?
And speaking of cool, a friend of mine and I were able to go out and do some painting. The weather has been sooo mild, it’s gorgeous! Here we are at Emigrant Gap, which is about 15 miles up the road a piece from where I live. As this happened on a weekend, we ended talking to so many people. They’d come up and talk to us, and I thought we should start charging for art lessons! In fact, I let an extremely curious little guy paint on my canvas – hey, it’s acrylic paints. No harm, no foul, and I think he enjoyed it.
Wow. This entry has been all over the place, hasn’t it?! That about sums it up, though. Hope you enjoyed your weekend!
One of the hats I made to sell this crafts fair season. Easy to knit up and comes in toddler, child and adult sizes. The colors I used remindedme of the leaden skies and snow that we get in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range.
You ever spend way too much time on the wrong project with the wrong yarn at the wrong time of year? Welcome to the last several weeks of my crafting! I have been fighting this thing since the beginning.
Several weeks ago I put out an impassioned request for some ideas on how to use the linen stitch. I rattled off a list of items I didn’t want to make, which included a cowl, but as a proper linen stitch needs to be worked in the round, I was limited. So what did I do? I started a cowl. No big deal. Except I had to cast on 16 different times because I kept twisting the foundation row. That is such a rookie mistake, that I should have taken my cue from such an inauspicious start.
I didn’t.
The yarn is Malabrigo that I’ve had tucked away in a bag in my closet for over a year, and I wanted to use it. I even rescued a snarled skein that had previously kept me from using the yarn at all – that’s how bad I wanted to get this thing started! As for a pattern, I was loosely basing in on Kristen Kapur’s Chickadee Cowl, but not having too much success. The yarn combination was just wrong for me. So now it sits, rewound and back on its shelf in the closet, awaiting a more suitable project.
Doing the Eye of Partridge stitch for the heel and loving it.
In the meantime, I figure it’s never a wrong time to work on socks!
All right, you guys: fess up. I am not the only regular, non-whiffing human who really enjoys that first sniff of gasoline when it’s being pumped into the tank. You know, that first little hint, and then it become overpowering and you’re done.
My heinous secret!
I’ve told others of this, and I’m always looked at askance, like, “Ahh…that explains it!” For all you smart asses out there, it’s not a recreational thing, I don’t huff/whiff/whatever, because it’s something I’ve honestly never thought of doing, even if it wasn’t illegal. Yuck. Even when I was a young hot-head looking to experiment with mind-altering…uh…experiences, this was never an option. Ever.
And I cannot be the only one who has this olfactory quirk.
So what does this have to do with the stress of not knowing? Well, it’s a tenuous connection at best, but I know that whenever I’m fueling my car, I can always expect that little, secret pleasure. As fun and/or miserable as life can be with all its whacky twists and turns, it’s nice to know that if, in a
very particular circumstance, you do a, it equals b, not f or qx!
As for what I’m stressing on, in my last post I said we had pulled out of escrow on one house because a house I really wanted had come back on the market. We were one of two bids on the house, and we didn’t have any contingencies, they did, and we were waiting to hear back from our realtor. We were fairly confident that our bid would be the winning one and were mentally re-designing the kitchen, which colors the walls need to be painted and in general talking about what we’d need to do to make the house really slick and cool (you know,when you first move into a new house and you have all these great ideas, and only 10% of these go through as planned!) Imagine my surprise when the next day our realtor called to let us know that the other offer had been accepted, even though it was a lower bid, because they wrote a sob story about their children needing a home. Son of a b…well, you know.
The owners of the house I’m currently renting are really cool. As a former home owner and landlord/lady/whatever, myself, I have always kept them abreast of what is going on, especially with the house hunt, because it’s a good thing. And not only that, Staci has some of the most photogenic children I know, and you’ve probably seen them modeling my stuff in earlier posts. She has been a sympathetic ear throughout the process, but she didn’t know that the amount we qualified for had been raised, because I didn’t think it was worth mentioning. So when she heard of my latest disappointment, she texted me back and said, “I wish you could just buy the house!” After several back and forths and all sorts of other stuff that would bore you, we are know in escrow to buy the house we’ve always wanted from the beginning, the one we’re already living in and loving.
With our track record going here, I’m on pins and needles. I expect something to be too much, such as insurance. Homeowners insurance here is quite dear, because we’re right in the middle of the forest during one of the worst droughts in California history and summer brings a rash of forest fires that puts one on their toes during this time. This is included in our monthly payment. That’s what is worrying me. I have several insurance agents searching for a not so god-awful expensive policy. I am keeping my fingers crossed!
As for my knitting, I’m plodding along at a snail’s pace, snatching what time I have to do a couple of
Figuring out how long to make the ears and how to place them.
rounds and then regretfully, putting it back in my yarn satchel. Yes, I have a yarn satchel for my WIPs, don’t you? Even though this is a relatively easy knit, because I’m making so many modifications to the original pattern, written by Cassidy Clark, it moves very slowly. Backing up, doing knitting math, and seriously trying to envision what you’re going after. These take time. Hopefully, I will have a bunny wabbit that looks somewhat cuddly.
Nittin' Ninja 
