March

How does the time get away?  I don't understand.  I read blogs every day - how do they keep up and come up with things to say everyday?  I just don't know.

A lot's been going on and I've been staying busy.  I finished the baby blanket for Fran's great-niece, hopefully it will be delivered today.

I do like the blanket a lot.  And - I *would* make it again... I could see a cute blue/white one for a UK baby.  But - I don't know anybody that's pregnant right now!

My knitting and yarn obsessions are getting out of control.  I have at least 15-20 projects lined up and ready to go.  There are just not enough hours in the day.  I'm getting ready to start on my first shawl, I'm quite nervous and scared of it, but I've read through the instructions and don't see anything that should throw me off.  Hopefully I'll be able to do it!

A few of us have tickets for the Lion King on Sunday evening.  I'm very excited about that.  Next weekend is the Cardinal District contest in Anderson, Indiana... that should be a lot of fun.  Tuesday night is the election for the Chorus Board of Directors... it's my turn to run again, so hopefully that will turn out in my favor!

Not much else to say right now... enjoy my blanket picture!!!

Lisa

A New Hip

My mom is getting a new hip tomorrow... this will be her second one, so hopefully she'll be out of pain.  If you're reading this - I'd appreciate all of your good thoughts and prayers for her - and for her doctor and medical staff tomorrow.

I'll be taking a lot of knitting for the stay at the hospital.  I finished a cowl on Tuesday night as part of the Mega KAL on Ravelry - the Code: Armonika Cowl - it was really lots of fun and easy to do.  I did tend to drift off at times and have to tink back, but I would do it again.  Definitely with another yarn, this yarn was a little on the difficult side to deal with.  If you had any small piece of fingernail or dry skin, it picked at the yarn the entire time.  Then when I did the Kitchener stitch (my first time!) to make the cowl into a loop, the yarn had untwisted and looked like it was about to break.  But - the cowl is great.  And - the first of February it will be time for the next installment of the KAL (knit along).  It's a shawl this time.  I've not made a shawl before - so this will be something new.  Yeah!



Last night I started a new cowl with some of my stash - the Concerto Cowl.  I don't think the pink and white are the best colors to do this with, since the pattern is hard to see - but it's easy, and my first time to "carry" the yarn up the backside.  Again - something I was dreading because I thought it would be hard??? 



I'm also going to be working on a baby blanket for my friend, Fran's great-niece.  I'm going to make it in the colors for the North Dakota State University Bison - green and gold.  I did get a little white to break up the colors. 

So - those are my crafting (knitting!) adventures for today.

Thanks for thinking of my mom tomorrow.

Lisa

Customer Service

I've always thought that there should be one customer service organization that you could call if you had really bad customer service... 1-800-CUS-TMER or something and say, "hey - I've had some really bad customer service at the ____ store" - and the customer service gurus would send someone out to take care of it right away.  I hate bad customer service... I hate when you go into a store and no one pays any attention to you.  I don't want to be followed, or accosted.  I just want to be acknowledged and asked if I need help.  If you can help then, great.  But - if I need help later, I want to be able to find you.  Now - with that all said - I just have to complement Eat Sleep Knit on their fantastic customer service.  I placed an order today for some yarn (I know - I don't NEED anymore!!!)  but I placed the order about an hour ago - and it has already shipped.  Already Shipped!!!!  How amazing is that.  And they don't charge an inflated price to ship it.  This is my first experience with them - and it's starting out on a great foot!  Thank you Eat Sleep Knit!  I look forward to many years of yarny experience with you!

Just a quick thought for today!

Lisa

The Weekend

Yeah... it's here.  But - boy do I have a lot to do!  Tomorrow, we're having a long-range planning meeting for the chorus.  Next weekend is Trivia... and our grant is due on the 16th.  So - a lot has to get done this weekend!

My mom found out yesterday that she'll be getting her other hip replaced on the 23rd... she wanted to make sure and do it after Trivia!  How funny.  But - it's time... she needs to have it done.  I'm glad she went ahead and went to the doctor.

I have joined a couple of "alongs" on Ravelry.  One is a shawl KAL.(knit along).  This month, we're doing a cowl called the Code: Armonika cowl.  It's really pretty and I've started and have about 7 or 8 inches of it done.  Hopefully I can find some time this weekend to work on it.  The other "along" is a CAL (crochet along) - it's a year-long project so that you'll end up with a blanket when the CAL is over.  The first block came out yesterday - and some in the Ravelry group have already finished - and some are just getting started.  I haven't crocheted in so long - but I'll get it done!

Not much else to report on - hopefully I can get some pictures posted soon, then you can see all of these things I'm working on!

Happy weekend!

Lisa

My Name is Lisa... and I have a Knitting Problem

I really don't know how it happened.  I am a crafter - I've always been a crafter.  I can thank my father for that - he's *still* making things!  I grew up doing all kinds of crafts, and I think I get obsessed with each of them.  So - now - it's knitting!  I remember when I was young and my grandmother (my father's mother) came to visit.  She taught me to knit while she was visiting.  I made a baby sweater and booties.  But - as soon as she went back to Massachusetts, I couldn't remember anything.  So - I didn't knit anymore until about 5 years ago.  I was living in Louisville at the time and my roommate took a class on knitting and she re-taught me.  I'm blaming her.

Did you know there are knitting podcasts?  Videos of regular people showing all of the fun things they've made.  I had no idea... and now when I find a new one, then I have to binge-watch to catch up on all of the previous episodes.  Who knew?

Things I have learned:

1.  I am not a monogamous knitter.  I work on more than one project at a time.
2.  I'm a thrower, not a picker.
3.  It's easy to buy too much yarn.
4.  I have several PLOPs (projects in long-term or ongoing progress).
5.  I have WIPs (works in progress) and FOs (finished objects).
6.  There are not enough hours in the day to knit everything I want.

I completed my first sock the other day - and I am so proud!  I have wanted to make a pair of socks, but was very afraid. 

I cast on a cowl to participate in a Cowl KAL (knit along) - and there will be a different one for each month.

As soon as I figure out how to load pictures, I'll make sure and do that!

Now - go knit!

Knitting, Crocheting, and Podcasts, Oh My!

I had another "blog" at some point.  I just checked it today, and it had been more than a year since I had posted anything.  I guess I just don't have that much to say.  And - has anything really changed?  I don't think so - but what I found is that old blog was a good way to keep up with things!  I saw on there where I went to see the Lion King in 2007.  It's nice to have a record of some things.  So - if you're interested in visiting the old blog - go to www.whyislisadoingthis.blogspot.com - there might be some interesting reading... if you get back as far as my knee replacement in 2010 - be careful, there are some graphic pictures of a stapled together leg :-)  But - that replacement was a miracle for me - it has been fantastic and has given me four years (so far) of pain-free living!  Now - we'll just keep our fingers crossed for the other knee - I'm not quite ready to do that again.  I know it's coming, but I'm happy to put it off for a while longer.

I have become a huge fan of knitting/crafting podcasts.  Who knew that these things even existed????  I sure didn't!  I found one - "Come Knit with Us" - and I binge-watched every episode (40 + of them) until I could catch up.  I feel like these women are my friends now!  And since then - I've got several more that I watch on a routine basis...  All I can say is how inspiring they all are.  Now all I want to do is knit... and craft...  I have been knitting like crazy - dish rags, cowls, hats... it's all good.  I am finding out about different and fun kinds of yarns.  Spinning - I had no idea that it's as popular as it is.  I don't know that I'm quite ready to jump into spinning - but I was never - NEVER - interested in that before.

So - are you a member of Ravelry?  Wow - what a community for knitters and crocheters... there are patterns (free and for purchase), you can see what projects your friends are working on, you can queue items in your library - I am amazed.  I have found a ton of items there that I'd love to do.

I guess I'll just start new here.  My plan is to share my knitting/crocheting/scrapbooking/crafting ideas and projects with you.  Come share with me - we'll have some fun!!!!