Ridiculous Amount of Unfinished Books!

Unfinished Book List

Restaurant at the End of the Universe – Doug Adams

True Blue – David Baldacci

Nerd Do Well – Simon Pegg

The Passage – Justin Cronin

Patternmaster – Octavia Butler

Gulp – Mary Roach

Yes, Chef – Marcus Samuelsson

Technology has caused an entire generation to develop some for reals ADHD. Everything consists of quick cuts, bits of information, faster, quicker, shorter, Facebook blurbs, Twitter tweets, instant information with just a picture and a sentence via Instagram. So as proved by the above list of unfinished books, I realize I’ve fallen victim to the condition myself. Seven unfinished books, for shame! None of these were deserted because “life is too short to read a bad book”; these are all good stories, fiction, non-fiction, autobiographies where my attention just went…elsewhere. When I was younger I spent entire summers with my nose in a book, rarely leaving the house because outside could not compete with living in a Little House on the Prairie, thank you very much. Even as an avid television watcher, that didn’t stop me because I would use the boob tube as mere background noise. So to have this number of books that I've picked up and put down for no real reason other than I can't sit for an hour and delight in reading is outside my norm.

Now I sit with a stack, well not a literal stack because some of these books are on audio format, which is even worse that these aren’t finished as I can very well plug in my headphones and knit, killing two hobbies with one stone and since I have quite a few unfinished knitting projects it would be awesome if I like, did that. Oh by the way, multiple knitting projects, i.e. ADHD because I can’t keep my attention on finishing even a preemie hat which takes only about two hours to complete…lame. Ok, so my audiobooks, the books on my Kindle/iPad mini (yes, both). Oh and I have actual physical books too for that old school feel.

And it’s not about not having enough time because I spend enough of it in the aforementioned activities. I’ve just gotten to the point when I see something over a paragraph or two I’m impatient, “When will all of these words end already?” or “Why does this person have to be so long winded with their half page of thoughts?!” or “Can’t they self-edit this down to the standard 140 Twitter characters?!” Then I proceed to spend hours on forums or looking at posts about what people ate for lunch, instagram shots of new shoes, hoarding knitting patterns, reading about knitting, but not knitting, or scouring forums about nail polish, the new ones, the ones are impossible to find and once I find them I'll share in my victory and store said polish amongst the 300+ untried polishes because I'm a horde..no a collector of things, when I should be immersing myself in a good story and finish…these…books. I have the time!

I’ll be focusing on completing these seven books by the end of the year. It’s a doable goal and then I can start fresh for 2014. Not that I’ll be trying to really increase the number of books I finish in the coming year, but I must train myself to keep my focus and finish what I start!



I need to do this....



Not this...(I promise I probably won't care about such a picture .02 seconds after I take it and neither will the rest of the world.  I know you guys "like" some of my stuff just to be polite, LOL!)

Or this..(Douglas Adams is awesome!)



While doing this...because the fifteen unfinished projects I've accumulated are sad and yearning for attention. (Hmmm, I'm quite sure these needles are being held very, very incorrectly, btw.



 

Happy Knit-versary! Here's to 5 years!

In Febrary of 2008 I began what would become one of my greatest journeys, that of becoming a knitter.  I say journey because what started out with a few stitches, blossomed into a steady hobby and has progressed to be a pastime that's as important to me as my love of reading.  Anyone who knows how much I love to read, how I've spent entire summer vacations as a child in the house with my nose in a book, will see that this is a profound statement.  As much as my identity includes being a bookworm and a lover of sci-fi, I am a knitter.  Knitting has allowed me to explore untapped craftiness, lovingly gifted others, relaxed and challenged me.  My yarn stash is now out of control, my knitting gadgets plenty, I'm rarely seen without a project and my adoration for this craft continues to grow.

Here I am the other day with my very first scarf.  I'm never getting rid of this thing. :)
From the humble beginnings of this sampler scarf I've tried my hands at many different types of projects:

Hats...

Gloves...

Toys...

Colorwork....

Shawls and lace....

Tried my had at a bit of dyeing (with Kool-Aid)....

Cables...

More hats....

And gloves...

Socks too!

That's just a small sampling of the things I've knitted over the past five years!  I may not have accomplished much as far as larger items, blankets, sweaters, etc., but I've tried a bit of everything and that's important in being a well-rounded knitter. Looking foward I would really like to tackle more garments  and that first sweater.  I have the yarn to knit at least three or four and the pattern candidates as well, but I really want to make sure I have the time to carefully craft something that fits and I'll love, but it's coming soon.  Also, I need to make sure to take good care of my wrists and elbows so I can continue knitting for years to come.

Also, an indispensible resource and place to commiserate has been Ravelry.  When my desire to knit has waned, this place has added fuel to the fire every time!

I love you so hard Ravelry, you don't even know.

So that's it.  I happily look a  future that includes two needles and yarn in my hands always. :)

Book Review - Knit One, Kill Two

Knit One, Kill Two by Maggie Sefton (unabridged audiobook)

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

"Kelly Flynn never picked up a pair of knitting needles she liked—until she strolled into House of Lambspun. Now, in the first in a brand-new series, she learns how to knit one, purl two, and untangle the mystery behind her aunt's murder."

Review:

This book falls under the category of  cozy mystery, little violence, no graphic material, the writing equivalent of  a "Matlock" episode.  This subgenre of crime fiction has a huge following and you can often find books with themes such as knitting, sewing, baking, you name it.  Sometimes one might want to do some light reading, perhaps featuring a particular hobby.  Being an avid knitter is obviously what drew me to this title.

That being said, I wanted to like this book more than I did.  This is my first foray into cozy mysteries and even knowing a bit about the genre it still felt really, really thin on everything, story, character development, etc.  I certainly enjoyed the knitting portions of the book, the description of the yarns, the yarn store, Kelly's first tries with knitting made me nostalgically think of my own.  All in all, it was a sufficient story, but not challenging enough for me to thoroughly enjoy it.

I'll probably give another cozy a try, if I feel the same way then I'll conclude this genre isn't for me.

2 out of 5 Iggystars

New Manicure Pics & Stuff

My Nails

I'm still keeping up with my nails and with all of the polish I've accumulated I'd better be doing two manicures a week for the next year.



This one was from late last week/early this week. Wet 'n Wild - Disturbia. Meh. It's a blackened plum color that I thought had some shimmer. Well, there's shimmer, but it's not discernable unless I have my nails all up close to my eyeballs. It's a perfectly nice color that suffered from not meeting my high expectations. (Am I excited about The Amazing Spiderman? Why do you ask?)

I must say though, WnW's Megalast line lives up to its name. I did all kind of work, cleaned the fish tank, you name it without nary a chip.



I like this one much better. Wet 'n Wild - Ebony Hates Chris, a shiny black creme, with two coats of Revlon - Scandalous, on top. I'm in love with Scandalous! A black jelly base with fuschia hex and round glitter. The glitter give it a pop without it being over the top. (Yes, my photo skills suck.)

Audio Books



I finished listening to Rob Lowes Biography, Stories I Only Tell My Friends. It was a great read! I didn't know much about Rob Lowe except from the impression he made with his Brat Pack fame, but I learned that he's more than just a pretty face. He's insightful and very grounded about his looks and stardom. He goes as far as to say that some of his interactions with fans, such as being mobbed by a group of girls, made him feel crappy instead of elated as he'd imagined it would. It's not that he doesn't love his fans or appreicate the adoration, he does, but he attributes some of these encounters to media hype, being the "it" actor and in his earlier brushes with fangirls, "group think and hormones being whipped up by Tiger Beat". He prefers real interactions with his fans and if I ever got a chance to meet up with him, I'd feel perfectly comfortable doing so as I wouldn't be trying to rip off a piece of his clothing or ask for an autograph while one of his loved one lays sick in a hospital bed (which happened...ugh).

The book glosses over a few of the more scandalous parts of his life, the sex tape scandal, his infidelities and his stint in rehab, but that was OK with me. I don't need sordid blow-by-blow details in order to get the full flavor of a person's life story.

Equally enjoyable is his recounting of how he got his break into acting, especially the audition process and shooting of The Outsiders which was one of my favorite movies in the 80's. So many crushable actors in that movie based on an amazing book (I read just about all of S.E. Hinton's books in my teens). Anyway, I enjoyed hearing his experiences on set, as well as general information about the audition process, how child actors are handled, how negotiations work, etc. I also though the story of how him and his wife, of now 20-years of marriage, started their journey together.

I seem to really enjoy biographies on audiobook, there's something about this format that works for me with this genre. Rob did the narration himself and has a uncanny ability for doing voices that made me laugh.

Let's see now I'm listening to Stephen King's time-travel thriller, 11/22/63. I loves me some time-traveling books and I love Stephen King's non-scary-giving-Iggy-nightmares books (I'm am NOT a horror fan), so I have high hopes this will be a good one.

Crafts

It's time for the new rounds of knitting games. Somehow I got mixed up with the Nerd Wars sign ups, so I'm not participating this tournament and am a little salty about that. But it's all a go for the Starfleet FAC and I'm working on chemo caps in colors for men. Actually I'm currently looking for the one I started as I've misplaced it somehow.

That is all for now...until next week!

Manicure of the Week & Stuff

Nails

So far I'm keeping up with my reinvigorated love of keeping my nails cute. Here's this week's manicure:



(I know this pic it crazy small. I did something funky with the editing and will fix it later.)

There, that's better.



I love this look! It's two coats of China Glaze Icicle topped off with the excellent China Glaze Crackle color Black Mesh. I remember first seeing crackle polish over a decade ago and I guess it didn't quite catch on then. It's in full swing now, or it might be getting played out. I'm old enough to only care if I like something, not if the masses think that something is still cool.

Being busy and all (have to still do housework even with pretty nails), in order to maintain my manicure I put a clear coat every other night and touch up the color as needed. I do a cuticle oil massage every day and the entire process only takes minutes.

Books
On the reading front, I'm currently listening to Rob Lowe's autobiography.



I only selected this book because of the great reviews and several recommendations. Rob does the reading and so far it's a very cool "read". Rob has never really been a blip on my radar because he's impossibly handsome and I like my guys to be less traditionally gorgeous (y'all know how I feel about a slight overbite, or long nose). In fact, I think I preferred his brother, Chad because he had a little goofiness mixed into his looks. So other than starring in some great "Brat Pack" fare, I wouldn't have gravitated to his biography.

But again, I'm finding it interesting to learn how he got into the business. I'll post a proper review later.

Crafting

My mojo is a bit off right now but the wax and wane of feeling like crafting is normal. I'm still trying to finish the gift for my latest yarn swap which was supposed to be mailed by Saturday. I'll throw in some extra goodies to make up for my tardiness. I also committed myself to knitting some chemo caps in colors for men, because they often get forgotten about when the call for caps is made. Men undergoing chemo lose their hair too, so a nice, soft cap should be a nice charity knit.

That's all for now!

It's Itchy! A Tale of Two Yarns - 2KCBWDAY1

What does my tale of two yarns have to do with the title of this post? Well, a lot. My family is plagued by sensitive skin. You’ll find nary a fragranced body wash, lotion or clothes detergent in my household and this sensitivity also applies to fiber. Not just wool, but any number of things can cause itchiness, non-wool fiber like linen or even man-made clothing that has an unfortunate placing of elastic or a ruffle. And it’s like pulling teeth to get my daughter, while wearing a skirt, to put on the softest pair of tights in the dead of winter. Even I am susceptible to such skin discomfort, so naturally that means I have to be very careful when selecting yarn when knitting for my family and myself.

Enter the world of acrylic yarn. Acrylic is often frowned upon amongst knitters and I can understand why. It’s cheap, squeaks on the needles, doesn’t block well and isn’t very breathable. Plus, with the internet and off season sales at one’s LYS a knitter can find many ways to purchase natural fibers at a great price, so why not go for the better quality. Not to mention there is natural non-wool yarn a plenty but shall we go back to the $30 hat for my daughter? Non-wool yarns can get expensive as well, and the thought of a hat being balled up on the floor, lost, thrown amongst dirty clothes, or splurging only to find out that it still itches my mother (she’s the itchiest of us all), brings me back to less expensive acrylic as a great option.

But I digress; this is a tale of two yarns. I chose two from a company famous for acrylic, work horse, inexpensive yarn in a million colors and quite a few brands, Coats and Clark’s Red Heart line, wanting to focus on the two opposite ends of the spectrum because I loved one and hated the other and yes, I used the word hate.

Red Heart Soft True to the name this yarn is soft has a nice drape and subtle sheen. The stitch definition is pretty good and as with all 100% acrylic yarns you can just throw it in the wash (which is great for those above mentioned hats and other items that I’ve found way, way under the dear daughter’s bed, you know where the dust bunnies live or for a baby/toddler when you know the item is going to get grubby.)

Red Heart Super Saver Yuck! Just yuck! My very first yarn purchase outside of my LYS; having to purchase yarn from the store to go with my class projects (they pretty much only carry mid to higher end yarns as most LYS do). I figured was advanced enough in my knitting skills to buy my own yarn; I was going to buy something that wasn’t expensive and knit a scarf for a couple of bucks instead of fifteen, “I’ll show you LYS and your required yarn purchases!!!!” A skein in a purple variegated colorway caught my eye, I snatched it up and took it home ready to start my first non-class project. As I unraveled the yarn I immediately noticed how scratchy it felt, surely it wouldn’t past the itchiness test, but I cast on anyway. Yup, it squeaked, which I could have dealt with as I do now, but I was also using bamboo needles and talk about sticky! Those stitches would barely move down the needle and the yarn just felt too artificial, it was as if I could feel the plastic, the chemicals used to make the fiber and it grossed me out completely. I've heard that this yarn is great for afghans, that it gets softer after its washed, but I'll never know...I haven't picked up that skein since I frogged the two rows I knit with it. (But it was actually in my stash for notstalgia sake until recently.)

There are so many options if you’re looking for less expensive yarns, non-wool yarns, even if you frequent the chain stores you can find many acrylic blends with soy, silk or cotton that are pretty nice to use if you’re itchy like us. Not that I only knit with this kind of yarn (ask Jimmy Beans Wool). I’ve had the fortune to knit with more expensive cotton, I can handle wearing some superwash merino for socks, a few wool blends aren’t that bad for a few of us in the family and I’ve had the pleasure of knitting for others without any fiber-related issues, using wonderful, yummy and more expensive yarns. So even with some of my fiber-related challenges I can be amongst the knitters of this world in their adoration of yarn.

The 2nd Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week!

Howdy all!

For the first time I'll be participating in the 2nd Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog week. This event is for knitters and crocheters who blog, each day posting simultaneously on the same fiber-related topic. This year the event runs from March 28th through April 3rd. I'm really excited to be taking part in this celebration of the hobby I've grown to love and I hope that I'll get a few persons to navigate to my little corner of blogverse for the week.

A brief blurb about 2011

Shortly 2011 will be here and I've been thinking of things I want to accomplish in the coming 12 months. Not resolutions, because I don't subscribe to coming up with a list solely based on a new year rolling around. These are projects for myself, my growth that I'm already working on for the most part, just tweaking and expanding a bit. Here is what I'm going to focus on:

• Being more consistent with my knitting, finishing more projects (at least 11) and trying my hand at a few more techniques (two-at-a-time socks, entrelac, my first sweater).
• Learning how to crochet using the four classes I have left at my local yarn store.
• Losing weight. A common enough goal which I've already started (14lbs. since November). I'm thinking of at least 30 - 40 more pounds slowly would be very good for my health.
• Along with the weight loss goal, increasing my physical fitness. I walked my first half-marathon in October and my plan is to finish two in 2011 along with a few 5K runs and fun walks with Alexis. So consistent exercise is going to be a must.
• Playing casual games for relaxation...and finishing some of the backlog of games I have for my DSi.
• I want to read more in and I'm planning on participating in about four book challenges to keep me movitivated.

Those are my goals mainly relating to hobbies, there are others, keeping a cleaner house, etc. If I focus on the above I'll be plenty busy in 2011!

Knitting: I'm Bummed

So basically, no matter what I do to prevent pain, knitting is aggravating something. I haven't been overdoing it by any means. I keep the sessions down to 15-30 periods, stretching before, good ergonomics, even making sure I don't knit everyday, but all this to no avail. The tightness in my fingers and soreness in my wrist is always the outcome.

I'm still not giving up though. I have an orthopedic appointment on May 17th and I'm looking for answers. I've done the internet research on ruling out carpal tunnel syndrome based on the location of the pain. It might be tendonitis, tenosynovitis or some other ailment which I'll let the doctor diagnose.

Whatever the diagnosis I'm ready to closely follow any treatment plan suggested because this is making me sad. I want to knit and I miss it terribly. I've been doing alot of gaming on my Nintendo DS, which is it's own bit of fun, but nothing can replace some yarn flowing through my fingers.

The Ravelympics Are Here!

Wait, are there any of my two readers who don't know what Ravelry is?

Ravelry - Ravelry is a free social networking website. It functions as an organizational tool for a variety of fiber arts including knitting, crocheting, spinning, and weaving. Members share projects, ideas, and their collection of yarn, fiber, and tools via various components.

Basically it's an addictive, social site that sucks hours of time from you. Not just with chatter, but with endless patterns to browse, yarn suggestions and help forums, etc. It's loads of fun.

Alrighty then..

It's the opening day of the 2010 Winter Olympics and I'm waxing nostalgic. My daughter was born during the 1998 Winter Olympics and I fondly remember watching the events all day while I was in the hospital.

So what are the Ravelympics? It's a time where knitters are invited to challenge themselves by starting and finishing projects during the 2010 Winter Olympics. How you decide to challenge yourself is entirely up to you. There are teams to choose from and events to participate in, with many knitters joining in on the fun and supporting one another. I'm signed up with three teams, Team K'nerd (the nerdy knitters), Team Michigan and Team City Knits (my local yarn store of choice).

In a previous post I mentioned the problems with my wrist, which has affected my project/event choices. Since I rested from knitting starting Monday, iced and exercised, it feels better, but not 100%. Therefore, my alternate projects are much smaller, but that's OK I'm happy to compete and will be challenged just by completing these without hurting myself.





Here's Bob, the overall Raverly mascot and ambassador of this year's Ravelympics.

I'll be blogging about my first experience as a Ravelete as I progress.

Ouch!

My wrist hurts and it's bumming me out.

I'm not shocked since my job has included lots of typing and data entry for the past 20 years. There are times when my wrist gets sore then heals on its own, no biggie. But due to some less-than-ergonomic knitting sessions last week, no breaks and holding my needles with a death grip, all of this activity has produced a dull ache in my right wrist which has completely dampened the fun in my crafting sessions. I'm not at all happy about this turn of events at all.

I'm trying to rectify this situation by exercising my hands, icing, making sure I'm sitting correctly, knitting with as little motion as possible, wearing crafting gloves and although my discomfort isn't getting worse, it isn't getting better either. I guess there's only one solution...taking a break. I have three small projects for the Ravelympics and two to complete before I go on vacation then I guess I'll have to slow down or stop...even if it's for a few weeks.

I don't want to slow down! I've got my knitting mojo back, I've reorganized my Ravelry queue for goodness sake! I have projects lined up with reasonable timeframes to complete them. I'm feeling confident that I can complete 2010 goal of pushing my skills. Sigh...

Hopefully a break will allow me to heal completely. I have two other things I'm going to try on my own, a nightly ice dip and a little weight strengthening (very, very, light weights). If I'm still hurtin' then I'll have to see a doctor. Now that would be a major bummer.

Knitted Gifts: Setting the Record Straight

The following is the longest post ever. Usually I try to keep it short, so as to not indulgently ramble on, but I had to get my soapbox out and to get this off my chest. Hopefully if you’re a knitter you’ll take the time to read and leave a comment with your own opinions on the matter.

I love knitting for others. Since I learned to knit about two years ago, only a few of my completed projects have been for me and those I’ve presented with knitted gifts have been more than gracious and stoked about their presents. My daughter wore out the first pair of socks I made and has demanded more. She’s been known to sleep in the first hat I knit for nights on end and when she sees me casting on something new, she always asks, “What are you knitting? Can I have it?” (She is 11 though and I’m sure there will come a time when a hand knitted garment from Mom will be the…worst…thing…ever.)

My best friend, Ericka, has also enjoyed her hand knit gifts. There’s one hat that just didn’t come out how I liked it, I felt it looked obviously handmade, but she chastised me one day when I teased that she only said she liked it to be nice. “Excuse me? You don’t tell me if I like something or not!” This past weekend she made my evening recounting the numerous compliments she’s received on that rolled brim hat and basket weave scarf knit out of the same yarn. Someone even asked if I sell my wares. I grinned from ear-to-ear.

Then there’s my brother and mother. Both have requested specific items (hats, gloves, and a shawl for Mom) and have lovingly worn these items that I made them with pride.

So why do I need to set the record straight? There are others, beloved friends, teachers at my daughter’s school, even virtual strangers who don’t “get it”.

I'm not there yet...

I pretty much know my own knitting skills. I don’t mind a challenge, but I’ve had requests for projects that I know are way out of my league and will be for some time. I’m not ready for a sweater with six different types of cables (or any sweater for that matter) and when I am, it’s going to be that famous Central Park Hoodie…for myself. All others will have to wait in line for something that complex.

Time is a most valuable thing…

I work full time, am a mother full time, a part time housekeeper and cook. There are errands to run, shopping to be done and groceries to purchase. I love staying at home and relaxing, there’s reading, playing on my DS, television to be watched but I’m not a hermit…yet. I’m still like to catch a movie, go out to dinner, and get some fresh air. Knitting is on the top of my list as a great stress reliever but as much as I’d love to, unfortunately I don’t have endless hours to play with my yarn. Did I mention that I’m a rather slow knitter with quite a few projects in my queue? I might not get to your request for quite some time (try next year).


It’s the thought that counts…right?

I think this is what burns me the most. I have several friends with very discriminating tastes. Basically, they’re picky. I’m not mad, there’s nothing wrong with that. I have a few things I’m picky about as well, purses for one. However, if I have an inkling that someone might not enjoy what I knit for them, that it might get thrown in the back of their closet, that the item might never be worn, said person is not getting a knitted item for me…period. For one, see the above paragraph, my time is valuable. Plus, at the minimum a very basic hat is going to take a few hours to knit and if there’s any complexity to the pattern at all, sometimes many more. I don’t knit to sell my items and I usually don’t even request that a person purchase the yarn. But trust me, I’m not desperately combing the streets, “Please, I need to knit you something and I hope you’ll wear it at least once!” I don’t require the spoilee to think my gift is the next best thing since sliced bread, just a give a showing or two, wear it once or twice (even if it's in the privacy of your home. I won't know the difference) and show a bit of gratitude.

This is especially true after a recent incident. One of my neighbors was going through chemo treatments and lost her hair. I thought I’d whip up a really soft, cotton chemo cap in a lovely shade of lavender. It turned out really large so I worked out a braided cord to make a drawstring so she could make it fit and in the end I thought it was very pretty (pat on the back). When I presented her the gift bag (in a matching color no less), she kind of looked at it blandly, thanked me and said, “Oh, you made this for me because you heard I’d lost my hair, huh?” She even hinted that the hat might not look right without hair on her head (which totally defeats the purpose of a chemo cap, btw). My feelings were hurt. It was as if I’d been snooping about, when her illness was common knowledge. Granted, she’s older and I’m sure she wasn’t feeling her best, plus it’s normal for her to be difficult at times. Still, I really thought she’d appreciate wearing something pretty to her therapy sessions instead of a bland hat. Oh well.


Edited to add: My neighbor did wear her chemo cap and she looked lovely in it. I should have given her a break for two reasons (kind of mentioned above, but obviously I wasn't feeling it then). First and foremost, she was sick! Second, as my mother reminded me, she is always sourfaced even when she wasn't sick. So I'm glad to add, that she's recovered very well and continues to be her grumpy self. I don't know if she loved the hat, she could have hated it, but she wore it once and that's all the gratitude I need.

Don’t talk to strangers...

Again, see the above. If I’m not close to the person (unless it’s charity knitting), if it’s a friend of a friend of a friend, a co-worker that only converses with me in passing, they aren’t getting my knitted items. Like I said, I’m not even accepting offers of being paid right now (maybe one day). How do you calculate the time spent on a project? What would one charge? Sometimes I’ll see a hand knit piece and incredulously turn my nose up at the price, but I get why, I really do.

It’s just….I can choose my own yarn, in my favorite color, and make it myself. ;)

Rant over. Soapbox put away in storage.