I Have a QO to Show You!

Happy last Friday in August - though I realize it's not the same as most Augusts are.  But still time goes right along, and it seems only right to mark it.  Because I have a Zoom meeting at 1:00 today that I know will only make me angry, I thought I'd use this time to write a happy post.  That way, I can be in a good frame of mind before it starts, and spend the afternoon knitting away my anger and aggravation.  

And so, I wanted to share my QO with you.  You may think, "What in the ever-loving universe is a QO???"  My response to you is, that *this* is a QO:

Then you will say, "But Bridget, that looks like a hat, and like it's an FO."  Which means that yes, you are quite observant, but then again, not quite.  Because although this particular piece may be a Finished Object in and of itself, it is only 1/4 - a Quarter - of an overall planned project.  Hence, the term QO = Quarter Object.

This is a hat for Keith, who is married to my niece Julie.  I decided a couple of weeks ago that I am making the same hat for everyone in the family for Christmas, which then became the KJPO Hat Project.  Above you see the K hat.  I am using the Olmsted Hat pattern by Jaclyn Salem.  I have already used that pattern to make a hat for The Tim, which he really likes and wears a lot in the cold weather.  It uses DK weight yarn, so for me, it was a perfect chance to use some stash!  This one used two strands of sock yarn knit together.  I used some leftover Hedgehog Sock in the Construct colorway for all of it; the brim which looks gold and blue is leftover (and now completely used up - YAY - Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in the Spats colorway; and, the bulk of the rest is Ancient Arts Fibre Crafts sock yarn in the Grey Tabby colorway.  I like how the brim turned out, though I must admit it was as much dumb luck as anything else, because I didn't really do a lot of planning - just grabbed and started knitting.  I followed the pattern exactly as written, and again have to say, it's a great pattern and makes a nice, squishy hat.

This took me about a week to knit, though in fits and spurts.  I'd get a lot done one day, and then not knit at all the next.  So this is all definitely doable.

And now?  I'm working on the next one in the group, which is the P hat.  I've adapted the stitch count for a kid's size, based on other kid-sized hat patterns I've seen.  As you know, baby and child knits go so quickly, I'm just moving right along on that one!  I want to try and get all four of them done before I move on to any other gifts for anyone else.  That way, at least one group will have handknit gifts this year. 😉

*****

I'm feeling pleased with myself this morning because I have been able to get a few things accomplished - got a flu shot and the first part of my shingles vaccine, took a LOT of old but still in good shape towels and dropped them off at the vet's office where they were much appreciated, and I'm almost finished with the laundry.  Always a good feeling to check things off the list for the day.  We have no particular plans this weekend.  Tomorrow it is supposed to rain the entire day, pretty steadily, so it will be a day of inside projects.  Sunday promises to be lovely, and so The Tim is thinking maybe we can take Hamlet to one of the large parks nearby where we can all walk around and not have to worry about crowds.  I hope we can do that, it would be a real treat.  

And that's all of the excitement from my life.  I hope all of you have a nice weekend and get in some time to do the things you really enjoy.  See you next week!

13 Things in 2013

Well, if there are any things I really wanted/needed to do before the end of the year, I'd better get moving!  To be honest, I can't think of anything that falls into this category (other than paying some bills this evening), but it is still almost the end of the year.

A lot of people do end-of-the-year posts about their most popular posts, their accomplishments, or even the worst about the year that is nearly at an end.  I have been giving it some thought, and decided I was going to list 13 Things in 2013, so here you go.

1.  In August, The Tim's oldest sister died unexpectedly.  It was sad, not just because of what it was, but because of how it happened.  And in the end, it seemed that after her husband died last year, she gave up on everything, and kinda died of a broken heart.  They were both sweet people, and were my favorites in his family.  I can only hope now that they are together and in peace.

2.  Shingles.  Enough said about that.

3.  I started going to a new internist this past summer, and so far it has been a real improvement.  My old doctor was someone I'd gone to for years, and though he was very nice, and very responsive, the past couple of times I'd had respiratory issues, I really feel that his hesitancy to give me strong drugs led to having pneumonia twice in two years.  I had a really bad cold a few weeks ago, which was taking the route that had led to pneumonia before, and the new doctor really decided to kick it at the beginning.  It cleared up and even my cough didn't last as long!

4.  I failed to complete two reading challenges I'd signed up to do.  But on the other hand, I read two more books than the goal I had set for myself on Goodreads!

5.  My knitting output was pitiful, but fortunately, I was pleased with what I did complete.

6.  My niece Julie and her husband Keith, who live in Brooklyn, are expecting a baby girl in May, so another great-niece will join the family!

7.  It snowed a couple of times this fall, and even though we didn't have a white Christmas, it was a cold and sunny Christmas day, which meant it felt the way it should, and that we could have a fire in our fireplace.

8.  I didn't manage to clean out/clear out as much stuff around here.  But on the plus side, I have been managing to slowly take the clothes that don't fit me any more but are still in decent shape, and donate them.  I hope they have made someone happy.

9.  Early in the year, I had the chance to meet a friend that I "met" on Facebook through two other real-life friends who knew her.  She was as much fun in person as she is online.  And it was a kick to be around a stranger that I felt like I already knew.

10.  Even though I wasn't as active and didn't exercise as much as I had planned to, I did manage to keep my weight about the same.

11.  In October, The Tim and I celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary, which counts for saving power if nothing else.

12.  Over the summer, I went with a group of friends to Stitch 'n Pitch.  Cole Hamels pitched, the Phillies won (a real treat this past season!), and it was one of the most fun times ever.

13.  We didn't have the chance for a big vacation, but we had a great trip to Rehoboth Beach in September, staying with my niece Amanda and her husband Pat, who have a house there that is shared in his family.  It was a wonderful weekend.  Dug went with us, and I think he had the best time of all.

So overall, except for the true sadness of losing Sheila, it was a year of more good than bad.  Death is a huge "bad" of course, but the important thing is for the rest of us to go on living our lives since we are still here.  We are all relatively healthy, pretty content, and ready for 2014.

Here's hoping it will be a good year for all of us who have made it through 2013!

ThisClose

I am actually ThisClose to finishing a project that has taken way too long.  Not due to difficulty, or not enough yarn, just because of me!  I don't want to say any more and possibly jinx it, but hopefully sooner rather than later I'll have a blog post and a picture for you.

I have been thinking lately about how I really need to take my measurements and understand what they mean, as far as knitting goes, in particular.  I always hesitate with large projects (aka sweaters), since I never feel confident that I really know what size I should make.  Recently, I bought a copy of Amy Herzog's Knit to Flatter, which talks about not only knowing your own measurements, but how to get accurate ones, and what that means related to what you are trying to knit.

I also see on her website that she is launching something called CustomFit, which looks promising.  For whatever reasons, I feel that she is trustworthy.  I think part of it is that she looks in pictures like a very friendly, approachable person, with a normal kind of body.  (If you know her and she is not, please don't tell me.  I want to enjoy my little fantasy at least a bit longer.)

In other news, my shingles - though much improved - have put yet another damper on something for me.  I was supposed to teach a six-week Beginner Knitting class at Rosie's, starting this past Monday.  I was truly excited about it, because a) I had missed teaching it last winter, due to my interminably long pneumonia-like illness, and b) I love the idea of getting new knitters started!  So even though things were doing OK, my doctor suggested that adding an evening class to my work schedule might not be the best idea.  So now someone else is doing it.  Which dismays me, because I hate pulling out of something like that at all, much less twice in a row, and also because I was hoping to use the money I made for holiday gifts.

Stupid shingles.

But, onward, as they say.  I'll go back to my ThisClose project, and start planning what will be next, or decide if any holiday gifts are coming off the needles this year.  And just hope that I not only get another chance to teach Beginner Knitting, but that I stay healthy enough to actually do it!

See ya.

Stuff

I gotta tell you, these stupid shingles are killing me!  I've certainly had my share of painful experiences in my life, but these win the prize.  Geez.  On the plus side, I am getting better.  So - theoretically at least - I should feel even better by this time next week.  Or someone will pay.

I have not knit a stitch this week.  Mostly because I am truly wiped out when I get home from work.  But I have plans.  And yarn.  So it's just a matter of time.

There is a woman I know who is overall fairly nice, and she has a good sense of humor, but she is recently driving me crazy.  First of all, every other word out of her mouth is the f-word, and I'm not a big fan of that word.  However, since it's everywhere, that's not the main problem.  The main problem is that she is one of those parents whose kid is the smartest, prettiest, nicest, whatever-ist, and the people at the kid's [very expensive, private] school (that she manages to mention in every conversation), aren't teaching and doing things the way she  thinks they should be.  This can be a problem.  If it is actually the case.  But her latest thing is that her kid was caught skipping school, and now has detention for three days.  During which, instead of doing her homework, she has to work on an essay explaining why kids shouldn't skip school.  But the kid finds this boring, and the woman is incensed that they don't give her something "better" to do.  On my best days, I don't have a lot of patience for this kind of crap, but I think not feeling great is making me worse.  Clearly I need to avoid talking to, or ready any Facebook posts from this woman, at least for a while.

I have been reading the same book for almost a month now.  It's not that long, and it's very interesting, but I don't seem to make any progress of note.  I have a little more than 100 pages left, so there is light at the end of the tunnel.  But I have no idea why it is going so slowly.  Oh well.

Summer seems to have returned here for the week.  I want to know who said that was OK.  ;-)

One of my nieces is furloughed due to the government shutdown.  So she is using the time to decorate her house for Halloween.  She loves Halloween, and usually goes all out, but I think this year, it's gonna be even more amazing.  She seems to have found a way to make lemonade out of that lemon.

On October 19, Dug and I will be taking part in the Mutt Strut, hoping to raise money for homeless animals.  The sponsoring organization, PAWS, is the only no-kill shelter in the city, and they have a wonderful spay/neuter wellness clinic not far from our house.  If I ever get my act together, I'd like to volunteer there.  In any event, if for some reason you have some cash and can't think of what to do with it, you can certainly help out here.

Does anyone like any of the new shows this year?  To be honest, I haven't seen many of them, but on the other hand, I haven't noticed any that seem like things I MUST watch.  So feel free to offer suggestions.

The Tim is on vacation this week.  I think he is enjoying it especially, since he has the days to himself, since I am back at work.  I can appreciate that, but having used all of my sick leave and a little bit of the tiny amount of vacation that I have last week, I will admit to being jealous.  I think "vacation" is one of the best words, in any language!

And, finally, that's all for now.  I'm sure that if you have bothered to keep reading, you are pretty happy right about now.  That's fine.  I just wanted to get it all off my chest.

The Good. The Bad. The Ugly. The OK. The Happy.

The Good.

We had a FABULOUS weekend this past weekend!  One of my nieces and her husband have access to a beach house in Rehoboth Beach, and they invited us to hang out with them.  Even Dug the Doodle Dog went along, and all of us had a great time!  The weather was gorgeous - cool, sunny, and clear.  We didn't do anything special, just spent time together, hung out on the beach, and did a lot of laughing.  It was so great.  (Dug is still recovering ...)

The Bad.

I had big plans to finish my Breezy Turquoise by the first day of fall.  And I was making real progress, until the past couple of weeks, when we were getting ready for Members' Night at work.  It's a BIG DEAL, and by the time I'd get home, I would be too exhausted to think, much less knit.  Then the weekends were busy working on a house project, which was fortunately finished, but meant that no knitting was accomplished.  I took it with me this past weekend, and ended up not knitting a single stitch.

The Ugly.

Shingles.  I haz 'em.  On me, not on the roof.  Goodbye, small amount of sick time and vacation I had left at work.  :-(  I have been ordered to stay home the rest of the week to see how well I do/do not recover.

The OK.

In my effort to make lemonade out of the above lemon, I am hoping that over the next few days, I will be able to be comfortable enough somehow to knit on my Breezy Turquoise.  My new goal is to finish it before Halloween.  If I can find a way to sit that is not ridiculously painful, I could really make some progress.  This is currently the only thing keeping me from complete despair.

The Happy.

Ending on a good note, I am so very thrilled that those of you who received packages from my blogiversary giveaway were pleased with what your packages contained.  The lovely notes that you have sent to me has made me so happy, and I know that the things I sent out will have happy homes where they are loved and used.  Which was the whole idea in the first place.  So to those who wrote, you are more than welcome.  And to everyone else, I hope you'll keep reading.  :-)

Let's all hang in there!