I'm back! ...I think :)

Hello world,

Happy 2012!

A great deal of stuff has happened since the last update, so let me sum things up: soon to be divorced, working full time, mothering three loving girls, packing for a downsize move to an apartment, lost weight, gained the weight back but trying to lose it again, knit some, crocheted some, and spun some... though not nearly enough to satisfy. TBR pile is again growing but I am making the shift to ebooks to save space.

I continue to be blessed by loving family and AMAZING friends!

I took advantage of the year-end sale at WEBS to score some pretty sock yarn. Not that I am in danger of running out of sock yarn, mind you, but I can't resist an affordable opportunity to sample new sock yarns!

I am saving up for a Kindle. For now, I use both Kindle and Nook apps on my ipod and PC. There are a lot of great free books available and I have to restrain myself so the digital TBR pile doesn't get out of control.

I also have purchased several ebooks recently:
*CHRISTMAS MOON by Elizabeth Lane
*DULCIE'S GIFT, THE COURTSHIP OF IZZY MCCREE, BLACKTHORNE and the HIGHLANDERS bundle by Ruth Langan

I recently finished WILD BOY: MY LIFE IN DURAN DURAN by Andy Taylor. Great read! As a longtime Duran Duran fan, I devoured this book and it really put certain events into context and showed the human side of these 80s icons. Now if only the other members of Duran Duran would write their memoirs, I would be all set :) My daughter expressed interest in reading this book, but I advised her that a great deal of the pop culture references would be completely lost on anyone who wasn't a part of that era. Plus, there are several F-bombs and she is only 11 :)

As for my crafts...
*Knitting on a pair of socks for my oldest daughter (her feet are bigger than mine) out of a self striping yarn made by Cascade.
*Crocheting a giant granny square lapghan out of a Pound of Love.
*Spinning up some merino from Lisa Souza in the fresh avocado colorway for the rest of a sweater I am working on for myself. (Time permitting I will edit this post to include more links.)

That's it for now! Love to everyone :)

Shifting Gears...

Like many others, I am becoming increasingly drawn to the "make do and mend" movement. In addition to my works in progress (knitting and crochet), I have an ever-growing pile of mending I need to get through. I am not an expert seamstress and however competent I become through practice of sewing, it won't be "my thing" like knitting and crochet. So to give myself the freedom to talk about mending/sewing and other crafts (in addition to crochet and knitting), I have decided to remove myself from all but one knitting blog rings. My blog, which I have become very lazy about updating, wasn't seeing a great deal of traffic anyway so quitting the blog rings doesn't feel like such a big deal.

Another issue I wanted to share is my need to make wearables for myself. However, I am also working within the confines of my stash, so I have come to the conclusion (AGAIN) that I really need to lose some weight! The smaller I get, the less yardage it will take to make a garment and the further my yarn will go. Sounds good, huh? Too bad I can't just wiggle my nose and blink my eyes to make it happen. *sigh* From time to time I may share my dieting progress but I reserve the right not to share my starting or goal weight :p

More soon...

FO: Bed Socks

IMG_2161
Originally uploaded by pudmuddles.

I've been in a sock frenzy lately but I've decided to knit up my "worst" sock yarn first. These socks were made with Cascade Fixation, which is a neat yarn, looks beautiful in tops, etc. However, in my opinion (experience), it is just NOT COMFY to walk on!

NaNoWriMo was abandoned because of book reviews... Holiday knitting (crochet) plans are now in danger too. Today is a good day to give it some thought and try to come up with a list of quick/easy projects to complete in time for Christmas... wish me luck!

It's been awhile...

...but I have been knitting! And reading... And Plurking... My Ravelry participation has decreased but I have managed to keep my projects updated there.

Let's see, what is off my needles?
1. Accordion Cowl Hood by Diane Serviss - using gray boucle from stash
2. The Socks of Extreme Angst - using Austermann Step and Ann Budd's basic formula for making socks
3. My Scrap Happy Shawl - using a variety of samples and leftovers from my stash, this project was inspired by Miss Violet's post here. I may have a better picture of this project for the blog at some point LOL!


On my needles:
1. Nanners Socks! I am really loving this pattern, I think WendyKnits is a fab designer and a great person in general!
2. Another cotton shopping bag - using the same pattern as before but shortening the strap considerably so it won't hang down to my ankles when filled. I also went down in needle size to see if that helps too...
3. Nemesis - this is a project which is rumored to be a Clapotis, that's all I will say for now...

What's coming next?
1. More blog posts, to this and my other blogs.
2. Something for myself from More Big Girl Knits.
3. A crochet project... lace or amigurumi...
4. Catching up with the Plurkette Hencircle
5. Working with my local knit group on our ongoing charity projects...

My update sans pictures

Halfway into June and I am just now getting around to posting, bad blogger!

What's on my needles: I am working on my Socks of Extreme Angst, almost done with the cuff of sock #2. I am also about 50% in on an Accordion Cowl Hood by Diane Serviss. This is another "let's use up the boucle quick" project. This time, it is back to the grey Bernat Soft Boucle I used for The Neverending Poncho with a little Bernat Satin in black for contrast. So far, it is working up nicely though the accordion folds are not as clearly defined in the boucle than they would be if I had used a smooth yarn. Pictures will follow soon.

Next to cast-on: I would like to make another shopping bag to use up the last of my kitchen cotton. I will buy kitchen cotton in the future, but ONLY when I have a SPECIFIC project in mind. Also, I found a bunch of granny squares I made years ago and I think they would make some cute scarves for my daughters.

Finally, I didn't get to participate in WWKIP Day as I had family visiting. That's it for this update, more to follow soon. Peace to you and yours!