So, after making the cat bed I put on the table because I really wanted to test its power. Within a short time Izzy made himself comfortable in the bed. He spent a good portion of the day in the bed until he got up to eat dinner and the Puffy Tail assumed ownership of the bed.
Well, that didn't last long because Puffy needed to eat as well. So, when she got down to eat, Izzy had scarfed all his food and was back in the bed for the remainder of the night. The Kitty Pi bed has more allure than the overheated radiator in our bathroom. The radiator is so warm the kitties bask in his glory like topless sunbathers on the beaches of Spain (are all the beaches topless? Sunburn must hurt?). Back in the seat of power. Izzy seems to be the dominant presence in the bed.
And finally, stolen by Churchill. Look at the smile and look of "It's mine! It's mine!" This was this morning, I come out to feed the kids and there is a smile of victory on the pretty boy. I can't wait to make a cat bed for my babies, so I can watch drama like this unfold all the time. Who needs cable when I have Feline Fiesta happenings? With that strange made-up phrase, I leave you as I need coffee and I need it now.
So, after a moment of madness, I realized I have no idea how much yarn, of what type of yarn, how many needles, what type of needles, and notions that I have. So, I made piles of yarn on the floor. Now, let me explain my stash is not huge by any means, however I am an individual who is committed against clutter. I through random pieces of paper away. You can ask my friend Anna how I threw her tickets to England because I thought they were scraps of paper (a trip to visit her fiance nonetheless). And how we went threw the garbage in the condo the day she was supposed to leave to realize that it was probably in the garbage I brought to the basement, which we went to look for to then realize the garbage was picked up that morning. Yeah, that was fun. So, me cleaning up what I feel is somewhat disorganized is rational as the year is coming to a close. So, I made piles of all my needles and made an Excel spreadsheet (email me or post a comment if you want a copy) and sat in front of Gilmore Girls to enter the spreadsheet. I made piles of my yarn and separated into projects (for myself, for the knit 4 paws, for the paws bazaar, and for other projects like my sil shawl). I am finally somewhat satisfied with the progress until I realized I really need to finish some of these projects. So, after the holidays I have to finish the cat beds for the second knit 4 paws and scarves for next year's bazaar. Ok, so that is how the topic of resolutions came into being.
Here they are:
1. Finish the poncho I began in a sage green angora. I seemed to have added the cowl neck backwards. That will take an afternoon. And block it.
2. Finish my sil's poncho. I want to make it bigger and I have ton of yarn leftover to do that. Block it and mail it. The deadline for this is end of May.
3. Finish the remaining acrylic yarn I have in a bag. Make it into some cat blankets and drop off at shelter. Deadline for this is March.
4. Finish the yarn I have in a bag making sarves. Deadline for this is July.
5. Mail Mercedes baby blanket. It has been done for months.
Ultimately, this will free up my baskets for some yummy yarns and new projects such as,
1. Make a baby blanket for Ben's cousin. Heidi is due in May and I am so excited to finally make a baby item. Deadline is April if I am to mail in time.
2. Make the Yarn Harlot's poncho. I have the yarn sitting in a bag in the bedroom because it doesn't fit in my stash basket (thus the items listed above).
3. Make the Harry Potter scarf. I have the yarn, I should use it. Before the next movie comes out.
4. Whatever else inspires me as it comes to me....
I leave you with this moment of zen. A kitty pi bed I made for my friend Fiona who wrote a letter of recommendation. She does't know its coming and based on my ability to mail things, I don't want to warn her it is coming. Which reminds me:
6. Mail Fiona's cat bed.
Ignore the paper, ignore the paper! There is no clutter on this table, it is holiday madness creating this mess.
Grumperina posed the question,
"Who knows about your knitting and your knitting blog, and what are your reasons for revealing (or not) its existence to these folks?"
Most people who know me at this point are aware I knit. Whether they have accepted it or not, is another question. My husband has mild acceptance of my knitting, although he refuses to buy me a knitting related Christmas gift (that's ok, I bought my own) and my parents are aware of the knitting but my mom is perplexed. In Puerto Rico, crocheting is very popular, but she never enjoyed it, so she is confused by these turn of events. Friends are friends, if they like it they ask questions and learn to knit (which is how I learned and how I introduced a friend) or they make fun of you (or both).
The blog began out of curiosity. I put wedding photos up, announcements of fundraisers, and now my knitting obssession. I have learned that a few friends visit the blog. Recently, my mom asked for the address but I am now all confused. See, I have pictures of the beginning of her Christmas gift. And after learning that a friend (and her husband-hi Ulli!) visit my blog, I have had recently had to cutback on some of the postings due to the graphic material involved-no, because I have made gifts for some, and bought gifts for others.
So, I will write about how I really really want a Roumba. It sounds crazy. But, my friend who has two cats has scheduled her Roumba to vacuum her place twice a week and she has mentioned it cuts down on the fur. Now, we have five cats. Five, so can you imagine the balls of in our home? Yesterday, I noticed a ball of fur that was the size of a mouse. I chased it down the hallway but it eventually made it under the armoire (out of reach with minimal effort). I am convinced the balls of fur have a plan to join forces to form one super huge cat. It will have its own soundtrack like the Power Rangers or Transformers, and yell out meows when it combines to become MegalaFelinis!
A la Jennifer (originally tagged from Scout),
"Get your camera and take a picture of your favorite knitting spot. I want to know where you are as you create your masterpieces."
So, this is my spot. My first and only spot in the home. I usually have the tv on for background noise and late at night, I have kitties curled up with me (as you can see). I would have to bring my camera to stix-n-stitches in order to take a picture of my second knitting location. I hope to have a third and fourth knitting spot over time, but for now these are the stable spots.
In this instance you can imagine I was in the center of the sofa, but this is where I knit. Ella happens to be managing the yarn for a scarf I am knitting. Churchill, the pretty boy, is just napping.
Puffy investigating packages. Later, I learned this is not a good idea as the ribbon was disassembled.
Below are my instructions and advice on how to wrap holiday gifts as demonstrated by Izzy and Puffy Tail.
Get focus, there is a lot to do!
Scenic view (ignore the atm machine) of the church from the balcony. Let it snow, let it snow!
It's actuall Murphy's, but close enough. I have been attempting to post a blogpoll on blogger but it keeps giving me a javascript error, agh. Anyways, posted a few new pics and Puffy tail is currently sleeping on the scarf I just posted a pic of (with the Artyarns). You gotta how cats can appreciate expensive yarn for their own needs (i.e. beds and toys).
Oh yeah, so I have to take the Miller Analogies exam tomorrow. I have no idea how I can prepare the test, so I am just going to do what I usually do which is panic. Miller's Law. When in doubt, panic. I took the practice test and it comes across like the How to be a Millionaire of standardized tests. Very random. I will let you know tomorrow, if that pre-assessment is entirely accurate.
My WIP diagonal scarf in Artyarns. This is such a quick knit and I am loving the feel of the yarn.
You can expect this picture in www.catsinsink.com eventually. Ms. Ella Bean taking a nap in the bathroom sink for reasons unknown to us.
Modular Knitting that is! I went to a workshop at s-n-s yesterday called Modular Knitting. Our teacher was Iris Schreier. I was incredibly excited because Iris was one of the authors of Exquisite Little Knits, the book I continuously mention on this blog. She also wrote Modular Knits which is truly amazing. In the beginning of class she brought and displayed over three bags of knitted items from the books. All patterns were made from Artyarns and were oh so lovely. The artyarns are really fabulous and for those interested in the clapotis, check out their gallery on their website.
So, now I have a third scarf pattern on the needles. Notice I said third scarf pattern, there are several other projects on the needles. Now as much as I would love to buy things off of Oprah's recommended holiday gift list, I don't have her bank account. I don't fear purchasing gifts for my friends, it is the fear of gift purchasing for my relatives. I don't know what to buy my dad, dvd's he will accept but never watch, clothes he will accept but never wear, hobbies he does not have (except sleeping on the sofa and bargain hunting at Walmart), so I am left in a quandary. My mom doesn't have hobbies, still has her Victoria's Secret gift certificates from two years ago (and that does include the one my friend gave her), and isn't into fancy things (in fact I think she is programmed against any item costing more than $50, did I menton garage sale diva here?). The dilemma becomes what can I give them in addition to the scarves I am making them. The easiest family member is Blake the family dog and the kids (our cats) who think everything has catip inside of it. Ideas?
Iris holding up her Modular Knits book. In the background is Barbara and Sheila making a dash for it.
