Miscellaneous

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Patti_is_knittinginflashes

A BIG thank you to all the veterans for making it possible for us to pursue our lifestyle. Without your dedication and service to our great country our lives would be very different.

Knitting: I decided to knit fingerless mitts for office gifts this year to match the hats I gave last year.

Office hats

I still have yarn leftover so it won’t be a problem of matching dye lots. These will be very basic using 2-3 colors in some simple striping. It’s only four pair and I don’t have to buy more yarn. I needed size 6 double point needles for this pattern and looked high and low for them. I knew I had two sets but could not find them.

So I used my 40% off coupon at Joann’s yesterday and bought 2 sets of 4 needles. Guess what I found when I was searching for the leftover yarn for the mitts? They were in the bag with the Fetching mitts I made, ripped apart and restarted last winter. They’re almost finished.

Oh, well. It would cost more in gas to drive back and return them. Besides, can one really have too many sets of size 6 double point needles? Don’t answer that.

I really wanted to show you my progress on the Garter Stitch bag I started when I went to Vegas as well as the Linen Stitch Scarf. No pictures of those today. Plus there are some finished projects to show but that will have to wait until I can get the camera, knitting and daylight all together at the same time.

Cleaning: I was off for Veteran’s Day and I started cleaning the house as soon as I got up this morning. Our son and family are coming for the weekend and the house needed some tidying up. And the big aquarium needed a partial water change. Mr. Aitch does everything else with the 5 aquariums we have but he needs my assistance to do the big tank. That took about an hour. Lunch, a quick trip to the market, more cleaning, dinner, and I finally got to sit down to knit around 8:30 this evening. Too dark to photograph knitting.

Future dinner: While I was fixing dinner tonight, I spied these two turkeys running around our back yard.

Each stood about 36 inches tall. They were “talking” to each other then something spooked them and they flew away. Maybe one of them will end up on my table for Thanksgiving …

Off balance

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Patti_is_knittinginflashes

My tag line says “Finding the right balance between life and clutter.” I’m off balance.

We observed Columbus Day yesterday so I was home. (Thanks, Chris.) I so desperately wanted to post at least one tutorial, clean off the kitchen island, organize my current knitting corner. I failed at all attempts. I did wash my car and motorcycle.

My Garter Stitch bag is complete except for the straps (I-cord takes me a long time to do) and the lining. I’m still debating on the fabric. I tried to make a tutorial on lining this bag and spent far too much time ~~failing~~ redeveloping my idea. I’m about halfway done on the first one.

I also worked on the travel case for electronic chargers tutorial that I promised months ago. The text is written but inserting the photos is challenging. Plus I still need someone to test it for me.

Nothing was working out.

I’m off balance.

It’s that time of year when I start to feel overwhelmed with clutter. I try to declutter but it never seems like I’m doing enough. I’m constantly being pulled between what I want to do and what I should do.

I want to:

knit
sew
paint
make Christmas ornaments
redecorate
repaint the family room, kitchen, guest room #2, three bathrooms, the master bedroom
buy and install a closet organizer
get crown molding in the living and dining rooms
hire someone to make my craft room
display my mother’s dishes that are still in boxes from 2007

I need to do:

vacuum
laundry – it’s the putting away that drags me down
dust
iron Mr. Aitch’s shirts
cook
wash dishes – somethings just have to be washed by hand
find the right piece of furniture to display my mother’s dishes
organize my craft stuff: yarns, wood, paints, fabric, threads, paper, glue, beads

I don’t want to do but have to do:

file papers – seriously I have 4 file boxes of papers that need filed
clean out the closets – will I ever get back into those size X suits? Will they still be in style?
clean out the pantry
clean out the basement – full of stuff I “might” need
Get. Rid. Of. Stuff. Tied. To. Emotions.

That list is what gets me overwhelmed. I was reading Laurie Perry’s (Crazy Aunt Purl) post from last week and can really relate to her decluttering mind-set. Defcon 1, 2, 3.

I am a crafter and I keep things that I can use. Is it ok to keep these things as long as I organize them? A place for everything and everything in its place?

Can I tackle/declutter one drawer, shelf, flat surface, box, or pile and do it for 15 minutes a day? Can I commit to this every day?

Clueless

Posted on October 1, 2011 by Patti_is_knittinginflashes

Is that spelled right? Clueless? Looks strange. For someone who L.O.V.E.S. doing the WSJ Friday crossword puzzle, I am spelling challenged.

I digress.

Have you heard of Pinterest? I recently joined the Pinterest crowd and am feeling like a wallflower. Clueless is more like it.

I don’t know what I’m doing but evidently others do know. My Olive Oil Drip Catcher got pinned.

Thank you.

Awesome

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Patti_is_knittinginflashes

I happened upon the most awesome (and I do mean awesome) rainbow I have ever seen in all my life while on my way home from work today. Some of you may give science the credit but I give all credit to God for this extraordinary sight. My photos do not give the full impact of its beauty. I was driving at the time and yes, these photos were taken as I was driving.