OK, so....one more go at it?

Remember when i wrote that i had given up on the Oat Couture cardigan? Wellllllll, i am back at it again. The Feb Lady Sweater was just not working out. I realized i made a big goof somewhere, but i have NO clue where. I had about a million extra stitches on the needles, and the pattern was getting all wonky. Then i tried it on, and did NOT like the way the neckline looked on my broadish shoulders. So....rip. I was pretty down on knitting for a few hours there. And then i remembered that i had NOT ripped out most of the Celtic Cardigan. I picked it up, did my best to pick up the live stitches at the top, and started on it again. I am PRETTY sure i know where i was in the pattern, but a few rows of the back of it will likely look a bit funkay. Good thing i have long hair, right? I feel kind of excited to be working on it again. Winters are long here, i will likely need something time consuming like this. I am just going to keep telling myself that!

Chores

Today we are sanding down the deck, and re-staining it. Cannot be put off any longer, or the boards will warp during next seasons deluge of snow. The dogs are helping.
Yesterday we went and saw that new Harry Potter, which was wonderful. I am actually reading the book this time. While we were on our extended road trip, we listened to Book Five in the series, and realized that you miss SO MUCH if you do not read the book.

My sweater is coming along nicely. I remembered how to the increases, and last night i did one more buttonhole (the last one for the sweater) and i did it correctly! SO hard to get back into the pattern after setting it down for months on end. I will try not to that again! yeah right!

OK...i am cardboard, and this update is putting me to sleep!

Poor Henry Hooty

Today Henry and i were swimming in the pool, and he got stung by a bee. He was so upset, he left his toy floating in the deep end, and swam over to me. He was shaking, and hurting. The bugger got him on his lower lip. I ran inside to get a benadryl, as he is allergic to bees. Looks like it is keeping the swelling down, and Henry is now resting comfortably, under the Husbands sweatshirt. Poor Henry, he is such a sensitive, sweet sweet dog. He runs (or paddles) over to me for comfort whenever he gets hurt. He just needs a quick reassuring hug, and a smooch on the snout, and off he goes...all better.

I picked up my Feb Lady Sweater today and started working on it. I think this is the first time i have touched it since March? Big mistake, as i totally forgot how i was making the increases. I think i have it figured out though, although it took a bit of work. I am sure it is going to look a bit wonky in a few places, but whatever...it is homemade, and not supposed to be perfect, right? We'll see how badly it bothers me, once i get a few more rows worked into it.
The yarn i am using is Ultra Alpaca, Pea Soup Mix. I bought this yarn a few years ago, with the intent of knitting it into the Celtic Cardigan by Oat Couture. I LOVE this sweater. My Aunt knit it, and i COVET it.....but wow, i hated working that pattern. It is all twists, and they take FOREVER to manipulate, and although i had the back of the thing almost done, i knew i would NEVER finish it, because i HATED working on it. It does not matter how much you will love the finished product, if it sits in your knitting bag for a one year untouched because you hate working it THAT MUCH, you should just rip the thing out, and find a new pattern. So i did. And then a little while ago i saw a pic of my aunt wearing her sweater, and i wanted to cry. I still have part of it unfrogged. One day i will get the nerve to frog the rest of it...probably soon, because the skein i am using is just about gone.

Ok G, i hear ya!!

That break lasted longer than i intended it to. Everyone says that though, and then we feel the urge to explain why the absence. Well, i am lazy. That is pretty much all there is to it. That, and The Husband came home from Iraq, so my computer time dwindled a bit, and school was REALLY REALLY hard spring quarter, and my brain was totally fried ALL the time.
Now we are back from our month-long drive cross country. Went to Seattle to see the whole fam, and to Colorado to see the rest of the fam, and then home.

Slowly but surely getting life back in order, and trying to keep the house from imploding, or exploding, or being completely consumed by cobwebs. It kind of started to happen (the cobwebs) when we were away for a month. Ewww.

The garden is intact again finally. The flower garden went totally feral while we were away. My poor flowers were just attacked by vermin and weeds. We have since cleared the weeds, and Fred is slowly but surely clearing the vermin.

We will have some veg any day now, and thanks to Fred and his vermin-clearing mission, i have fresh "cut" flowers on the table in the dining room. Pulled out from the root. How does a dog with no opposable thumbs manage that? He is good, let me tell you.

Have been watching repeats of Meerkat Manor in the house this past week. How did we miss it before? Oh yeah...that pesky war. Anyways, that and Le Tour have us glued to the tv in the evenings. We are LOVING having Lance in it again this year. It has just been a thrill to watch the machine in action, once again. He is kicking ass. Looks like Contador is going to win it all...and THAT is thrilling to watch, too!! The best part though? That 25 year olds biggest competition is 37 years old!! I freaking LOVE that!!!

I have been on a knitting hiaitus since The man returned home. Again, laziness/brainfry. Today i went in seach of my WIP (yeah right, like there is only ONE wip), Feb Lady Sweater, and pitched a complete FIT (thankfully husband was at work, but let me tell you, the Vizslas stayed clear the frick out of my way...poor things) when i could not find it ANYWHERE. Seriously, where the HECK did my husband stick my knitting? Doesn't he KNOW he is not allowed to TOUCH IT???? After tearing the house clean apart for the better part of an hour, i decided to look into last winters purse. There it was. WHY DID HE PUT IT IN THERE?????
Oh...maybe i did.
Whatevs.....