December 30, 2005

A little Christmas love

Dancing Sampler

It's the Knitpicks Dancing sampler! Rob got this for me for Christmas and I'm really excited at knitting myself some socks with this.

And this?
Kruz with new hat

Kruz in the hat I knit for him. Reynolds Utopia, the chullo pattern from KnitWit.

More later!

December 02, 2005

Knitting content!

So I have been knitting. Wanna see?

First up, the hat knitted and felted for KnitPicks. Done in their Wool of the Andes yarns. Yarns and pattern provided by them. I turned it in to them a couple of weeks ago, so I'm waiting to see when it will turn up on their site or in the catalog.
Hat with Rose

The hat looks better on the couch than it does me.

Then I finished the mittens for the girls. Well, not quite finished. I still need to pick up some fleece to line them, finish the hats and line those, too.
Christmas mittens again

I am also working on two gifts for friends. We'll see if I manage to get them done in time for a birthday or for Christmas.

I'm not sure how much knitting I'll get done this weekend. We're taking on Kruz and Khylee for the weekend and a talkative 3-year-old and a crawling 9-mth-old can run you ragged. Thank goodness for Disney movies and doggie gates.

November 24, 2005

Happy Thanksgiving!

The turkey's in the oven, a pumpkin custard is sitting on the stove. The house is almost clean, and we're getting ready for a gathering of the Woolbright clan. I've sent out the holiday greeting to my family since we're spread out this year - celebrating in San Diego, Roseburg, Ellensburg and Chicago.

May your families be blessed today and may you see the grace of God in each of the faces around your table.

Holiday list

OK, family, here's the list for the gift exchange this year as promised.

Rob has Jim
I have Art
Chris has Kendra
Jim has Kimber
Art has Rob
Kendra has me
Kim has Chris

Rob has an Amazon wishlist - actually 3 lists, but that just means more to chose from.

I also have a wishlist at Amazon, but you can also give me gift certificates to Patternworks.com, knitpicks.com or powells.com.

November 18, 2005

Well, crap.

Remember back in April when my Honda was vandalized?

Well, it's November now and the difference between then and now?
Missing hood

Same thing done to the inside - the instrumentation panel with all of the gauges, something from the passenger side since the carpet has been pulled up. But hey! The Club was still in place!

So, Rob & I stayed home yesterday - he's called the police, the service center, the insurance company and anyone else who would listen and I worked from home.

This comes on top of the news Wednesday that Rob's oldest has officially been expelled from his high school. Long story short: Expelled, community service, fines, random drug tests.

On the upside of life, I'll get a new car, I just finished a felted hat for KnitPicks and we managed to find our 24 lb turkey for Thanksgiving and only spent $50 at the grocery store!

November 13, 2005

Well, tell me something I didn't know

Your Birthdate: July 6

You tend to be a the rock in relationships - people depend on you.
Thoughtful and caring, you often put others needs first.
You aren't content to help those you know... you want to give to the world.
An idealist, you strive for positive change and dream about how much better things could be.

Your strength: Your intuition

Your weakness: You put yourself last

Your power color: Rose

Your power symbol: Cloud

Your power month: June

November 10, 2005

The things I learn about myself

You Should Get a MD (Doctor of Medicine)

You're both compassionate and brilliant - a rare combination.
You were born to be a doctor.



Your Hair Should Be Blue

Wild, brilliant, and out of control.
You're a risk taker with an eye to the future.





Your Blog Should Be Blue



Your blog is a peaceful, calming force in the blogosphere.

You tend to avoid conflict - you're more likely to share than rant.

From your social causes to cute pet photos, your life is a (mostly) open book.

November 03, 2005

Finding pleasure in loss, pleasure in gain

So in my last post I went on about how I was stagnating with the weight loss and generally just not feeling the WW love. Well, apparently tracking everything like it was my first week on plan worked!

I hit my 10% goal. Yep, I lost just over 4 lbs last week and I'm at a grand total of 19.6 lost and weigh in at 178 even! I'd figured on taking the month of November to lose those pounds, but apparently I put myself on the fast track somehow. Really, I just think it was the carrot dangled before me - K, R & I couldn't have our monthly Popeye's lunch unless K & I reached our goals. K still needs to lose 7 pounds to reach her final weight loss goal.

Any hoo, feeling pretty good that I only had 4 pieces of candy Halloween night (they were the teeny tiny little mini bars that are more like hints of candy than actual candy). I'm going to treat myself to some new pants.

In knitting news, I'm going to be knitting a new project for KnitPicks. There's a deadline of 11/18 and it's completely doable. I'll take pics once I pick up the stuff and get going.

Here's some yarny goodness for you:
Socktober socks 1

I actually did finish my Socktober socks before the end of October. I took the picture Halloween night, but didn't post until now and I'm such a slacker, I still need to update Lolly.

More knitting progress:
Mitten Mania
Mittens for the nieces! I'm using Ann Budd's Handy Book of Patterns and (bad auntie) I'm using acrylic. BUT in my defense, I must state that knowing my sister as I do she will appreciate washable items more than handwash. Yes, yes, I've heard of superwash wool and it's crossed my mind to get some and knit another pair. I have given this a little thought and I'm thinking of lining them with fleece. We'll see.

Did I mention I've also recently bought yarn?
Clog yarnbaby hats

The stuff on top is to knit clogs for Rob and Erin. KnitPicks Wool of the Andes in Evergreen for Rob and in Mist and Coal for Erin. The stuff below is a pumpkin hat kit to knit for Kruz for next year and fun fruity baby hats for any baby that happens along. The baby stuff came courtesy of Busy Hands Yarn. They even included a hand written note with my stuff thanking me for buying from them. Nice people.

Yes, yes, this is the last of it:
2 patterns and my yarn

Two Heartstrings patterns and yarn. Sis 2 of 2 has been after me to make something for myself. I have some EcoWool, some Lorna's Laces in River (the light blue skein in the masthead above), some Socks that Rock in the Carbon colorway (barely visible above as well). I've added the KnitPicks Shine in Orchid to the pile. I was going to make a Picovoli but now I'm leaning towards Marnie in HotKnits (Look in the table of contents). Kim, thoughts?

October 27, 2005

Starting Over (Again)

Yesterday was weigh-in at WeightWatchers. *sigh* I've been stagnating around the same weight for weeks! I hit 182.4 back on July 27th. My weight yesterday? 182.2. My progress in 13 weeks? 0.2 pounds.

When I started WW back in April, my starting weight was 197.6 and I was excited to get back on program (this is my 3rd time) and get down to around 140. WW wants your first goal to be to lose 10% of your current weight. That made my first goal to be 19 lbs. At this time, I've lost 15.4 so I only have less than 4 more to reach my 10% goal and earn the freakin' key chain thingy.

Anyhoo, I've got to get back on track. I wasn't tracking my points well (or at all) and I've got to take another look at the meals we're making. They're obviously not too bad since I've essentially maintained for the last 3 months. And *gulp* I've got to add in exercise.

Part of the drive for the do-over is that I'm feeling left behind on the weight loss front and I know it's totally my fault. My sis is doing LA Weight Loss and we're in a supportive competition, the kind only good sisters can do, and she's coming up rapidly on me. Three friends at work have collectively lost 100 pounds, individually it ranges from 30 to 40 pounds. (And in case K, R or S is reading this, I'm proud of each of you and in no way am I trying undermine the very hard work you've been doing - you guys are inspiring in that annoying way good friends can be without pissing you off)

So, today was the beginning of my new start and what a start I got off to! First, I missed my train stop (I was reading KnitLit the Third), then the train that was immediately heading back to my stop left before I had a chance to hop on. Since a woman on the train reminded me they leave every 15 minutes, I figured that if I waited for the next one, I'd miss my shuttle. Let's see . . . it's 6:55am, if the train leaves in 15 min, that's 7:10 and the shuttle leaves at 7:12, but there's a stop between the station I'm at and the one I'm supposed to be at so that spells disaster.

So what to do? How 'bout deciding to walk back to the shuttle location? So I take off walking quickly and wishing I'd decided to wear my Sauconys rather than my Keds. I'd just passed the middle station when a TRAIN WENT BY IN THE DIRECTION I WANTED TO GO. Has it been 15 minutes? NO. If I'd stopped at the station & caught it would I be on time? YES. Was I screwed? PROBABLY. What to do? Keep walking.

Missed my shuttle (I saw it go by as I was coming up to the cross street), had to wait another 30 minutes before they came back around and almost missed that one because they weren't used to seeing me that late. What did I learn? Check the schedules carefully myself, wear comfortable walking shoes and KNIT instead of reading.

But this started out as a knitting blog and I'm going to stop the whining. For now.

As you can see from the photo below, I had cast-on and started the Christmas mittens as part of Sandy's knitalong.Starting Christmas 2005 mittens

I say "had cast-on" because I've ripped them off and will be restarting the mittens. Going up a needle size (I'd started on #2s) and I'm going to put a pink heart on each palm of her mittens. I'll do a purple set with pink hearts for another niece.

When I've finally got it started, I'll show you.

October 23, 2005

I knew I was royalty

Which Fantasy/SciFi Character Are You?



A strong-willed herald of causes against injustice, you passionately strive to right the wrongs around you.

Somebody has to save our skins!

Leia is a character in the Star Wars universe. See her character entry at the Star Wars Databank for more information.


(Although the husband would say I was more of a royal pain. Found this over at Theresa's blog.)

October 22, 2005

Look! Actual knitting!

Changes again around Yarn Pig. I figure the sis will be the first to complain about me not leaving things be. (I move the furniture around at least 4 times a year but not the same room)

To deflect her, I offer this:
Tribble with Khylie's sweater Particulars anyone? Caron Simply Soft Brites in Watermelon with Friends Mustachio in Cherry on the sleeves. Pattern #8 in FCEK Holiday 2002 for a bolero jacket. Knit with the Caron held doubled to get gauge on #9 needles. Used my Denise set for this.

The sweater knit for this lovely niece:
Khylie dancing
In this photo, Khylie is groovin' during her birthday party and judging by her face, she's already enjoyed her lunch.

I have been making progress with the socks for Socktoberfest.Socktober 2005 socks
I'm actually working the toe on the 2nd sock and should finish it this weekend. As you can see by my knitting corner, the good Dr helps me out. This is Knit Picks Sock Garden in Daffodil on #3 needles. Nice knit, I'm enjoying this yarn.

There are other pictures to share. But we'll drag them out a little.

October 18, 2005

Just another sheep

Yeah, I'm a joiner. Not a leader. I'm happy to do some small group leading, but take the lead and do it all start to finish? Nope, not a comfortable fit.

So knowing that about myself and also knowing that I need prodding to get some things done, I've joined two online groups.

Socktoberfest! Lolly's got almost two hundred people working on socks this month. I've tossed my hat into the ring as well. I've got a pair going - one done and the second sock on the needles and another pair I want to have done for a gift for a friend. To show my very real intent, I've added the button in my sidebar.

And the other? A Mitten-Along at Sandy's. I've got mittens planned for the nieces anyway so this will also keep me on track.

October 17, 2005

Quick post

This meme is all over the place so what the heck! Type in your name + needs into Google and list the first 10 results. I checked out what most people call me followed by my given name so you'll see two sets of results below. And yeah, I did some skipping since some of it didn't really fit the name+needs.

Gina Needs:
1. a makeover (no kidding)
2. to be interruptible by WinLogon
3. to listen for custom SAS events on another thread
4. a man in her life (got one, thanks!)
5. to be able to reach out to him (I'll try harder)
6. to get some d*ck before she rips somebody's head off (see 4 & 5 above)
7. a diverse group of hairdressers (maybe they can come up with a better style)
8. needs to abandon beginning sentences with "Presently"
9. a severe reprimand
10. someone to talk Girl Talk to

Regina needs:
1. overtime to defeat Huskies (dontcha love sports?)
2. $30000 to save the family home
3. no introduction
4. money to invest in a business with her brothers
5. to set aside time to exercise (yes, I know)
6. 6 points to secure third place
7. your support!
8. to win to keep in the hunt for the 4th playoff spot
9. advice from Julia on a tax question
10. someone who bring handcuffs as well as roses (I'll mention that to Rob)

September 18, 2005

Sunday, sunday, sunday

It's a quiet Sunday morning here at Chez Yarn Pig. Everyone's asleep except for me and the dog. Rob's sleeping hard after a few less than stellar nights of solid sleep, Kruz is sleeping again after his 5am call for room service and the cats, well, they're sleeping again because that's just what they do. In fact, the photo below from yesterday afternoon was more sleeping.
Napping buddies

Rob & I will have Kruz until Monday night when his parents return from their trip to California for a friend's wedding. I have to say, he's a good kid. He's willing to watch SportsCenter with Rob, lets his auntie tickle him and generally stays put. Although that may be going away too quickly.
Kruz with College Game Day

See this photo? He started at Point A (Minnie Mouse) and ended up at Point B (under the table). He's scooting backwards or rolling over to where he wants to go. He's pushing himself up on his knees and toes and it won't be long before it all comes together and he's crawling. Yikes! The cats won't be safe then!

Not that Tribble will let him too close. As long as he's reasonably quiet, she's OK with his presence. If he's crying for lack of A) a dry diaper, B) food in his baby buddha belly or C) painless tooth cutting, then she's wandering around growling and avoiding him.

---Later in the morning---

Everyone's up now and had their breakfast. Football is on the tube and the guys have their beverage of choice.

Last Sunday we were on the road to Tri-Cities to meet up with Rob's extended family. Nice drive, good food, great people. The kids had a nice time with family (that's them with Rob's mom below).Kids with Gramma Bonnie

They slept on the way home and we *had* to get the pictures of them sleeping.
Sean SleepingErin completely zonked

Did I knit? You betcha.

Well, the Colts are now playing and I've got a sweater to cast on as a gift for Khylie's 3rd birthday.

Oh! Almost forgot! Stay off the roads

Erin now has a driver's permit. Beware.

September 15, 2005

Quick update

Weight: down and only 0.8 more pounds to go before I reach my 10% goal.
Hair: Cut, pictures will be posted later.
Knitting: almost done with the baby blanket ruffle, but will be setting it aside to work on a sweater for niece Khylie's 3rd birthday.
Job: still working despite the layoff currently underway, will continue to work as a search for a buyer for our facility gets going and will hopefully continue to work after the sale.
Family: fun with the Woolbright clan in Tri-Cities, pictures to come!
Reading: Nora Roberts, of course.

September 06, 2005

Ahhhhh

It's a little heavy on the pics so be forewarned!

First up, the hoodie, she is done!


6 skeins of Bernat Denim Style, pattern from the Fall 2005 FC Easy Knitting. A seventh skein is waiting for the decision by Erin whether she wants the kangaroo pocket or not.

The dog, she is groomed! Before, she was definitely cute but motley. See?

Her hair was getting matted, she was growling at every little movement because of the matted hair and she was annoyed and annoying.

But now? Now she's as cute as a puppy.

Look at that face! Don't you just want to cuddle her and throw her frisbee endlessly or until she decides she's had enough?

And last, but not least . . . the Kruz man!
Kruz has discovered his toes in the last few weeks and shoves them in his mouth often. He's rolling over and pushing himself up on his arms, he's ticklish and man, this little guy kills me! Reminds me of all the fun I had when the girls were this little and I got to spend time with them and build on my status as favorite Auntie. (Sorry, Kim, how 'bout I claim favorite in-state Auntie?)

He's online!

The husband has decided to blog!

Been trying to get him to do it now for a while and he's finally decided to give it a shot. Be sure to drop by and encourage him.

Not a surprise to my family, I'm sure

Julian
You are Julian of Norwich! It's all about God, to
you. You're convinced that the world has a
happy ending. Everyone else is convinced that
you're a closet hippie, but you love them
anyway.


Which Saint Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

September 01, 2005

Give a little bit

As I read the stories coming out in the aftermath of Katrina, I'm increasing grateful for the area I live in. We don't have hurricanes, earthquakes are rare, tornados even more so. Yes, I have an active volcano in my backyard, but I don't have to endure feet of snow in the winter, high humidity in the summer, bugs the size of birds whether flying or crawling. The Northwest is known, and perhaps reviled in places, for the constant rain in fall, winter and spring, but it's cleansing, we're green nearly year-round and it smells good.

But when things happen to make you grateful for what you still have while others have lost everything but their lives, you want to do what you can.

All around the blog, people are urging others to donate to the Red Cross Disaster Relief fund. Do it.

And then go a step further and head to your local Red Cross and donate - time, blood, plasma, blood products.

What am I doing? I have an appointment Sunday in the Apheresis unit to donate platelets and other blood products. I go on average once every 2-3 months. I was just there in mid-August and I'm stepping up again. And I'll schedule my next appointment while I'm there.

Give thanks for what you still have. And then give what you have.

August 30, 2005

Gripe, pain, relief

Gripe - Working to finish the hoodie for Erin and it's eeeennnnndddddlllleeeesssssss. Sleeve Island? Wish I was there. I'm stuck in Seaming Hell. Remind me to take a picture tonight, won't you? The hood's attached, the sleeves set in and I only have to seam the underarms and sides. And weave in the myriad of ends.

OK, that doesn't sound bad. But add in Erin's constant "Are you going to finish this before the weekend? When will it be finished? Are you almost done?" and I just want to wrap a #8 circular around her neck.

Pain - Aunt Flo has arrived for a visit and with each passing year, she gets crankier. So during this latest visit, I'll be relying on my good friend Ty(lenol) to help me through this. And if Ty bails on me, I'm moving on to Mike('s Hard Lemonade).

Relief - Not mine. Theirs. Join in the fun of knitting (or crocheting!) for a good cause and participate in Dulaan 2006.

August 18, 2005








GRYFFINDOR!
You scored 4% Slytherin, 28% Ravenclaw, 56% Gryffindor, and 36% Hufflepuff!
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart.


Gryffindors are known for their courage, audacity, and devotion to what is good and honest.




My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:



















free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 0% on Slytherin





free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 57% on Ravenclaw





free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 48% on Gryffindor





free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 63% on Hufflepuff
Link: The Sorting Hat Test written by leeannslytherin on OkCupid Free Online Dating

August 11, 2005

Shout out from the G-Dogg*

Lots of things have happened since I last posted and there are pictures so sit down awhile.

Last Wednesday, La Harlot was in Portland and I spent a very enjoyable evening listening to her speak, chatting with other knitters, and working on Erin's hoodie.


Here, Stephanie is preparing to blog about Powells. You can actually see me in one of the pictures in her entry about her Portland visit - In the second photo of the knitters gathered to hear her, I'm in the second row wearing the short-sleeved turquoise shirt with the silver camera blogging her right back.

She was witty, charming and delightfully Canadian in her speech. But standing in her Birks and holding her coffee? She looked like a native.

Rob and I babysat this weekend - Kruz and Khylie came for a sleepover. Saturday afternoon, Rob's brother and his wife came over and brought their grandson Aiden. Aiden and Khylie are pretty much the same age (nearly 3) and I happened to have a great craft - foam crowns decorated with foam stickers. No damage, lots o' fun.




I've been knitting pretty hard on the hoodie. 2 sleeves and the back are complete and I cast on for the front. It would be a boring photo, so I didn't bother yet.

Sunday after Khylie and Kruz went home, all was blissfully quiet in the YarnPig house. Rob was watching TV, Erin & her boyfriend were in her room playing a video game (door wide open and just down the hall!) and I was napping on the couch. The animals were snoozing. Or so we thought.

Tribble had discovered a Rite-Aid bag I'd left on our bed and decided to investigate. But did she enter the bag through the top opening? No, that would be too simple. Why do that when you could go through the handle and get the whole bag stuck around your middle?

She completely freaked out and came flying out of our room like the proverbial bat outta hell. She laid rubber doing a complete circuit around the couch that had Rob & I at first concerned at the cause and then amused when we realized what she'd done to herself. She then tore off down the hall and turned into the spare room across from Erin's door. Erin and Jason then watched her dash into the room and through the window where she proceeded to run down the street. By the time we'd all stopped giggling and realized what had happened, she was nowhere to be found. And don't worry, we live in a single-story.

We searched for about 30 minutes, warned the neighbors about a small white cat with a bag attached to it and started back into the house. Somehow, though, Tribble had managed to circle back and was hiding in the blackberry bushes next to the neighbor's house. Erin rescued her and the offending bag was cut off, but Miss T was one pissed off kitty for the next few hours.

But what we wouldn't give to have had a kitty cam attached to her for that leap through the window.

*Sis 2 of 2 renamed everyone on her phone and G-Dogg is my new name.

August 02, 2005

Where boys of all ages can find reason to smile

Lots of pictures ahead!

The first is of Kruz - he's now 4 months old and weighing in at 17 lbs, 11 oz. Big boy! Happy baby! And the auntie gets to babysit this weekend for an overnight - yippee!



This next picture is from Stitch N Pitch at the Mariner's game last Thursday.




I don't particularly care for the picture - I think Rob could have taken a more flattering photo, but he was willing to sit among 1600 knitters to watch the game, so I really shouldn't complain. Much.

It was a lot of fun and I did buy a pattern for socks from one of the many vendors. Doesn't sound like much, but I could have easily spent a lot of money. There were some really cute kits offered in Mariner colors.

The next day after the game, we went up to Mulnomah Falls to hike to the top.



There's a bridge across the lower portion that's easy to get to - a couple of switchbacks and you're there. Getting to the top? Pain in the butt! It was 1.2 miles straight UP and switchback hell. Erin took off and reached the top first. Rob tried to stay with me, but I wasn't moving fast and the not knowing just how many switchbacks I had to endure was killing me. I told Kim (little sis) that it had reminded me of the training run up to Terwilliger when we were training for the Marathon.

But look at this guy -


You can't tell, but he's really happy. He'd been wanting to do this for a long time and he's finally done it. And for a little while I was happy that he was happy. Until my knee started to hurt on the journey down and I twisted my ankle. Feh.

Vertical hiking? Never again.

July 23, 2005

All the news that fit to print

What's happening in my life . . .

Finished the 3 sweaters for niece Samantha's doll, Princess Ballerina.

Doll Sweaters 2

One hoodie in a light purplish-blue, 1 peach gansey and 1 lilac lace tunic. Sam said she wanted knit clothes for her doll rather than herself for her birthday this year. I'll probably go on a hunt for pants or skirts to coordinate or buy material and make them myself. Gotta use the sewing machine at least once a year, ya know.

Trying to make sure I get a backup trained at work so I can take time off for Ryan's Stitch 'N' Pitch event. (Thanks, Ryan for the link!) Go M's! Rob, Erin, Rebecca, Katherine have agreed to go with me, but I think only Rebecca and I are truly excited about the yarn.

Lisa asked on her blog earlier this week how many projects did we, as knitters, typically work on at the same time. I had to take stock and here's the new lineup:
- Branching Out scarf in yellow silk/wool blend
- Baby blanket in KnitPicks Crayon (blue)
- Hoodie for Erin in Bernat Denim
- Buffalo Plaid blanket in red & black Red Heart for Sean
- Socks in KnitPicks Daffodil colorway

And waiting in the wings:
- The Shoalwater shawl
- Paws to Remember scarf
- Socks in KnitPicks Spring Prairie colorway
- Socks in Cascade 220 oatmeal colored

As for books, I like others in the knitting blogosphere am in process of reading Harry Potter. But I'm also reading Madame Secretary (still!), started Galileo's Daugher and have Life of Pi in the wings. This Tuesday, Jasper Fforde will be at Powell's so I'm going to try to get to that and the week after it gets better.

The Harlot will be in Portland.

July 06, 2005

Birthday greetings from Vancouver!

Today I'm 36 years old. I'm not 29 for the 8th time. I'm celebrating 36 years of life.

Not bad. And neither is this:



Gifts from the Hubby. Knitter's Stash which already has me planning a few things (Yes, Kim, at least one project for me), Life of Pi which looks to be a very good read and the first season of Friends (I happen to have a couple of other seasons but somehow missed getting Season 1).

After dinner (turkey burgers made by Rob), he went off to the store and I watched Tour de France footage, 30 Days and Clean Sweep (rerun and deleted from TiVo quite quickly).

We went for a 30-minute walk and I came in to blog about the birthday. It's going to be a quick one because I have this waiting for me:



Yum!

July 04, 2005

Make yourself comfortable, it's been awhile

Picture heavy post ahead!

Mom left on June 29th for San Diego. The weekend prior, Sis 1 of 2 came down with her girls. We decided to have a July birthday party for Mom (3rd), me (6th) and Samantha (29th).

We had cake, wore crowns had fun.
July birthday cakeQueen Mum4Sam with cake

Everyone left on Tuesday, and Wednesday night our water heater threw up. We'd hoped to be able to deal with it on the weekend, but no way. Rob & I stayed home on Thursday and tried to clean up the mess. You can see that we had to remove some of the sheet rock. Luckily, the linoleum extended under the carpet in our closet and we just have to deal with cleaning it.

But we did get a new water heater out of it and gained a little plumbing experience. Gotta find the upside right?

Arrgh! Horrible mess 2 Ewww!End result Ahhh!New Best friend

And an upside is also that I finally sent my Dulaan knits. I sent the 3 hats, 2 vests, 1 sweater and 1 scarf shown here. The scarf was a started by niece Samantha who did the first 5 or 6 inches and I finished it for her. I also managed to get another couple of hats banged out one evening.

Rob got them sent out for me and my procrastination cost us, but it's worth it.

Dulaan 2 and Dulaan hats

So now what to do? I've got a hoodie to make for Erin from the new FCEK (the only pattern in there that caught my eye), socks for 3 people, a lace scarf for a friend using the Paws to Remember pattern from FiberTrends, the Shoalwater shawl also from FT, a baby blanket in blue Crayon from Knitpicks, a couple of doll sweaters for Samantha and find something to make for myself. I'm thinking socks at this point.

The weight loss is going slowly but positively. I'm down 10 pounds, but I need to add some walking. I'm so lazy that I just want to knit, I don't want to give up time to other things. But if I don't then I'm hurting myself in the long run.

Short term weight goal: Hit my 10% by Labor Day. Only 9 more pounds to go.