Can you believe it? Finally...

Yes, after a year and a half of unemployment, I have finally landed a job. A nice job working for a nice company. I haven't gotten the confirmation email yet so I hope I didn't imagine it. I have two weeks to get everything done I was supposed to get done over the past year and a half. I will also have to squeeze in some knitting, of course.

I won this wonderful yarn and shawl pattern from Wandering Cat Studio :

Valerie had a contest on her  blog. This yarn is-to-die-for in alpaca, wool and silk. It will look gorgeous knit up into Valerie's pattern Eostre. I can't wait to get started on this.

I thought I had a good start on my second sweater, a cardigan knit from Barbara Walker's Knitting from the Top. As I got about half way down the sweater it ended up being too big. So, rip it out I did. I am trying again, with revised measurements. Hopefully this time around it will be a better fit.

I really did it!

I can't believe I actually finished a sweater, for me, and it fits! I used Barbara Walker's Top Down Sweaters book and took measurements as I went along. My next challenge will be a cardigan, style it after a pattern I have that is knit in pieces. I love this book as the sweater is knit all in one piece: no seams!!

I've been trying to use up stash but most of my yarn is enough fingering for socks, so I may have to break down and get some more yarn. I'm tired of making socks and since I had success with this sweater I'm excited to start another one.

Have I mentioned I like orchids? I went to an orchid society meeting with some friends a few months ago and fell in love with all the gorgeous orchids there. They have a silent auction so it's easy to pick up some plants pretty cheaply. This last meeting I scored 7 plants for a total of $20! A member is moving and was wanting to weed her collection out so I paid $6 for 5 of her plants.

It's easy to become an addict and want just a few more. They are fairly easy to take care of (meaning I haven't killed any yet in the 3 months I got my first one).

Sweater?

I'm finally taking the plunge and making a sweater for myself. I've made a few sweaters before, a long time ago when I didn't realize the meaning of gauge. I'm following the generic pattern in Barbara Walker's book Knitting from the Top. I didn't write down as many notes as I should have making the first sleeve, so I'm struggling a bit on the second one, for some unknown reason. Still, it's an easy and clear cut way to make a sweater and I have high hopes it will really fit!

We had a beautiful day, finally, yesterday here in Stumptown. The sun was out and it was warm; the pussycats were in 7th heaven!

Look what I got!

I went to my favorite local knitting store and whined about my circular needles. Cindy at Urban Fiber Arts whipped out some hiya hiya interchangeables and I'm in love! They screw together so smoothly and have a great little carrying case. Lucky me!

I've picked up knitting again after giving it a few month's rest. I've been trying to decide how to knit up this delicious Socks That Rock Sassafrass yarn and found the pattern Spring Forward. I love this pattern even more now than I'm knitting on it-it's wonderfully stretchy and fits the yarn well, I think:

I just love it!

Here's a photo that cracks me up: it's Eli a few months older now and still a big nut!

I think his papa was a jackrabbit!

Eli's a commin.....

Well, he's actually here. Whatcha think of him?

He's quite the little squirt and finds lots of trouble to get into. Isn't his tail cute?! He's 4 months old, and full of spit and vinegar. His paws are really big so I'm assuming he's going to be a big cat. We'll see.

Bar Method Challenge-one month in

So, I've joined the Bar Method Portland fitness challenge, and now that it's been the first of three months I decided to take stock in where I am. I've been frustrated because it doesn't feel like I'm making any headway, and those damn thigh exercises are as impossible as ever! My eating habits have sabotaged some of my efforts, but I'm working on that. So, as I was walking on the treadmill at the gym yesterday I made a mental list of the good and bad of my progress:

• I can do 30 pushups consecutively, 50 within the one hour class. On the other hand, I still can't do a guy pushup yet
• I can make it all the way thru the arm, buns, and (most of the time) the glutes without stopping. The abs and, as I said before, thighs are still a huge challenge
• Coming back to walking/jogging on the treadmill, I am improved in speed and length of time I can jog
• My flexibility is much better, but still a ways to go
• The scale is the same, but I was able to fit into a pair of jeans I haven't been able to button up in the last few months (there is still the muffin-top scenario though)

So, all in all I'm getting progress, more than I thought, but really need to kick in the better eating habits so I can feel I'm making better headway. I also need to remember that being in my 50's makes the whole process really slowwwwwwwww. I do feel great once I'm out of the class, so it's a good way to start the day.

I've been knitting a bit, trying to make a few pairs of fingerless gloves. I have a ton of stashed yarn, and am dieting with that too. Hopefully I can make better headway with that than my fitness challenge!

Here's another picture of yummy stash I've recently accumulated:

                                    (I said nothing about a fiber diet, now did I?!)

Fitness challenge

Ok, I am committing to a fall fitness challenge at The Bar Method. I've been exercising there for a month now (very killer workout) and decided to join the challenge as a way to stay on track. They took my measurements at the beginning (9/15/10) and will take again in 3 months. It was a bit embarrassing having this totally toned and fit person record my measurements but I figure that should encourage me to do well. Hopefully!! I've committed to going to class 4 days a week so we'll see how that all pans out.

I've been spinning a lot lately, and able to get my yarn a lot smoother and thinner. I bought a bunch of roving from CJ Delights and have been having a lot of fun with it. I think these are all rambouilet and, of course, the colors are much more delicious in real life.

Look at all those sample braids; I can't wait to see what they all spin up like!

I also got a bump of fiber from Rogue Adventures that is really pretty:

I've started to spin this up and I really like it; I'm stuck, however, until I find the end of the yarn I lost! I'm hoping to get most of this spun up before next weekend; this will be the first year I've attended OFFF so I'm excited to see all the fiber for sale. Whoo Hoo!!