I ended up unpicking some of the snowflake on Abby’s stocking because too much blue was showing through. I was trying to avoid blue showing through, so I was feeding my embroidery needle behind just the the white stitch above it, as opposed to both the white and the blue stitch, thinking this would keep the white design on top and leave the blue background behind. Not so. What happens is the white stitches don’t connect side to side, so when the knitting bends at all, you get ridges.

See on the top section, how the white columns separate? The lower (redone) section doesn’t? Veronica’s tree does it too, but it’s not nearly as noticeable.

I will probably eventually unpick and redo the tree, but not until all of the stockings are finished.

How annoying.

I finished the beautiful, Cashmerino Esther Williams hat for my friend with cancer, and was so anxious to deliver it, I forgot to take a picture. I made it with the cream color, and it looked very vintage. It fits her well, covering her ears and the back of her neck (she has a small head), and it was really, really pretty. She gasped when I handed it to her. How sweet!

I ate a lot this week, particularly this weekend while my mom is here. I’m going to set a goal to do physical therapy every day this week and eat my protein and fruit shakes for breakfast and lunch. All week. That’s my goal.

Did anyone have a good week? Tell me about it.

My mom is in town and the kids are home for a four day weekend, so I have no time. I haven’t worked on Abby’s stocking since you saw it last. Anyone have anything to show?

Or at least part of one.

It’s the Cashmerino Esther Williams for my friend with cancer. It is sooooooo soft. It’s also my first project knit with Debbie Bliss yarn, and it’s nice. I’m almost to the decreases.

I know it seems like I’ve had a lot of time to sit and knit recently. Not so. I’ve just been making good use of travel time in the car. (With the exception of Saturday morning, when I was knitting on the couch). I can’t hold Clark in the car, even if he wants me to. I also can’t do laundry, feed anybody, or help anyone with their homework while we’re in the car. So I knit.

I need to spend more time in the car. Anyone want to drive?

Clark was quietly watching me knit on Saturday, which is good, because it helped me to get a lot done.

The snowflake is almost half done, and I’m really happy with the way the stripes turned out.

I don’t have much to report, other than being out of protein powder and almost out of vitamins. So I’m going shopping today. I’ve been doing enough shakes to keep my energy up and keep me feeling good, but not daily like I used to. I’m getting back on that. It was good.

Anyone have anything?

I’ve lost my scale. Lost it. I don’t know how that happens, considering it hasn’t to my knowledge left the house, but it’s gone, so I have no idea what I weigh. I bought a bunch of new jeans at a sale a few weeks ago that fit better, so I also can’t gauge by clothes. I hope I’m not climbing. But I feel good.

Guess what I did this morning? I’ll give you a hint.

I finally (finally) took a shower in my shower this morning. It was great. And oh, the water…

I wanted to wait until we finished painting before showing it off, but I couldn’t. It’s mammoth, and I love it.

Is the bathroom done? Not by a long shot. I have no idea when I’ll be done painting.

Aside from the high and strangely angled walls, if you look at the part that’s still brown, you can see heavy texture. They’re all like that, and it’s difficult to paint. Plus, I’m painting over dark brown, which requires more paint. Everything is going to be sky blue when I’m done, except for around the crazy sink, which will be an earthy green color. And the green color has grit in it, so it’s even more difficult to paint. The lady at the store suggested it be a 2 person job.

Also, there’s already a work order phoned in for our shower door, which squawks and leaks. (Not impressed). And most of the new porcelain handles in the shower and on the bathtub are broken. They came that way. We need to either glue them back together or exchange them, but I’d imagine that any new ones we get will unglue the same way. But they’re plummed in now, and they’re the ones I want, dangit dangit dangit.

But I got to take a shower! In lots and lots and lots of water! That’s something, right?

Ok, ok. Enough about me and my stupid bathroom.

Knitalong day!

This is where I’m at, and you even get a peek at my messy house. (I did yard work instead of housework yesterday)

Darra has finished all FOUR. She’s totally showing us up. Give her props!

Carrie has reknit her Santas, and is asking for opinions.

Amy Lu‘s are gorgeous. (Scroll down).

For stocking progress, go check out Michelle

and Brandy.

Harriett has frogged and restarted.

Cathy finally got her pattern.

Lisa, oh Leeeeeeeeeeeesa, what happened to you? I read your post. I saw your WIP list and your wanna start list, and there were no stockings. Oh Leeeeeeeeeeeeesa. (That’s very fun to say).

Olivia has made some nice progress, and is doing some great color combining, but I’m going to wait to get a better picture of hers.

Anyone else?

Yesterday was Clark’s 6 month check up at the doctor’s office. We were there over an hour, mostly waiting, so I took a bunch of pictures while we were in the room of Veronica giving Clark tummy zuberts.

Clark was relatively apathetic, but Veronica was completely amused by herself.

I had reason to buy yarn yesterday. A friend of mine is having a birthday party Saturday night, and wanted yarn.

This is that fantastic wool I used to make a scarf with a couple years ago. I’m glad they’re still selling it. It looks like it’s covered in snowflakes when it’s knit up, and it’s great.

Also, I still need to knit a hat for my friend that has cancer. She hasn’t been cold, and it’s been warm here until recently. The first hat I knit her was way ugly so it’s still sitting in my basket, connected to its ball of yarn. Unwilling to revisit the horror, I bought this

It’s soooooo soft and yummy. I’m going to knit an Esther Williams with it. Hopefully very soon.

I have a friend that’s OCD and has a very good attitude about it. She’s been talking to me about her therapy and her particular issues, and I’ve noticed that aside from the fact that I have a remarkable number of her symptoms myself, the Jays I’ve been feeding are OCD.

Although in the end every single peanut gets taken without exception, they can’t seem to be content with the first one they pick up. They hold it for a second, set it down, and find something better. The funniest thing, though, was when I put a handful of peanuts out and arranged them in a perfect circle. Although there were multiple birds taking them, they took them in a methodical and symmetrical order.

To the end.

I’m not joking.

It was eerie.

And hysterical.

The birdfest continued all day yesterday. I identified a female Annas hummingbird, although there were many others. We have Dark Eyed Junkos. A flicker performed some crazy acrobatics trying to eat out of my hanging feeder.

I love it.

I probably could have gotten a bit more knitting done yesterday if I hadn’t been quite so enthralled by the birds, but I did finish the heel flap and turned it.

(Ooooh, bathroom floor….)

I’m excited to start striping again.

Our shower door was delivered and installed today. And there’s a problem with it. Of course. Honestly, how could there not be? It’s been months. And months. This bathroom will never be done. A tile guy was out again today to do “one more thing”. You know, a month ago I might have believed it. But at this point, I don’t.

I’m going shopping this afternoon for light fixtures for inside the shower. It’s the last thing “fingers crossed” that we have to get. But our new handles still might not work, so I can’t bank on that one either.