Twistedtexan's Weblog

I’m feeling pretty peppy after a great run today.  Ok, maybe not “great” by other people’s standards, but it was damn great for me.  I leave you with a little something to tickle your eardrums.  Enjoy!

I’m not exactly “falling to pieces” these days, but this song became my Power Jam on the treadmill today.

Falling to Pieces

by Faith No More  

Back and forth, I sway with the wind
Resolution slips away again
Right through my fingers, back into my heart
Where its out of reach and its in the dark
Sometimes I think Im blind
Or I may be just paralyzed
Because the plot thickens every day
And the pieces of my puzzle keep crumblin away
But I know, theres a picture beneath
Indecision clouds my vision
No one listens…
Because Im somewhere in between
My love and my agony
You see, Im somewhere in between
My life is falling to pieces
Somebody put me together
Layin face down on the ground
My fingers in my ears to block the sound
My eyes shut tight to avoid the sight
Anticipating the end, losing the will to fight
Droplets of yes and no
In an ocean of maybe
From the bottom, it looks like a steep incline
From the top, another downhill slope of mine
But I know, the equilibriums there
Indecision clouds my vision
No one listens
Because Im somewhere in between
My love and my agony
You see, Im somewhere in between
My life is falling to pieces
Somebody put me together

…and as a teeny side note:  Please-oh-please-oh-please-oh-please let FNM get their heads out of their arses and tour the U.S.!

Yes, the “running” – I use that term loosely – is going slowly.  But what do you expect after a two (+) year hiatus?  At this stage it’s not about speed or distance.  It is about endurance.  It is about being able to run “x” number of minutes without keeling over.

I am following a 10-week program from The Complete Book of Running for Women by Claire Kowalchik.  It’s a combination walk/run that gradually takes you from running 2 minute segments to 30 minutes.   Once you reach the 30 minute milestone, the program then shifts over to increasing your mileage. 

Personally, I am looking forward to the day that I can climb the three flights of stairs at work without sucking wind at the top.  Nevermind being able to run for 30 consecutive minutes.  I just want to get the hell up those stairs!

The title of this post can also apply to my knitting as of late.  For the past month I have been working on a project that will be displayed in Mama Llama’s booth at The Sock Summit. 

Yes, THAT sock summit.  SQUEE!!

At this stage I am tantalizingly close to being finished.  Want a little preview?

Yup, I’ve been knitting Ramen Noodles.

 

There are several other projects patiently waiting in the wings.  One little fellow, however, may have to wait a while for its turn.  Can you guess which one? 

Pick me next!  Pick me!

No way, pick ME instead!  Look at how soft and fluffy I am!

Those two other projects ain’t got nothin’ on me.  How could you possibly resist my combination alpaca/silk charms?

Never a shortage of knitting A.D.D.  Nosiree. 

Today’s treadmill jam superstars were: 

• “Walking A Line” by the always popular Foo Fighters
• “The Kids Aren’t Alright” by The Offspring

Lately I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about ways to change my life, as I haven’t been very happy with the way things are going.  The majority of this stems from my (undiagnosed) infertility.  In 2007, my husband and I lost two pregnancies and I got very depressed.  Depression led to eating.  Eating led to major weight gain.  Major weight gain led to apathy, and so on…

We took a year-long break from trying to conceive in 2008 and bought our first house.  The Hubbster also convinced me to attend a weekly Stitch and Bitch group.   This was not always easy.  There were some nights he had to force me out the door, but I’m glad he did.   Thanks to the baby-making break, the distraction of our new home, and my new friends, I no longer found myself depressed.  

So now that the depression fog has lifted, I’m still left with the gift of flab.  Before the pregnancies, I was in the best shape of my life.  I was eating well, running 4-5 days a week, and about 25 pounds lighter.  I think it is time for me to get back into my running mojo.  Starting is always the difficult part, but once I get into it I actually enjoy it.   

So I’m hoping that this blog will now be about knitting, spinning, yarn, and running.  I’m also hoping that I will update it on a more regular basis.    So stay tuned, folks.   There’s lots of new stuff on the horizon.

Yeah, yeah, I know… I haven’t been posting as regularly as I should.  How about I make it up to you with some photos?  Hmm???  Will that make it all better?

Well, now, these aren’t just ANY old photos.  What if I told you they were photos of the revolutionary, awesome, super-duper creators of RAVELRY? 

Ha!  Got your attention, didn’t I?

On February 14, The Knitting Nest in Austin held a “Texas Loves Ravelry” party.  Not ones to be left out, the CLACKers all loaded up the vehicles and made a trip to meet the geniuses behind knitting’s finest website.   I just have to say that Casey, Jess, and Mary-Heather were all wonderful to meet.  It was pretty fun to see Casey get a bit flustered when we asked him to sign our shirts.  

“But, are you sure?  That’s… well, that’s a BETA tshirt.   We’re never going to make those again.  Are you sure??”

Um, yeah, Casey.  I’m sure.  

So here you are, enjoy the pictures.  I’m still recovering from a wicked cold/sore throat, so I’m off to have a nice nap.

One of my fellow daytrippers, lkbarr (Also known as “Icky-B”)

My other daytripper pal, KimnCocoa

The group and Mary-Heather  (Lisa, Melissa, Mary-Heather, Kim, and me)

The group and Jess

The group and Casey

Oh and also… I love yarn. Souvenir sock yarn is the best!

It’s mah berfday!

Shake mah bootay!

To celebrate my (insert number here) birthay, I made some cookies.  They amuse me to no end.

This one’s my favorite.

A very special thanks to My Girl J for providing the super-hilarious cookie cutters.

…by a duck.

The Hubbster and I were about to take a stroll when we saw this:

What the…? Why are there feathers in our (totally weed-infested) garden??

So we poked our head around the corner and…

we got our answer. 

It appears that there is some sort of “nest” but there’s no way in HELL I’m going anywhere near that critter.  Ducks are vicious – and I HATE BIRDS.  (Well, except for penguins.  They’re not really “bird-like”.)  While I was snapping this photo, the damn thing sort of hissed at me.

Fine, you can have the front corner of the garden.  It’s all yours.

So, um, anyone know the length of a duck’s gestational period?

Stolen from Saffron Knits:

 Mark with bold the things you have knit, with italics the ones you plan to do sometime, and leave the rest.

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Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up (I live in Texas, yo.  No need for mittens.)
Mittens: Tip-down
Hats: Top-down
Hats: Cuff-up
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater (Pictures to come soon!  My very first sweater!)
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn (After hearing all the cussing from My girl J, no way will I try banana fiber yarn.)
Domino knitting
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own hand-spun yarn
Slippers (Meh, I’ll just keep my socks thanks.)
Graffiti knitting (You’ve been C.L.O.K.ed!)
Continental knitting
Combination knitting
Designing knitted garments (Um, hai, delusions of grandeur.)
Cable stitch patterns
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Participate in an exchange
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting
Knitting to make money (I wish!)
Buttonholes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting (On my list of “things to try in ‘09″)
Norwegian knitting
Dyeing with plant colors
Dyeing spinning fiber
Knitting items for a wedding (Well, I’m married… and my sibling is married… and most of my friends are married… Not much of a chance to knit up a wedding item.)
Household items
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on one or two circulars
Knitting with someone else’s hand-spun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Tassels
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks (SCAAAAAARY)
Knitting art
Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener stitch
Knitted flowers
Purses/bags (Darn.  I’ve crocheted some.  Never knit though.)
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac (It’s on my list of “things to try in ‘09″)
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegated yarn
Stuffed toys (Again, totally done with crochet)
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn (guilty)
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Free-form knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mits/arm-warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an on-line knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair (My projects always contain at least 1% of “other” fiber.) 
Hair accessories
Knitting in public (Every Monday night, yo!)

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So what have you knit??

Hang on to your hats, kiddies, because it’s yarn and fiber pr0n time!

(Brought to you today by the fantastic ladies at Twisted Yarns and the letter “Y”.)

We’ll begin with a delicious Targhee top from Mounatin Colors 4 oz in “Lupine”

The theme of the day seemed to be “Mmmmalabrigo” and “Mmmore Mmmmalabrigo”

2 skeins of Silky Malabrigo in “Azul Azul”

1 skein of Lace in “Glazed Carrot”

1 skein of the Mmmalabrigo sock yarn in “lettuce”  (purchased at Yarns 2 Ewe)

I was so thoughtful that I brought home a skein of sock yarn to make more socks for the Hubbster
Cascade Heritage Paints

Some Araucania solid made it into the mix

This little bugger was 50% off. I mean, how do you resist?? 1 skein of Claudia Handpaints in “A Walk in the Woods”. And if anyone has any suggestions for 1 skein of sock yarn, I’d be most appreciative.

And finally, some JoJoland Melody made it home

Merry Christmas to me!! 

Yesterday the high temperature was 78 degrees. 

Today we have sleet and a few snow flurries.

Hot damn, I love Texas!