Hoppy New Year!

The theme for the beginning of this knitting year is baby blankets. Started a rib check blanket last night for my BIL & SIL, whose little boy is due any minute now.

Have the yarn on the way for Jared Flood's baby blanket, which I am knitting for the little girl of dear friends, who should be making her appearance in early May.

Also cast on last night for a lacy cowl made out of Mini Mochi (like I needed another project).

Forest Canopy Shawl is on timeout for the moment, and may become the Clapotis I envisioned when I bought the yarn. May need yarn I can see well for the FC Shawl.

Feather and Fan afghan out of Malabrigo is 1/3 done, and is my mindless knitting.

Exercise didn't happen on vacation; back at it tonight. Have to exercise before I can knit. :)

Xmas is next week!

I need to catalog my needles. I don't know what I have and in what UFO it's currently hanging. I can't determine and obtain the other needles I need unless I do this. One more thing to add to the to-do list.

I also am discovering that I have problems with most patterns that involve a lot of YOs. It's like I have a mental block keeping track of patterns with a lot of stuff in them. A shame, but I suppose I'll be a happier knitter focusing on what I do really well. Not to say I won't keep trying to increase what I know, but I know where my comfort zone is.

Forest Canopy Shawl is progressing slowly. I've had to rip back to the 2nd repeat lifeline 4 or 5 times now, but have now managed to get to the halfway point in the repeat, so I am optimistic.

I still need to put something mindless on the needles for when I just can't seem to follow the yo, sl1-k2tog-psso stuff in the FCS.

Last week, I got back on the bandwagon of exercising and eating right. I'm using heart rate training, getting on the bike for 30 min 3x per week and doing yoga for weight loss 1x per week and doing a 10/10/10 on the bike/rowing machine/elliptical.

Going to do that again this week, and adding C25K workouts on the elliptical after the bike. Eventually, want to get up to 2x/wk yoga for weight loss.

Did well on food tracking last week, and when I got on the scale on Saturday, it said 4 lbs gone. I won't get that every week, nor do I expect it, but it was nice to see. :)

My inducement to workout? I can't knit in the evenings unless I've done some sort of workout, unless I'm injured or sick. It worked well last week.

I'm going to bring workout clothes to work and do workouts at work during quarter-end close, so that I don't muck up the good foundation I'm setting here.

When we go to Iowa next week, I can bring workout clothes and do bike/elliptical, probably, and once we get to Denver, I can go for 60 min walks every day and that will tide me over.

projects!

My second Clapotis found its way to its home, in scenic San Bruno, CA. California's in the middle of a cold snap, and it seems that something snuggly to wear such as a Clapotis is a Good Thing. Glad you like it, tk.

I went to find yarn with her in mind, knowing she likes oranges and browns, and the autumn colors in this one are nice. She's been one of my best friends for 10 years now, and I wanted to make her something that was one of a kind.

I have now cast on for the forest canopy shawl twice. I now have a 3rd start on the needles, and am hoping it'll work this time. I'm having a hard time getting the pattern in my head, so I may be missing yarnovers or something. I may not have chosen the best yarn for 1st lace project, but I'll keep at it. It's also not easy to un-knit, so I guess I'll learn to knit more slowly/carefully. I need to get a mindless project on the needles - I was exhausted last night and wanted mindless knitting, but all of the projects I have on needles are complicated for me.

I should start a basketweave blanket or something. I seem to have more luck when not knitting for myself.