Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone!

I know I've been a neglectful blogger. I can't promise that it's going to get any better. I just don't have a lot of patience for this dinosaur of a computer, and buying a new computer isn't very high on the list of priorities. I'm thinking about getting one of those tiny laptops, though. Maybe in the next few months.

Meanwhile, enjoy some pictures of the Christmas knitting from this year. We had a merry Christmas. Busy, as always. With a big family, that's what we expect and enjoy.


I made hats for my two nephews and my niece. As you can see the nephews (who are at the running around stage of life) wouldn't sit still for pictures, so my brother (the nephews' dad) modeled the fish hat I made for T1 (who is 3 years old) and the couch modeled the Ganomy Hat I made for T2 (who is 1 1/2.) They also shared the news that they are having a baby girl in May, so there will be a T3! :) Everyone is excited. They just bought a house and are in the process of moving in. Fun!




J was kind enough to model her hat for me. Isn't she compliant? Hee. She's such a good baby. She's even being kind enough to bop around in her bouncy seat while I write this blog post. She spends her weekdays with me, so we get to have lots of fun. She's not mobile yet, being only 2 months old, but she's strong! She's going to be a go-getter. She's already growing so fast.


My oldest daughter, E, turned 14 yesterday. It's impossible! She's a good kid, though. I have hope she will grow up to be a good, strong woman. It's hard to believe she's so close to grown. We're having four of her friends over Saturday evening for pizza, popcorn and movies, so wish me strength! Heh. I said no to the sleepover. I don't know if I'm a strong enough woman for that! lol. I remember my sleepovers at that age with that many girls and it was always a drama-fest. Fewer, no problem, but not that many at once.

Catch you next time! Don't make too many New Year's resolutions, unless they mean you have more joy in your life as a result.

What laundry?

Today, on the latest edition of "Avoiding the Laundry," I bring you socks. Lovely, handknit socks. Random socks which I'm pretty sure have not been posted before despite the fact that they have been living in my sock drawer for, lo, so many months, and are now getting the chance to reside on my feet. Which, sadly, means more laundry.



Peak Experience socks. These were in the Twist sock-of-the-month (SOTM) club, oh, sometime.

Rather than give you all the details on all these socks, I'm going to link each to my Ravelry project page for each. If you want details and you're not on Ravelry, well, you should be.


Elegant Cable socks From theknitter.com SOTM club a billion (or about 2) years ago.


Sake socks. Jackie's design for Twist SOTM.


Road to Hana socks. From theknitter.com SOTM a while back.

Now, I'm not going to tell you how long those pictures were sitting in my camera before I managed to put them on the computer. I am going to tell you that I hid the camera from my husband, because, despite the fact that the camera was bought for the express purpose of ME having it, and not HIM, there were approximately 1 billion pictures of model cars, 10 of the kids and 5 of the knitting in the batch I downloaded from the memory card. He will have to go back to using his own cruddy camera which he made cruddy all on his own and get no more painty fingerprints on mine.

OK, back to the laundry . . . At least there are cheerful socks in there.

Babies!

I've made a couple baby gifts lately, for a couple babies.

This last weekend I went to a baby shower for an old friend. Turns out they had that shower just in time! She was being induced last night because of high blood pressure. I haven't heard anything yet, but fingers crossed that everything is going well!

I gave her these for her baby boy.

This hat (Reversible Stripes and Dots from Itty Bitty Hats.)

And this blanket, with sailboats on one side, and smooth superman-colored satin on the other.


The other baby shower was one I hosted for my sister-in-law back in September. Here's the package I put together for her.


I think I've posted most of those things in the past. It's the crocheted star baby blanket, a pewter frame that matches the nursery (baby bugs), some knitted socks, a Mason-Dixon baby kimono, baby bell bottoms, and a lovebug bee.

Here are the bell bottoms alone. They were a last-minute addition.

And the lovebug.


And the sweetest lovebug of all, my niece. She's dressed as a ladybug for Halloween. She's snuggling with her grandpa (my dad.) They look pretty content, huh?

Saw this on Mental Floss.

Good Actresses in Bad Horror Movies Score: 40% (4 out of 10)

Think you can do better?

Saw these on my feet.



I love knee socks. Unreasonably. Love.
Pattern is "Evening Stockings for a Young Lady" in Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush. I used Knit Picks Essential sock yarn. Pattern called for 3 skeins, but I used one for each sock with less than a meter left over, even with the extra inch I added to the leg. So I have one skein left to play with sometime.

I know there are more knee socks in my future.

INTP

That's my Myers-Briggs profile. Now, I've known this for about 15 years, so why bring it up now? I saw this "Colors of Fitness" inventory on Lolly's blog. Interesting. You know I can't resist an online quiz. My result was Blue Efficient. And while I see bits of myself in there, I decided to look up what my known Myers-Briggs profile pulled up. Saffron Efficient! That's more like it. This in particular sounds like me: "Independent, and often perfectionists, Saffrons are drawn to activities that require a high level of performance. Boredom can be a concern for Saffrons, and they find satisfaction in physical pursuits that push them to higher fitness levels."

Sounds like me in my knitting, in my workouts, in school, in work, in life.

It's so nice to be understood. :p

While I was puttering around, I read a bit about traits of INTPs. It all seemed very familiar. What surprised me was that, depending in which site I trust, only 1-3% of people are INTPs. I am a rare gem. ;) Makes me wonder which of the people around me would pull up a similar result.

Speaking of my fitness goals, my daughter M (11) asked if we could run the 10K next May, since we didn't make it last May. I told her we'll aim for it. My left shin is giving me serious trouble right now, so I'm not running on it. I don't want to end up with a really big problem. I never thought I would say I miss running, but I really, really do. More pilates for me. (I like pilates, but it's not the same as going out and pounding out a good run.) Pilates and other low-impact exercise. I know that's where I started out, but now I'm used to higher intensity and I don't want to backslide. I just have to keep reminding myself that its better to take a break and stay healthy than to keep going and have a serious injury.

But I really want to run.

Vote!

I have this sticker on my shirt. Now go get one of your own! Vote!

I'm an aunt again!

My new baby niece was born this morning at 4:40. She was 8 lb 7 oz. My sister-in-law was induced yesterday morning (past her due date), but that baby was still taking her time! SIL pushed for 2 hours. What a trooper. I'm going to go see her in a bit. My first niece and the first child for this brother and his wife, after 4 years of anticipation. They're over the moon.

I've been stitching lately. I did three little Twisted Threads gingham monthly pieces over the weekend. I'm in sleeve hell (which doesn't usually bother me) on the sweater I'm knitting and some small stitching pieces were the cure. Now I'm back to sleeves with only an inch of reverse stockinette left before I join to the already-knitted body and knit up from there.

In the absence of pictures, here's another blog quiz. lol.

Your result for What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test...

Non-conformist, Visionary, and Independent

4 Abstract, -4 Islamic, -5 Ukiyo-e, 3 Cubist, -1 Impressionist and -22 Renaissance!

Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which exists independently of what may appear to others as visual realities. Western had been underpinned by the logic of perspective and an attempt to reproduce an illusion of visible reality. It allowed the progressive thinking artists to show a different side to the world around them. By the end of the 19th century many artists felt a need to create a 'new kind of art' which would encompass the fundamental changes taking place in technology, science and philosophy. Abstract artists created art that was diverse and reflected the social and intellectual turmoil in all areas of Western culture.

People that chose abstract art as their preferred art form tend to be visionaries. They see things in the world around them and in people that others may miss because they look beyond what is visual only with the eye. They rely on their inner thoughts and feelings in dealing with the world around them instead of on what they are told they should think and feel. They feel freed from the tendency to be bound by traditional thought and experiences. They look more toward their own ideas and experiences than what they are told by their religious upbringing or from scientific evidence. They tend to like to prove theories themselves instead of relying on the insight or ideas of others. They are not bound by common and mundane, but like to travel and have new experiences. They value intelligence, but they also enjoy a challenge. They can be rather argumentative when they are being forced or feel as if they are being forced to conform.

Take What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test at HelloQuizzy

(Now what does it mean that I had to correct some spelling in there before I could post this? :p)