Yikes! Stripes!

Stripes! Stripes! And more STRIPES!

We used to have a cat named Stripe. Her belly was white, her back was covered with grey and black stripes, and there was a single, white stripe that ran perpendicular to all the rest. She is the only cat we didn't have trouble naming. From the day we brought her home, with that white stripe on her back, she was our little stripey-kitty, and we loved her!

To this day, I still love stripes, as you can clearly see when you look at my Zig-to-the-Zag Striped Tunic on Ravelry:

When it is finished, it will hang nearly to my knees, and there will be a total of 5 colors knit into the prettiest stripes you ever did see (save for the cat), with a zig here and a zag there on the front. I am really enjoying this knit, and lately I have spent every spare moment with my needles a-clickin' and yarn running rampantly through my fingers! This knit is nearly as satisfying as petting a purr-machine while sitting under layers of knit fabric, felines and fleece blankets...sigh!

Black Cat: Really???

Oh, ok. I guess petting the cat is a little more satisfying.

(Don't tell the cats, but I really like the knitting better...it never poops! snicker!)

White Cat: I heard that.

What can I say? Whether it's self-striping socks, sweaters striped in similar skeins, or even solids...the knitting satisfies my crafty soul! I do love my cats, striped or not, but I loveLoveLOVE the knitting!

What do you loveLoveLOVE? Leave me a comment and let me know!

In the meantime, thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Knitting and Learning!

There has been knitting! This is good, because this is a knitting blog. Last week, there was no blogging, but there was knitting! Would you like to see what I have been knitting? Well, lots of things. Like party favors (which are not linked on Ravelry - sorry girls, I know this fails you, but I totally made this one up):

There were some socks that I think I cast on in December, as Christmas socks:

There were some secret gifties, and some selfish knitting, too! The first selfish knit of 2017 is this sweater, which I mostly love...

...except for the sleeves. I think the sleeves should be longer, but I think I may be too lazy to rip out 28 rows of garter-stitch-in-the-round to add the extra length. I do have extra yarn, but I'm just not sure if I'm up for a rip and re-knit on them. Especially since I just did a little rip and re-knit on my second selfish knit of the year...this fingering-weight yarn sweater:

I just started this one, and I was only about 16 rounds in when I found a pretty big boo-boo in the knitting. As with most things, I am happy that I stopped to correct the error, and now I am loving this knit! I can't wait until it all comes together...there are 5 colors that I will stripe throughout, and this makes it so exciting!

Just like my knitting, I am finding that my life goes smoother if I stop to fix the mistakes right away. Sometimes mistakes cannot be fixed, like words that you cannot un-say (or sleeves you don't feel like un-knitting) but most of the time you can at least apologize. My sleeves could be fixed, but because I have woven in the ends, and blocked the "finished" sweater, it will be a job. I should have followed my instincts, stopped to measure and added more length before the garter border. An apology can be the same way. After you've said or done something that hurts another person, sometimes it's a job to even get your foot in the door so that you can apologize. And most of the time, I know that I shouldn't say or do that thing, even before it happens...the smarter choice would be to stop and measure those words and/or actions before they come out.

The Bible reminds me that I should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. (James 1:19) I'm working on that. Pretty wants to jump in and use ALL OF THE WORDS! She is learning, however, that it is often better to be quiet and consider a gentle answer, even when confronted with wrath. (Proverbs 15:1) So much to learn, every day. But I woke up this morning, so I'm going to keep learning.

I'm glad that you woke up this morning, too, and I'm glad that you stopped by. Never stop learning, and Knit in Good Health!

What a Day!

Today I realized something. This is a knitting blog. There should be knitting here. lol!

So, here you go - Remember the Hexipuffs?

Well, it's an afghan project I started along about 2013, and it is still not finished...but that's how I planned it. Each puff takes about 35-45 minutes to knit, stuff and sew shut. I estimate that I will need 400 hexipuffs to make the Beekeeper's Quilt, so I knew the project would be a multi-year adventure. My project page says that it has been 32 months since I updated it. lol!

As 2016 drew to a close, with me at another new office job, I got to thinking about the hexis again, and I picked them up as my lunchtime knitting. I can get just a bit more than 1 puff completed in my hour, taking bites of peanut-butter-and-jelly and baby carrots here and there. Huzzah! When I came to this realization, I checked the blog to see how many puffs I was up to, it said 186/400. Only 214 to go! Yesterday, before work, I counted up the ones that I have finished in the past week, and added them in...almost halfway!

Then, I got a "bee in my bonnet" that buzzed me into counting up all the finished puffs in storage, just to be sure that I was nearly to that halfway point like I thought I was. You know what? I was off...I HAVE 206 HEXIPUFFS!!! I have accidentally passed the halfway point, and I couldn't be gladder!!!

So, 2017 has started off strong, and I am happy about that. The new job is going well (and I'm not just saying that to convince myself this time). I'm writin' apps and takin' names for insurance coverage, and I am learning a LOT! Thank you to Cindy, Trina and Dick for believing in me and for passing on your knowledge and wisdom in the office. It's been great so far, and I look forward to all the future holds for me as I continue to learn!

How has your 2017 started? I hope it has been amazing, and I look forward to hearing all about it! Leave me a comment, if you have a minute!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!