The slog.

So my Rock Island has been the disaster shawl of 2012.

It took forever to finish the trim.

I screwed up the very simple first two rows of the lace charts about 16 times before getting it right.

After I FINALLY got going on the lace charts, a coworker grabbed my knitting out of my hands as I was knitting it (because she "just wanted to touch it to see if it was soft), and ripped about 50 stitches off the needles, causing me to have to rip back to my lifeline and reknit about three days of work.

And now, I'm slogging through approximately 10 billion rows of garter stitch.

But the end is near! (I hope)

Here it is in progress, with Beezer's tail, and our new rug:

Spinning

I recently got bitten by the spinning bug, and after about two months of whining about not having a spinning wheel (or wanting to spend the money to buy one), I broke down this weekend and bought a spindle, and Abby Franqemont's book and video, Respect the Spindle.


 By the way, I blame Monika, and her absolutely gorgeous handspun yarn for this problem of mine.

Here's a picture of my fiber mess and the beginnings of my spinning.

Spinning on a spindle is HARD. Looks easy, but is not. At all. I tried and failed for about two hours on Sunday.

However, I'm really loving a new skill, and I can honestly say after reading Respect the Spindle that I understand yarn a lot better than I did before. This is really giving me a much closer connection to the tools that I'm using, which is awesome, because I am all about context in terms of how I learn and operate.

On the personal front, things have started to calm down. Thank goodness. I'm doing fine, Beezer is doing fine, Bruce is healing, and Georgia continues to delight and amaze.

I'm currently inundated with reading materials, with an enormous stack of books sitting by my bedside, and a whole bunch on my kindle that I haven't delved into yet. Oh, and I also have a pile of magazines sitting here that are demanding attention.

I'm also studying to become a LEED Accredited Professional, which is a certification for people who are involved in the green/sustainable/eco building industry. Which I am, as I work for an engineering firm. The process is fun, but a little tough. There's a lot of memorization involved with learning the materials, but I'm still enjoying it.

And, as always, I'm listening to music while I knit. At the moment, I'm on a Latin music kick, listening to Celia Cruz (official Goddess of Salsa), Bebel Gilberto (Brazilian. I know. Whatever), Rodrigo y Gabriela (rockin Spanish guitarists from Mexico), Los Amigos Invisibles (crazy funk/disco/jazz party band from Venezuela, saw them in concert this winter), Bomba Estereo (awesomeness from Colombia) and a little Shakira for good measure.

Bruce's Hat

I finally got pictures of Bruce in the hat (my rav link) I made for him:

Pattern: Los Muertos (rav pattern link)
Yarn: Cascade 220
Needle: US 7 (4.5mm)

And I think I'm starting to get back into the swing of things, with regards to life, the universe and everything.

I've cast on a sweater for my mother, and a shawl for my vet friend who helped me out so much with Beezer when he was sick last month. Beezer seems to be fully recovered now, thankfully. He's back to his normal self, and doesn't seem to be in any more pain.

Hugs to everyone, and I'm hoping I get more time to catch up soon.