Project Left Behind

Lacy Turtleneck I WAS working on until I broke my wrist.  It's sitting in my living room taunting me day after day.  I tried to knit with my cast on, but it obviously did not work.  The cast dug into the palm of my hand, so that was no good.  Now that my cast is off, my wrist is still a bit swollen andany wrist movement for a long period of time hurts like the dickens.  I continue working on my counted cross stitch and, hopefully, sewing my MOD dress, a red jacket and a black and white dress I have cut out to go together.  I've really been procrastinating - no reason - just haven't gotten my rear end upstairs into the sewing room.

Smash, fortunately, is feeling better, and it looks as if I will get a riding lesson on November 11 only because there are horse shows this week and next week at Waredaca.  Sara and I are going to volunteer so we can earn some Waredaca Bucks, which will tremendously help with paying for lessons and board.

That is all.  Over and Out.

Update to Update

Herring Bone Coat - Finished, but not happy with the hem; it was crooked when I sewed the lining and coat together so the wool is sagging; have to undo all that and re-pin.

Christmas Stocking - One done; second one on the needles. This one is going well, too.

NEW PROJECT!!!!!Shawl for the Wedding - I found a wonderful beach-inspired shawl to make and wear at Sara's wedding next year. The yarn I found is a silk/sea cell (Kelp) mix; no wool in this; it's going to be way too hot for any type of wool in this shawl. Order the yarn last week; awaiting the delivery of it -maybe today, but probably tomorrow.

Jumper - Fabric still sitting in the Mood bag.

Slacks - Still waiting to be sewn.

Exercise - Continuing; My left foot gave me some problems last week but it seems to be ok now. I did do strength training last week, but nothing that would have any weight put on my foot. However, I'm going to do elliptical and weights today - just to be safe!

Riding - Rode Smash on Saturday and a lesson on Sunday; the more I ride her, the better I am at getting balanced with her big stride. And a milestone! Actually got her to canter without bucking me off or totally ignorming me! See? I told you it would get better.

Update on Projects

Short Tweed Jacket: COMPLETE! Just in time for the warm weather.

Long Herringbone Coat: IN PROGRESS. Outside of coat and pockets complete; need to put cuffs on the sleeves; sew lining and put together.

Jumper: Still sitting as one large piece of fabric.

Slacks: IN PROGRESS. Cut out, but queued up to be sewn together.

Our Fix-A-Test show still hasn't occurred; we have another week and a half before that happens. In May I am planning on taking Smash to a dressage show and ride the Intro A and Intro B tests. I'm not so great at getting her to canter, so I'm doing what I do best - walk and trot that horse!

I joined Planet Fitness near Sara's house so I can go to the gym on weekends, but mostly on Saturday mornings. Dave and I are going to a friend's house for dinner on St. Patrick's Day (which reminds me, I need to find something orange), and I know I eat too much, so I plan to do some cardio and weight work on Saturday morning to do some damage control.

Running - It's not been pretty, but I'm giving it the ol' college try, but what would I know about that? (Inside joke)

Knitting: Almost finished with one of the Christmas stockings; I had to change to DPNs, but they are too short for the amount of stitches on each one, and I almost lost quite a few of them on the train this morning. I have to get my longer DPNs so as not to have to worry about all my stitches falling off and then having to start this part of the stocking all over and I don't really relish having to rip out anything and re-knit on size 0 needles and lace-type yarn. Do you know how difficult that would be?

Guess that's about it; all projects are updated.

Completed Knitting Project - I said Project, Not Projects

Lo and behold, I finished a sweater from yarn and a pattern I bought in New York last month. Started on it right away, and as of yesterday, it is complete. COMPLETE, I TELL YOU. Gave it to Sara last night, and it does look very nice if I do say so myself.

Next on the knitting project list are the four Christmas stockings I am attempting to make for Christmas 2012. We'll see how far I get and if I should lose interest, which is a strong possibility.

My sewing projects: Tweed jacket still in progress; tweed coat - not cut out; plaid jumper - not cut out. Hmmm. Serious scheduling problems here.

Nick and Sara have decided they would like to do a destination wedding instead of a formal one here in Maryland. We discussed it, and it seems as if Dave and I will do a "send off" party before we go to the wedding destination, and they have asked or will ask Nick's parents to do a "coming home" party in Georgia. No concrete plans, yet, but with this scenario, we have lots of time to get detailed plans made.

Horse show season is coming up quickly. Sara and I are planning on doing a "Fix-A-Test" event on March 24. What happens is we ride a test, the judge critiques us, then we re-ride the test after hearing the judge's comments. It will be nice to have another set of eyes see what I'm doing.

Again, on the riding, I have attempted to memorize a Musical Freestyle to perform some time this season. The test is not difficult; I have the music, but Cathy's boom box does not work; must be too much dust, hay, in the CD player. My friend, Sallie, said she had one I could borrow, so just need to remind her to bring it to the barn. Then, it's onward with getting the music and the test movements coordinated.

New York Show

Broke down and went up to NYC this year for the Vogue Live! Knitting Symposium (or whatever you wish to call it) with Betty. We signed up for several classes and one lecture and were very excited about it. For a nice change, we rode the train there and back for $49 each way. It was more comfortable and took less time than the bus.

We found an all-night deli right across the street from the hotel, which saved us TONS of money in food! The Hilton was such a rip-off! We also got a great deal with the use of the gym. We saw that we had to buy a pass if we wanted to be able to go at any time we wanted without having to be forced going only during their official open hours. When we checked in, we were told that if we did not have maid service for one day, we could get the gym pass for free! Really? I don't have to have my bed made by someone else if I can get a free pass to the gym for 2 days. It worked out great! I ended up going really early because our days were filled with classes, lectures AND a trip to Mood Fabrics. By early, I mean 5:00 a.m.!

My first class in duplicate stitch was interesting, but the instructor was young, and I believe her first class teaching. I was confused, dazed and in the remedial group of the class. I never got the hang of it, so unless I take another class locally, that will probably be the end of my duplicate stitch career.

My second class was gloves; I can make mittens, but doing the fingers really was frightening! All I really needed was to be able to see how to do the fingers in person and make a stab at it. I had great success with this class. Picking up stitches and knitting the fingers was not as horrible as I thought it would be. However, I have to many other projects (still), that knitting gloves will be put on the back burner.

Mood Fabrics was daunting and overwhelming! Rolls and rolls of fabric everywhere! Because of the way the fabrics are on the rolls, it takes quite a bit of time to go through them to find exactly what one is looking for. (Don't know how they do it on PR with only 30 minutes!)

Found two pieces of fabric: one was a heavier tweedy looking fabric to make a coat; the other was a lighter plaid wool to make a jumper. Of course, I haven't touched that, yet!

Knitting Projects: Sweater that I bought wool for at NY; Christmas stockings for four people for next Christmas (if I make it that far); finish sweater that I started before Christmas, which was going to be a present, but I decided against it; that is why I'm knitting another sweater now with NY wool; and finish off a sweater I started even longer ago. The sweater is done; I'm working on a lining of sorts that I have to sew in underneath the lace part of the sweater. I'm so close to being done, but "start-itis" got to me and now I've almost finished the, what I call the NY sweater. One sleeve to finish, block the pieces, put together, then knit a collar onto it.

Riding still, even in this cold weather, but need to keep up my riding skills (such as they are) so I don't lose any new level I've finally reached. Bella and I are planning to bring back her Celtic Musical Freestyle that Cassidy choreographed with moves from training level tests. It will be an experience for me to get coordinated with the moves and music. Another challenge.

More Show Jitters

Sometimes I wonder why I put myself through all this stress to do a horse show. It's the same with signing up for 5K Races: I think it's a great idea at the moment, but as I have more and more time to think about what I've done, I wonder if was a good decision. Not to worry, though; I always get through the show or race and sometimes even come home with a ribbon!

Went stadium jumping last Saturday at Serra Valley, and it was not pretty. I've decided that from now on I have to have a jumping lesson every other week. The last time I did jumping was the June Waredaca show! That's way too long not to jump and then "cram" for the next jumping show. This Saturday we are going to Loch Moy for XC schooling.

Dave went to FL with a friend of his last week to get a respite from his aging parents. Our niece, Dara, was kind enough to fly out from CA and stay with them for a week while Dave had a nice R&R. Fortunately, Dara is a registered nurse and could help the caregiver if any help was needed. Dave took lots of photos and got much-needed rest.

Speaking of decisions and not sure about them, Betty and I are thinking about going back to NYC for the Vogue Live! seminars. We weren't too happy last year, but we found some classes we really want to take; I found a glove class; I can make mittens, but the thought of knitting fingers scares the bejeezus out of me. Why? I don't know, but I figure if I have someone show me in person what I'm supposed to do, I can overcome the fear of the fingers.

The weather had been quite nice, so I took advantage of it and ran outside at lunchtime. This week, however, is another story. It's been rainy and will continue to be through tomorrow night. Hope this doesn't put a damper on our Saturday XC schooling (making the grass too slippery for the horses). Today I am attempting to run on the TM and do my 60-second switch, which is to warm up for 10 min, then change the incline of the TM every 60 seconds for 18 min, then run another 10 min., making this a 38-minute run. Of course, at my rate of running, it could possibly be a 48-minute run or walk.

Riding and Updates

We found out that Amy, the owner of Smash, wanted to sell Smash and have Sara 1/2 lease Smash, then sell the horse for a commission. Obviously, that was not a good deal for Sara. Anyway, to make a long story short, Sara outright bought Smash from Amy. Sara is now owner of a Holsteiner Thoroughbred, 17HH, black and full of spunk! Maybe too much spunk, but good.

I had been riding Smash alternating lessons because I wanted to try her out on the Intro Dressage Tests at a show. We went on Sunday to Loch Moy, along with another rider from another barn where Cathy teaches. The bad part is that the timing of the rides could not have been worse: Allison rode at 7:40 a.m., I rode at 7:54 a.m., Sara rode at 10:30 a.m., then 1:22 for her stadium, then 1:30 for her XC jumping, meaning we had to get up before the crack of dawn to get the horses, pick up Allison and get to Loch Moy in time to tack up, warm, and ride. We were all tired even before we rode, but we muddled through it all.

For having ridden Smash only about 3 times, my scores weren't too bad. My first ride was really off, but I came back and rallied to increase my score by 5.6 points. Not bad, I say.



Allison, who rode her horse, did well with 65% on both of her tests. Way to go, Allison.

Sara rode a wonderful dressage test, but we think the judge was a bit harsh on scoring. We noticed that the judge was harsh with everyone. Sara then went clean on the stadium jumping, which really made her happy. After that she decided to excuse herself from the XC because Smash still is not in best cardio shape. But, the decision was a good one, and Sara felt much better about herself and Smash.

Today Dave is going to Chincoteague (sp?) with his friend to photograph the wildlife out there. I'm glad he's going because he really needs a break from his parents, who are 93, his mother has a broken hip, has dementia, needs 24-hour care, and his father is on his way to dementia, if he is not there already. Dave will be gone until Friday evening for a much-deserved vacation.

Ran yesterday for the first time since the Friday before the Labor Day Weekend. It was not pretty, but it felt really nice to get outside. Today I'm staying in and doing cardio/running combination of exercises. I believe that tomorrow will be cooler, so I'll see about going outside tomorrow.

In the knitting arena, i'm going back and forth between two projects: one is a sweater I started awhile ago, the other is a new one that I'm making for Sara.

Stop Staring at Me, Sweater!

It worked! The staredown between me and the sweater was won by the sweater. I finally caved in and started sewing it together. Never under estimate the power of a sweater stare!

Another Hot Week - Weather Wise, That Is

The temps last weekend were actually tolerable. Saturday was a really nice day since we did get out and go to a BBQ in the afternoon. Sara went riding Saturday morning to exercise Smash and get her in shape, so I went with her to help set up the jumps in the field. Fortunately, we went early enough so it wasn't too hot. Dave had gone shooting (photos, that is) in the a.m. and when he got back, we prepared ourselves for the BBQ. It was nice; we sat in the shade and chatted with people. Nothing exciting.

Sunday Sara and I went to our riding lesson; we did some more jumping. Bella is a jumping fiend, but tires out quickly. That's what happens when one is a "senior" horse. She loves to do her job, but she tires out fast. It's ok, I was tired, too! We should call ourselves, "Team Geriatric".

After our lessen we went to another BBQ, which wasn't really a BBQ, but more of a get-together. Our friend had a Mexican theme for food, which was very tasty and very fattening. His daughter, husband and triplets were there, and the kids are great entertainment. They asked, Is Funny Dave coming? Didn't care about anyone else, just Funny Dave.

Work goes on as usual; nothing exciting going on. Just getting through the days the best I can.

In knitting - Still plugging away at the Penny Straker sweater; making great headway on the left front; and I think it's time to measure it to see if it is the same length as the back (up to the armholes, anyway) so I can start shaping the armhole on the front.

My blue sweater continues to stare at me. I should pick it up tonight and start sewing it together just to stop it from staring at me. Should and will - two entirely different things.

Dave went to the doctor today about his knee. It wasn't bothering him for awhile, but when the weather changed, the knee started to act up, again. His surgery last year was to harvest some cartilege to grow it for a possible transplant this year. However, with his parent situation, we're not sure if he should do anything now because if he does this, absolutely no weight is to be put on that knee for 3 months! How irritating is that? And of course, there's the other question: If he gets it done, will the knee stop hurting?

Running on the TM today; way too hot, again, to go outside and I hear the temperature will be over 100 degrees by the end of the week. Ugh.

On the Home Stretch

Today is the day! Dave will be taking his mother home from the rehab center. They have hired a 24-hour nurse who will be living with them and will take care of the cooking, some cleaning, helping Dave's mother in and out of the wheelchair, etc.

Sara is back from her vacation, which she enjoyed very much. Her birthday was yesterday.

Dave's birthday is today.

What timing. Sara was born 12:10 a.m., July 11, and Dave had the nerve to say, Can you wait until tomorrow? I think not.

Not much else to report except I've gotten back to WW since the scale says I've put on a few pounds. I don't really believe it, but what can one do?

Running on the TM lately or working on the elliptical. Just too darned hot to go outside these days. Today is going up to 98 and with the humidity, will be over 100 degrees. No, thank you. I'll stay inside.

I'm still plugging away on the Peggy Straker cardigan, but I'm now on the left front. It's a beautiful sweater, but definitely a lot of work. My blue "plain" sweater is waiting for me to sew it all up. I am not looking forward to that, so I look at it and keep going.

Sunday played around with the fabric I have with the leopard motif on it. Yet another challenge I have put to myself. Why? oh why?

Countdown to Birthday and Horse Show

So, it's time for yet another birthday. Funny, it seems I just had one not too long ago, too. Cathy's birthday is today, so we are throwing a collective birthday BBQ on Saturday to celebrate. I believe she told me her daughter's birthday is the 25th; mine is the 24th. Lots of June babies.

I'm taking Friday off as a gift to myself. Who wants to be at work anyway on a Friday? I'll be going to COSTCO to get the burgers, hot dogs and buns and some things for the house. I'm also going to make a chocolate cake and a potato salad. This BBQ comes at a great time as I have to be out at the barn on Saturday to put my things in the trailer for a horse show on Sunday, pretty up Bella and her tack. No ride times have been posted, but probably won't see them until tomorrow.

Seeing as I am at the lower end of the difficulty level, I am thinking I won't be riding until later in the day. Let's hope that it won't be a too-early morning.

Knitting: I rushed to sew the fronts and back of my blue sweater together because I thought I had to pick up stitches to knit the button/buttonhole band. Well, found out after I put the pieces together, I have to knit 12 stitches in 1x1 rib, make a buttonhole every 3" or so, then continue until the piece is long enough to go around the front, back neck and the other front.

Still plugging away at my Penny Straker Aran sweater - last sleeve on the needles. I already put together the design for the fronts (i.e., copied all the different patterns and put them in the correct order), so I'll be ready to go when the sleeve is complete.

My Cranston coat is in progress, but only the lace and bobble part for the middle of the sweater (that goes around the waist). Slowly, but surely these items are getting finished.

Which reminds me, I have to get back to the jacket I was making that has leopard motif on it. Wonder when that will be....

I never did like Math

For someone who is not very good at math, I amaze myself sometimes when modifying a knitting project. I'm working on a baby sweater that the instructions say to work in pieces. Well, first of all, I'm using 6 colors. Can you imagine the amount of ends I would have to work into it? So, I decided to knit it all in one piece, then split at the armholes to work the two fronts and the back. Easy? Sure! Except, of course, after I do the 1x1 ribbing, I have to add stitches to the two fronts and the back. Not so bad. It's only addition.

I'm at the point where I'm ready to split the sweater into its fronts and back. But, first, I had to figure out when to stop knitting, split it, continue the back to its finished length, then get back to the fronts.

Math was never my strong point, and I stay away from it as much as possible, but the question here is:

Why is it I am constantly using math to knit?

It's May Already

On May 1 I participated in a dressage show, the first one with the new 2011 tests. Fortunately, they weren't too much different, but enough that I had to re-memorize them. Bella was a really good girl; she knew it was time to put on her show face, if a horse can do that. Moonie, however, was a bad boy. Right when he was to get in the trailer he did the rear, turn to the right and run away - twice. Once he was in the trailer, Cathy "ace'd" him - twice. Sallie came along just to get Moonie out of the property. She was planning on riding him, but had second thoughts when his bad behavior abounded. She did get him off the trailer later on while we were there, and of course, he acted as if nothing had gone wrong.

So, Bella and I did the new Intro B test; had a nice score of 63.8, and got a 4th place ribbon. Our second test, Intro C, was only .3 lower and got a 2nd place with that score! SCORE! Bella did not fight me with the new tests; apparently, she likes them. Usually, when I try a different test than she's used to, she tries to tell me where to trot and where to canter. Sometimes, it's a good thing, but with the new tests, we both have to remember what to do next.

Dave's mother is getting better, very slowly. She has her moments when she wants to leave (and I don't blame her one bit). We're hoping she can get enough physical therapy and she can move a little on her own so she can go home. It is a big hope, though.

Jane, Dave's sister, came into town, wreaked havoc, and left everyone here to pick up the pieces of her mess that she made. I do believe we are done here.

Dave and I went to the MD Sheep & Wool Festival on Sunday; fortunately, it was nice weather and we got there early enough that by the time we left at 10:45, the crowds were beginning to arrive. Actually, some already arrived, and I was glad to be going in the opposite direction of everyone. The vendors were the same; however, I did buy some silk/merino yarn and some mohair to make a sweater (to be added to my list previously made), and electric blue silk/merino, which will be used as a lining underneath the lacy part of the sweater.

Since my earmuffs finally fell apart, I needed another pair. I was really worreid if I would be able to find anouther pair. Lucky me, there was a woman who made earmuffs and I was able to get a pair for the next winter. I'm not prepared for the cold weather.

As I was running outside the other day, I saw people with a sign, "Judgment Day is here; May 21 is the end of the world." Man! So much for the hair appointment I made for that day. I'm going to die with bad hair. Crap!

Dave and I will be celebrating 33 years of married life on May 20; it's a good thing it's the day before the end of the world.

My new running route (hopefully) will be to get down to Constitution Avenue, as I usually do, then find a way to get to the Jefferson Memorial. If not, I can always make it back to the Lincoln Memorial or maybe run along the Potomac River. It's time for a change.

This is becoming more of a running blog lately.

Ran outside on Monday because the weather was sunny and the temperature was somewhere in the 80s! Ran to the Lincoln Memorial, around it, and back to the office. Much longer route than when I go to the Washington Monument and back. If I do the Monument again, I'll have to figure out how to make it a little longer. Maybe go around it twice instead of once? I'll have to take that under consideration.

Yesterday and today I did the run/strength training/run routine. Tired, once again.

Dave's mother was in the rehab center getting physical therapy and yesterday we found out she dislocated her hip (of course,the one that she broke a few weeks ago). The doctor who first saw her at the hospital thought that maybe it could be popped back in, but the orthopedic doctor said, no, she has to have more surgery. Today, she is under the knife one more time and for a 92-year old, this is not a good thing.

Continuing work on my "plain vanilla" sweater when I came upon the pocket instructions. Apparently, I can't read. I read the directions about 3 times, and today I was ready to email the author of the book when BAM! it hit me and I realized what I was supposed to do. At least I didn't make a fool of myself in an email, but nonetheless, I have already complained to my knitter-friends that the instructions MUST BE WRONG! OK, I did make a fool of myself, but hardly publicly. Well, publicly now because I just posted this on the Internet. Dumb.....

Another Finish

Back of the sweater is finished! Pats self on back. Sleeve is started. Surprisingly, this pattern is not as difficult as I had anticipated. Will post a pic of the back soon. I do a lot of thinking about doing something, and when I finally do it, it wasn't really that hard. Gee.

Not much else; time has flown by and I'm so ready for nice warm weather. I've had enough of this.

I vowed not to buy any more yarn, but since I will be on a very long airplane ride, I bought some yarn to make a plain, vanilla V-neck cardigan. It won't take too many brain cells to knit.

Running inside is getting very boring; I'm losing my eagerness to do same. I have been doing the 60-second switch just to mix things up. That is chaning the resistance every minute; You just don't know how long that one minute can be when you don't have any breath and you know that any second you will just flip right off that darned ol' TM.

That's about it for now. Not much has been happening here. Just time flying by,

Start and Finish

I took the weekend to START the Penny Straker Galway Cardigan.







I did say FINISH, and I mean that I finished this shawl about a week ago; it's been blocked; and here it is:

This is a close-up, sorta, of the beads that I used in this shawl.






This is a full view of the completed shawl.

Vogue Knitting Live!

Which is better than Vogue Knitting Dead.

Betty and I went to NYC last weekend to the first Vogue Knitting Live! conference, I guess you could call it. We went up on the Bolt Bus, and I was the first one to reserve a seat, so I got the dollar seat on the trip up. The trip back I had to pay the full price of $15. That's adds up to less than the total of tolls on the road to NYC. We stayed at the Hilton on the Avenue of the Americas, where the conference was held. Lots of Knitters, lots of Yarn, lots of temptations.

Friday night we went to the market place, and I vowed i was going to look only. You believe that one, right? Anyway, we saw some nice stuff, but I was not tempted UNTIL we came to the Irish yarn booth! The woman was selling yarn, along with patterns for fisherman's knit sweaters. I already have a pattern, and another woman was in the same boat as I. She asked the Vendor how much she would charge for just the yarn. After many calculations, hems and haws, the Vendor said, $90 for 1,000 grams of yarn! That is enough yarn to make a full-sized sweater and a long one at that. So, in order to get this bargain, I bought the yarn straight away. I didn't want this Vendor to think about it too long and then change her mind. What a steal! I mean it.

We walked around, saw a lot of interesting yarns: bison, yak, and some Hawaiian fibers.

Saturday we went to the gym in the a.m. Can you believe it? We actually did some exercising. Fat good it did with all the food we ate, but still we made the effort. We get an "A"for that.

Attended a seminar on Norwegian knitting, which was the most horrible seminar/lecture I've been to. The speaker was not prepared, she rambled on and on about designers she assumed we knew. Not impressed one bit!

Sunday we attended at "steeking" class. Steeking is the process of cutting up the middle of a perfectly good sweater that has been knit in the round. Knitting in the round makes the sweater much smoother, no side seams, and any pattern in the sweater will look much cleaner. We learned how to crochet up the middle of the sweater on two rows, then purposefully take scissors and cut. It is scary at first, but it works! Unfortunately, the sweater I'm making now is not knit in the round, so no steeking for me on this one.

Went to work on Monday, took Tuesday off for my hepatitis booster shot for our trip to South Africa. We had snow starting Monday night, the travel nurse called and told us the office was closed, so I took the day off for nothing, well not nothing, I did get some things accomplished yesterday.

So, it starts to snow last night and snows, and it is very wet and heavy snow. Apparently, my office is open today, but the MARC trains are not running. Gee, what a surprise. I can't go to work even if I really had to or wanted to.

Christmas and New Year

Sara came over on Christmas Eve, and we opened presents and had a nice "Shrimp Elegante" dinner. Of course, Sara made out like a bandit, and I have become an "electronified" person. I got a new sensor for running to go with my iPod and a Kindle. At first I couldn't make up my mind if I really wanted a Kindle, but now that I have it, it is really quite convenient. I must get a cover for it so I don't scratch the screen.

Fortunately, I left work early on Thursday(12/30) so I went to the grocery store on the way home instead of having to go on Friday morning and then make everything. Friday morning I made the cake and custard for the trifle, made the ever famous green bean casserole, and started to set the table for dinner. Sara and Nick were coming over for dinner.

I had a make-up riding lesson on Friday afternoon; the weather started out not too nice, but it did warm up for the amount of time I was riding. We rode in the field, which has a slight incline/decline, depending on the way we are going. Bella has a bit of a problem now cantering downhill, so she does break once in awhile. After the lesson I went back home and did a few more things for dinner. Unfortunately, my Yorkshire puddings did not rise; I think it's because I didn't let the oil in the pan get hot enough. They did taste good, but not the same as if they had risen properly.

Saturday we were supposed to go to a New Year's Day party, but Dave wasn't feeling well with a sore throat, etc. I would have gone by myself, but I didn't know that many people except for the host and hostess, so I opted to stay home, too. I did take Romeo out for a long walk, he and I chased a stick, then we came back. That was about the extent of my doing anything constructive Saturday.

Sunday morning was my regular riding lesson, so Sara and I took off in the rain. Yes, rain. Again, the weather was half-way decent for our lesson, but still damp. After I dropped Sara off at her house, I went to the grocery store (which I should have done the day before, but.....), put the stuff away, made chili for dinner. I had gotten a small piece of salmon out, but by the end of the day, I was too lazy to make it. We'll have it tonight.

Things I accomplished yesterday: went to the grocery store and got some decent food, made chili, sewed in the yarn ends of my sweater (now I can block it), made some leeway on the shawl I'm knitting. Not a huge amount of things, but better than Saturday.

Today: Back at work; will go to the gym or run outside; not sure which, yet. All depends on two things: weather and how much "gym fever" I have! I did bring warm running clothes, so I may take the plunge. At least the sun is out today.

So......

Finally did some Christmas shopping (online, of course!). The good news is everything has arrived; the bad news is I have to wrap it all up. Oh, well. Much of it is already done.

Sara and I had a riding lesson on Sunday; the temp was a high of 32! so it was only 27 when we went riding. The secret to riding in this weather? Layers, layers and more layers - long johns, riding pants, 2 pairs of socks; long john top, Under Armour, and a nice warm sweater, topped off with a windbreaker jacket; Earmuffs and nice and warm winter riding gloves set off the ensemble. Bella and Smash were not happy to see us coming towards them with halters and lead ropes. As a matter of fact, they took off to the farthest corner of the field as fast as they could find. Sheesh! Bella stared me down, but it did no good. I still took her away. The wind took pity upon us and went somewhere else for the day.

After the lesson I worked on my black and red jacket for some time; got bored with it, and finally did some gift wrapping. Amazingly, by that time it was 5:00. How time flies.

Dave came to my office last week and a woman who does jewelry came for a really mini-craft fair. Dave brought pictures, calendars and some note cards to sell. Peggy had her usual inventory of jewelry. I don't know how well Peggy did, but Dave sold about 6 of his pictures and many calendars and boxes of notecards. The next day several people came by and ordered more pictures from Dave.

Knitting continues on the grey, light pink and dark pink sweater. Fortunately, it's an easy pattern and will be done soon. But, then I have to block it before I can sew it together. Made that mistake before and the sweater was not quite the right size. Grrr! Blocking takes away the urgency of putting the sweater together, but I don't want to make that mistake again.

Finished Cathy's mittens and gave them to her on Sunday. She really liked them. At first she didn't see that I had knit "Rizzo" into each mitten. Then, she got really excited! Glad she likes them.

Top side of Mitten with "Rizzo".

Palm side of Mitten.

Update

As you know, I finished the Kimono shawl a few weeks ago. Finally have pics:




































































Don't understand how this works sometimes, but anyway.........

Sara, Sallie and I are gong XC Schooling tomorrow in preparation for the show we are doing on October 31 - Halloween. In that vein, I made a skull/roses jacket that has a semi-tuxedo look to it. Also made a skeleton vest to go with and am using a skull and cross bones saddle pad for Miss Bella.

Sunday a.m. I am running a 5K - gotta keep the exercise and goals going or I'll become a blob. Fortunately, this race is at Long Gate, so I don't have far to drive and it starts fairly late - 9:00! usually these races start at 8:00, but there will be lots of the day to go afterward.

Dave is going to a wedding at the Willard Hotel tomorrow to photograph, and we are hoping that it will be a good experience for him. He is helping out another photographer, and so far some pictures will be taken at the Willard and at a few of the monuments! Dave was told he will be there from noon to midnight so he'll be quite tired on Sunday.

I have so much leave accrued that I am taking Fridays off for the next five weeks so I don't lose any of it. Today is the first day of my Fridays off, and I'm so confused. Last night I kept thinking it was Friday because I'm so used to working a five-day work week. It does feel nice not to have to have gotten up and get dressed, drive to the station, sit on the train for who knows how long, etc.

Baby blanket was completely tossed. I did not like the way it looked, so I changed patterns AND got new yarn. I'm waiting for the yarn to come in so I can start anew.

One mitten is finished for riding instructor; now, on to the task of the second one. I have cast on the second mitten, but have only a few rows of the ribbing done so far. Do you know how difficult it is to cast on, then divide the stitches onto four needles and start knitting while on the train? And someone sitting next to you keeps bumping your arm? Well, I do. It's not easy, but in the name of knitting, I persevered.