Rogue still continues

I am working the cables for the hood right now. I have seamed the shoulders. Once the hood is finished (which probably won't take more than this coming weekend), I'll begin the sleeves. I really do hope to have some photos soon of the progress.

Elusive weight loss

I have made changes in both my exercise routine and in my eating habits. Both are gradual changes. I've been making them over the past 5 weeks, and at least as far as exercise, I am where I want to be now. From now on, the changes will be more to keep my body guessing than anything else. Diet I am still adjusting. I see the doc tomorow, but I already know the blood work came back fine. :( I was hoping I'd find a smoking gun there, so to speak. I can't give up, though. Giving up would mean continuing to gain weight and a decrease in physical activity, due to the increased pain I'd get from more weight. Nope, not gonna accept that route. I'm trying to stay positive, but I have frequent feelings of frustration.

Rogue continues

I have completed the side panels (Chart A) and am now working to shape the back for the neckline. This is such an exciting knit and the yarn is a pleasure (Plymouth
Encore) to work with! Photos coming...

Scrapping pages

These are some recent pages I did for Brendan's scrapbook. I'm not sure if they are totally done or not; I might add some details to them and definately the date.

Rogue in progress

Look how far along I am!!!! So far, it's really quite straight-forward and I'm enjoying this project immensely! The only issue I'm having complaints about is that my hem is curling. I'll guess that will be straightened out during the blocking.

Ridgebacks!

Ok, so how great are Rhodesian Ridgebacks? Only the best darn dog breed in the world, thank you! I had one for a few years as a child, and have craved another one my entire adult life. Unfortunately, at least around here, puppies (and even young dogs) go for several hundred dollars. Way out of our reach. Plus, Marc and I have some disagreement over having a dog, period. If you are interested, check out ridgebacks on wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodesian_Ridgeback

Horse crazy

This is one of my girlfriends with whom I used to ride with her beauty, Splash. Hopefully I will be able to ride again soon. Her horse, Iban, who now has a different owner, was the horse I rode. He's a white Arabian and what a horse! I adored riding him and he seemed to like me, too. I'll never forget one afternoon where I needed to comfort him (he'd had quite a scare). I coo'ed at him while he snuggled in to my arms and chest with his muzzle. What a funny site that must have been...me cuddling a huge, powerful animal, telling him it'd be ok.

Riding along the trails in the American River Canyon (east of Sacramento) was fantastic! Some light to moderately challenging terrain, beautiful landscape (forested canyon with eye-popping rock outcrops and dropoffs, and little waterfalls in the spring), and wonderful companionship. Sigh. I've been around horses my whole life, and following them around entranced since I can remember. Some of my earliest memories are of my mother (or perhaps it was one of her friends) riding dressage. Horses just make sense to me. I have a hard time understanding why anyone wouldn't want to be around them. Their smell, feel, and presence is beyond words.

Shouldn't be allowed in public

I'm beyond sleep-deprived. Brendan has been waking at extraordinarily early hours the past few days, which means mom is up, too. I wasn't selected for a promotion (best opportunity I'd had for a promotion in the 5 years I've been at this agency). I gained 2 pounds last week. And, not the least, I have had very little time to knit. Needless to say, I shouldn't be allowed in public. I should be locked away, until I am no longer sleep-deprived and have starved those darn 2lbs back off and can just friggin' KNIT!

Rogue troubles from the get-go

I have cast on...twice now...for rogue. The first time was fine and was about 6 rows into the body. I set the needles and yarn down to run some errands. Apparently I did not put these in a safe enough place, as when I got home, the skein of yarn was on the living room floor and the string of yarn wound to the base of the Christmas tree, where it disappeared underneath. I had to get down flat on my stomach to peer underneath the tree to finally see what was left of my knitting. I pull it out as gently as I can and after inspecting the damage, see that it is irreparable. At least, not without being noticeable. :((( I frogged and cast on again. I don't know which of our 3 cats is to blame, but just to be on the safe side, they are all on my shit list right now! The yarn is becoming less wound and the fibers are separating. It's more difficult to work with now. If I have to frog again, I'll have to cut off the first several yards before I cast on again. Big bummer! Wish me luck!