Felt Like Knitting

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Movies You Want to See Right Now

Rebecca:  We just finished reading this excellent book for book club and now I really want to watch the movie.  There is another version and it might be fun to compare both movies.

Get Low:  Our previous pastor helped write this movie.  It's about his wife's great uncle (or some relation).  They've been all over for film festivals for this film.  How fun for them!

Ides of March:  It was filmed at my alma mater, Miami University.  Can't wait to see shots of the beautiful campus.

The Hobbit:  An Unexpected Journey:  This isn't out yet, but I want to see it when it does hit theatres.

The Hobbit:  There and Back Again:  I'll have to wait even longer for this one.

Twilight:  Breaking Dawn 1:  Emma is over the Twilight thing so we decided to wait to rent this.  Guess we can see it now but we haven't gotten around to it yet.

Twilight:  Breaking Dawn 2:  I'll want to see this eventually, too.  (I know that's not technically "right now" but there just aren't that many movies I want to see right now.)

Lord of the Rings 1, Lord of the Rings 2, Lord of the Rings 3:  I've been wanting to have a marathon LotR viewing but nobody wants to join me.  Guess I'll just have to make a date with myself to watch them.

I'll throw in an extra since some of my movies aren't out yet.

Pride and Prejudice:  It's been a while since I've seen it.  Time to fix that!

There you go!  This was a hard list for me to complete because I don't see many movies and usually don't even know what's showing.  

What's on your list?  Head over to Carole's to share.

Copying currents

Mary's post today was a great one - lots of easy to read bullets that give us a picture of her day.  So I'm totally copying her!

listening - to the rain and my dog licking his bowl (He will lick that bowl for five minutes once the food is gone!)

eating - FAGE yogurt with granola and banana, probably soup for lunch, and broccoli cheese soup or beef tips and noodles for dinner

drinking - already done with one pot of Constant Comment tea.  Will probably switch to water with lemon and crushed ice but will treat myself to more tea this afternoon.

wearing - sweat pants, t-shirt and sweat shirt.  I'll have to get dressed later to go to the grocery store.

reading - Bent Road on my Kindle, rereading The Screwtape Letters for Sunday school, reserved A Small Hotel from the library for February's book club selection.

weather - 43 and raining - our forecast claims we'll have sunshine this afternoon.  I'll believe it when I see it!

knitting - tongue, ears, eyes for the GIR hat (Would really like for this project to be done!), and a Boneyard Shawl for our church's prayer shawl ministry.

wanting - to get some things completed.  College stuff is half done, Christmas decorations are only partially dismantled, etc.

needing - to exercise but probably won't do it  :(

enjoying - the quiet this morning.

looking forward - to watching Downton Abbey (Season 2 Episode 3).

wondering - if I'll be able to get the dog to go outside in this rain.  

What are your "currents" today?

Finished Villemo

Even though "Tinking Villemo" sounds interesting, I think I prefer "Finished Villemo" - don't you?

It's 10.25 inches at the widest point by 80 inches long.  It used 314 yards of Berroco Ultra Alpaca.  It's wide enough and uses enough yardage that it counts as a shawl for the 12 shawls in 2012 group on Ravelry.  I do think this will look pretty thrown around my shoulders, too.  But for now I'll wear it as a scarf.  It's just what I wanted:  a long, narrow shawl that comes down to my waist.

I have to thank Kathy for this FO!  She and I met to knit on Wednesday and before I knew it, the shawl was done.  Reknitting is painless when you're catching up with a friend.  Mary was there with her class and we chatted about Downton Abbey, chocolate cake, the news...  The next time I have some reknitting to do, I'll have to head to my LYS to do it!

Tinking Villemo

"Tinking Villemo" sounds like the name of a movie or something...  I was within 45 rows of completing this shawl when I noticed that something wasn't right.  I was already at the number of stitches I needed for the last point but I still had three points left to knit.

So I compared the width and this end was much narrower than the other end.  So I ripped back to the place where both ends were the same width then tinked back to a row I could recognize.  

It's back on the needles and ready to go but unfortunately I've lost some steam on this project and haven't picked it up since I ripped it out yesterday.  I really want to wear it though so I have to start knitting again!  Note to self:  Do not knit and watch Downton Abbey at the same time.  Apparently it's too easy to get caught up in the show and start knitting two together willy-nilly!

 

Before and after app

The cleaning is going well so far.  I'm glad I gave myself permission to clean ahead because that's been helping a bunch.  To the left is a picture I posted yesterday on my Drawer-a-Day blog.  It's a finished game/first aid/photo album closet!  So far, so good with keeping it clean.  Today's post has dramatic before and after photos of my linen closet.

To see another dramatic transformation, head over to opportunityknits.  Wow!!!  She and her son worked for several hours and cleaned two desks and some shelves.  It looks so great!  Way to go!  And Raelene has been keeping me posted about her cleaning.  She started a daily cleaning routine before I did and is making great progress.  Recently she cleaned out her kids' drawers and her drawers.  That's a big job that I need to do, too!

 

 
To help align the before and after photos, I bought an app called Take Two.  It's helpful, easy to use and I really enjoy using it.  I need more practice with it though - my fingers get shaky!  And I wish there was a way to save the pictures side by side instead of individually.  (Maybe there is and I've just missed it.  I've been using Paint.net to line them up together.)  But using this app is much easier than having to guess where to take the "after" pictures!

 

 

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Favorite Soups

Today's Ten on Tuesday topic is a delicious one - 10 Favorite Soups.

1.  Broccoli Cheddar - I crave Panera's Broccoli Cheddar soup quite a bit.  I've tried several recipes at home.  This last one was really yummy even though I used lower fat ingredients.

2.  Chili - I prefer vegetable or bean chili over the kind with meat in it.  I love having it over pasta and topped with cheese and sour cream.

3.  Vegetable - I make this quite a bit.  I have an official recipe from a friend but I usually just throw in what I have handy.

4.  Chicken noodle - That same friend gave me her chicken noodle soup recipe and it's delicious!

5.  Black bean - I use the recipe from Jane Brody's Good Food Gourmet.

6.  Minestrone - This wasn't one of my favorites until recently.  Unfortunately, I can't put my hands on the recipe I used this fall.  But when I find it again, I will be making more minestrone.

7.  Butternut squash - I don't have a favorite recipe to share.  I used to make one with sauteed shallots that was pretty tasty.

8.  Campbell's Bean with Bacon - When I was little, my mom would make ham and bean soup.  I hated it.  I would put in ketchup to try to mask the taste of the soup but that just made pink, cold soup.  Yuck.  But I liked Campbell's Bean with Bacon.  If I went to the store and had to buy canned soup, this would be it.

9.  French onion - I feel guilty whenever I eat this.  It's salty, it's got a big hunk of bread on it and it smothered with melted cheese.

10.  Cream of mushroom - This time I'm not talking Campbell's!  There is a restaurant near us that serves a delicious cream of mushroom soup and it comes topped with a puff pastry.  I feel guilty eating this one, too. 

What are your favorite soups?  Run on over to Carole's blog to share your answers.  

 

 

Some random things I've learned recently

Nutella is very, very good.  I bought my first jar yesterday and was surprised that Nutella tastes just like Ferrero Rocher candies.  That shouldn't have surprised me since apparently the same company makes both products.

I should also not be surprised that the weight I gained over Thanksgiving and Christmas is not coming off because I keep eating leftover treats.  And buying Nutella...

Have you heard of CouchSurfing?  I hadn't heard of it and I doubt I'd get involved, but what a cool concept.  It sounds like a bed and breakfast but free and you really could be sleeping on someone's couch.  The friend who told me about it had positive things to say about it even though she had a somewhat scary experience with it.  The key is to make sure your host has lots of positive feedback.

Okay, okay... it really is a good idea to read through a knitting pattern before one starts a project.  Mary says she always reads through her patterns before she starts.  I'm usually in a hurry to just start so I take a quick glance then jump right in.  Last night I started Villemo and had 16 rows done (fortunately short ones) when I realized I was supposed to be increasing every once in a while.  I ripped out half the rows then knitted more later in the evening.  It's coming along and it feels very soft because of the Berroco Ultra Alpaca.

And this last item is not something new to me, but it might be new to you.  Are you familiar with the comic strip Zits?  It's my favorite and it's my life.  Really.  The main character is a 16 year old boy and my life's main character is a 17 year old girl but that's about the only difference.  This comic strip is so true and so funny.

Happy weekend, everyone!

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Things You Want to Do in 2012

I feel like 2012 is a gift - all wrapped up like this pretty birthday present and we don't know what's inside.  But we can set some goals for the new year and decide on a few things we'd like to do.

1.  Organize the house - You've already read about this one.  I may not get the house cleaned or complete projects like painting the bathroom, but I will get the clutter purged and under control.

2.  Assist my daughter with graduation and college plans - Ooo, this will be a big part of 2012.

3.  Figure out what I'd like my next career to be - I have more ideas now than I used to, but I'm still not exactly sure what to try next.  

4.  Learn to play the piano - I've wanted to learn to play the piano for as long as I can remember.  Steve and Emma gave me a keyboard for Christmas so I pulled out my adult piano book and got started.  Jingle Bells, When the Saints Go Marching In, different voices - lots of fun!

5.  Get back to Jazzercise - Things got busy in the fall, then Advent and Christmas hit, then I was sick.  If I can just make myself get there a few times in the next week, I can get back into the routine.

6.  Get back to eating healthier - Too many sweets, too tight jeans...

7.  Improve the garden - We need to amend the soil again and I'd like to start more things from seed this year.

8.  Learn more about fitting hand knitted items - I've purchased the Fit Your Knits and Curvy Knits classes from Craftsy.  I want to be more confident about this and I also want to be able to help my students.

9.  Do more charity knitting - I feel so much better when I am knitting for others.  I'd specifically like to knit more hats for the homeless.

10.  12 Shawls in 2012? - This one is still a big "maybe" for me.  I can't decide if this is doable with my schedule or not.

11.  Get together more often with my knitting friends - I'm including #11 since #10 is iffy.  This year I have not hung out with my knitting buddies and I really feel out of touch.  Time to fix that!  And it's time to get back to keeping up with my virtual knitting friends, too!

What do you want to do in 2012?  Stop in at Carole's to share your answers.

Taking the plunge

Well, I decided to buy a Kindle.  I didn't plan on getting one because I like reading books - holding them, turning the pages, going to the library to get them, seeing them on my bookshelves...  But then I got some Christmas money and an email from a friend.  A book she had recommended was selling for 99 cents (The Kindle Daily Deal).  I hadn't been able to find that book at the library or at used book stores.  Suddenly having a Kindle seemed like a good idea if I could get books for 99 cents (and for free, too).  I can't see myself giving up paper books entirely, but I do like having this option.  The Kindle iPhone app is great, too!  Tonight I started to knit a cabled pouch for the Kindle.  It looks like I'll have to start over because it's a bit too big.  Do you have a Kindle and do you enjoy it?

Thanks for joining me on my Drawer-A-Day Challenge (or Drawer-A-Week Challenge for some)! I'd say that misery loves company but there is no misery here because so far I am really enjoying getting things cleaned out and taking before and after photos.

I've started a blog to document my progress.  If you are cleaning along with me and want your blog in the sidebar, let me know.

 

Drawer-a-Day Challenge

Well, it's that time of year...  A time when many of us reflect on the previous year and make resolutions or set goals for the year ahead.  I think the next year will be one of big changes for me.  Our daughter will graduate and go to college.  I'll try to figure out a second career and get a job.  And I've actually started to say "no" to some things so I'll have more time for my family and the things I used to do like sew, decorate, bake...

One thing I really want to do is get a handle on my house.  So I'm challenging myself to clean something each day - a drawer, a shelf, the spot under the bed.  The fun thing is that I'm not going to tell Steve about it and I'll see how long it takes him to notice things shaping up.  I'm making a few rules for myself - no cleaning on Sunday and I can clean ahead if I know I have a busy day coming up.  I'll probably post my progress but not every day because that would get boring to read.  :)  I'd love to have company so let me know if you want to join me in my endeavor!

                         Before                                          After

Since January 1 is a Sunday, I've already cleaned out my first drawer of the year.  Appropriately, I cleaned out the junk drawer!  Can you believe we had six rolls of tape in there?

Happy New Year to you all!