Yarny Progress and other tidbits

Wow! This has been a really good knitting week!

I finished, washed, and blocked the feather and fan shawl: I must say that I adore this thing. It is warm, oversized, and comfortable. It is soft, squishy, and sproingy.

I also FINALLY finished the 1st Giant Man Sock: It feels good to be 50% done. My reward for finishing that sock was starting this:

The second Beatrix sock for me! I'm already halfway done.

Once I get through my unfinished objects (the pile gets smaller every day!), I'll be able to start some new items, like mittens, a sweater, and this cute circular shrug I bookmarked from Ravelry. All that is left unfinished besides the two pairs of socks is the Kiri Shawl and the Irish Hiking Scarf. Wheee!

Tibits:

Breaking Bad is good. Watch it, or miss out on all the awesome.

The Man With the Screaming Brain: completely corny, and sort of a whim that we picked it up on Netflix Watch Instantly. Two thumbs up!

Sock Dreams has utterly fantastic service! I ordered 4 pairs of super cute socks on Friday night, and they showed up in the mail today. I even selected the standard, free shipping. I can't recommend them more, plus, a lot of their selection is made in the USA, so no Chinese sweatshop guilt! Extra great!

A few snippets

Hola!

I'm enjoying a delightfully busy day here at the shop, wishing I were at home snuggling with the dog, finishing my handspun shawl, and playing a little Call of Duty.

A few snippets to fulfill my weekly blogging obligations:

Anyone into electronic music ought to check out Baron Zen At the Mall: Remixes on Stones Throw Records. My cousin, the incredibly talented Selector Dub U has track 13on the remix side, No More. Check it!

And a book snippet: I'm currently reading Kingdom of Fear by Hunter S. Thompson, a gift from the Mr. for Xmas. So far, so great! I love Hunter S., and this book has so far discussed a number of issues close to home for me here in Colorado.

In knitting news, my handspun shawl is ALMOST done. I think about 4 or 5 more rows and then I can bind off and start the daunting task of weaving the bajillion ends in before I block it. I can't wait to wear it, it is going to be so warm and soft and squishy! Yay!

A New Reign of Terror...er....Writing, featuring the Uberlist of 2008

Hello!

As you'll see in my following Uberlist, one of my goals is to blog at least once a week.

I think I'll start with the Uberlist. Will I finally reach the ever elusive Brenda status, or get stuck as a Donna? Only the next 360 some odd days will tell!

1. Quit smoking (this time, I mean it)
2. Go to Yarn School
3. Go to the Hiwan Homestead Museum
4. Sew something using the denim and red printed cotton fabrics I bought last year
5. Knit myself mittens
6. Get curtains/window treatments for all windows, rehang wood trim on living room door and window
7. Make a cookbook
8. Organize the office and closet-take pics of the closet for Seekay
9. Visit 5 historic Colorado places
10. Fly a kite
11. Clean bedroom & closet
12. Write my children's book
13. Make Cookie Picture collar frames, try to sell (patent pending!)
14. Go to the dog park 10 times (this one ought to be easy)
15. Make an effort to keep up my appearance
16. Beat Bioshock
17. Get 2 tattoos (Skully picture & pin-up)
18. Secret!! Surprise to come! (not a big surprise, just a little one)
19. Give Satchel a bath
20. Have film from garage sale camera developed, order some more film for camera
21. Read 12 books
22. Pay bills on time!
23. Finish Mr. Pants' socks & Beatrix socks for me
24. Wash face daily, moisturize as needed
25. Keep fingernails neat and even
26. Go through all boxes and get rid of stuff
27. Ride bike to work 10 times
28. Play Viva Pinata
29. Sew a dress
30. Clean and organize kitchen cabinets
31. Knit a sweater
32. Complete Around the World Scarves on time
33. Pay off old credit card/other debt
34. Go to the zoo
35. Go to the Botanic Gardens
36. Go to the new contemporary art museum
37. Organize living room & buy stools for tall table so we can eat at a table like normal people
38. Get set up to recycle at home (I know. Currently I only recycle cans at home.)
39. Buy a new, giant memory card for digital camera
40. Go to the Estes Park Wool Market
41. Meet up with local Ravelry people
42. Intall new weatherstripping on door to garage
43. Track all spending/income for at least one month & adjust accordingly
44. Replace hideous light fixtures (gold? Good god, people)
45. Replace cream colored outlet/switch plates in living room
46. Finish handspun shawl & Kiri shawl
47. Get a haircut
48. Get mixer repaired (the music kind)
49. Practice on turntables
50. Wash & detail car
51. Make a list of problems on car and fix them
52. Spin some yarn Done! I'll be making more of course
53. Make multi-frame picture collage for living room wall
54. Lose 20 pounds
55. Install electronic thermostat
56. Put $2,000 into savings
57. Install toy display shelf in living room, install shelf under Skully's pictures for her urn
58. Make a basic scrapbook
59. Go through all paperwork and shred unnecessary items, file things to keep
60. Donate time or money to a charity
61. Give myself a pedicure
62. Buy Get Fuzzy books that I don't have
63. Get 2nd computer set up in the office, get a new monitor
64. Put kennel back into storage
65. Finish a big Sunday size crossword without cheating
66. Send a care package to Fury
67. Send secret package to a few secret people
68. Order prints from Brandon Bird and/or Natalie Dee to hang in the office
69. Have BBVD & Avs autographed posters framed
70. Take Satchel to the vet for his checkup
71. Fix furnace
72. Go to the eye doctor
73. Wash & prepare raw fleece
74. Get new bedroom furniture
75. Replace sheets and comforter
76. Update Netflix queue
77. Blog at least once a week
78. Update Bloglines subscriptions-add new as found, repair ones that don't work
79. Update MySpace once a month
80. Take a class for my brain-photography, pottery, or a language
81. Paint bathroom, replace shower curtain, hang new towel rack
82. Paint office
83. Touch up paint where needed
84. Make a cover for Kitchenaid mixer
85. Clean and organize kitchen counters-get items needed to keep it organized
86. Take a few rolls of film with old 35mm camera
87. Make homemade ice cream
88. Perfect chili recipe
89. Go to shooting range
90. Make a schedule for chores
91. Try a new local restaurant
92. Replace or repair flooring in office
93. Knit a critter for my spinning wheel
94. Make homemade pup cookies
95. Make or buy a toybox for Satchel
96. Try to save up for a fancy pants DSLR camera
97. Find great, tall, flat boots
98. Bake cookies
99. Clean the bathroom, scrub all grout and caulking, replace caulking if necessary
100. Plant something in the big pots on the patio
101. Go to the farmer's market 5 times
102. Visit farm in Windsor to buy Buckhorn cheese
103. Visit an alpaca ranch
104. Try a fightin' sport
105. Do workout DVD's 3 times a week
106. Get color coded star stickers to mark calendar for regular items (exercise, cleaning, blogging, dog walks, savings, etc.) I tried this for exercise a few years ago, and liked it.
107. Find a way to organize all CD's
108. Take Satchel on a long walk (one mile or more) at least once a week

Okay, there it is! Let's see how I do, shall we?

In knitting news, I've been working my butt off on my handspun shawl (in between sessions of Call of Duty 4; we've been having a blast playing online). I'd like to be able to wear it while it is still cold. I've got about 10 inches to go before it is the same as my wingspan. Here is the most recent photo, it is probably 3-4 inches larger with a few more colors since: