Rockin' ... Sheetrockin'

Attic Renovation 2008 continues! The sheetrocking has begun, so things are starting to take shape. The back of the sheetrock with the studs in front of it is what will be the side wall of the closet, and the ceiling is, well, the ceiling. With recessed lighting: yay.





I'm still not pleased about my house being discombobulated, but it'll be worth it soon. And I'd have pictures for you of those vintage closet doors, but I ran out of chemical paint stripper, so it'll have to wait.

All in all not the most exciting blog post ever, but that's ok. It's been sort of a mediocre day, so this fits in nicely.

Three square feet

That's about the extent of unoccupied floor space in my house right now. With Attic Renovation 2008 in full swing, I have dresser drawers stacked in my kitchen, all the clothes I store on hangers are camped out on various pieces of furniture, and I have blankets laid out to protect parts of the floor from added traffic, falling lumber, etc. But I do have three square feet of space with which to take a picture of the new, finished (!) sleeveless turtleneck.


The pattern called for knitting in the round, but I didn't have circular needles in the right size to get gauge, so I knit the front and back separately on size 2 straight needles. I also added some darts in the front, in the stockinette panel. I need to block it and try to add a little length through the armholes, but otherwise I'm pleased with it.

On the agenda for today: refinishing the vintage doors I'll be using for my new closet in the attic. And coming up next week is a trip to the garden store to buy seeds and get a jump on the abbreviated Maine growing season. This year I *will* get it together and have seedlings ready to go when we're past frost danger.

Lots of pink and a big saw

Attic Renovation 2008 is really in gear now. In the morning, there were 6 or 7 giant bales of insulation ready to go. That's a heck of a lot of pink, there. And a solid reminder that hiring out this part of the project was a very, very, very smart thing to do.


By the time I got home from work, it was dark outside (and the electrical work needs to be inspected, so no lights yet), so the project pictures I took aren't the best. Even so, here's a shot of the workspace and the big saw. Sharp.

Soon-Soon-Soon!

One of the items from my "goals for 2008" post was renovating the Rustic Attic in the TeenyTiny house. And it's going to happen realllllly soon. (It's not that I'm so impressively on the ball as to have figured out the project in two weeks, by the way. The planning process started in 2007.)

The major elements (read: the stuff I'm hiring out) should be done before the end of January. While that's going on, I'm going to try my best to pick up the pace of my decision making process when it comes to paint colors, so I can get the walls painted (and thus get the whole thing finished) as soon as possible. And this hideousness will be gone, gone, gone:

I miss the treadmill!

No really, I do!

I've signed up for a 5k in March because I'd gotten out of the running habit and needed a motivating force to help me get back into it. I've done a few 5ks before, so I know it'll be doable (even if my time is shamefully slow).

Treadmilling this weekend was cancelled due to a minor foot injury (I *could* run, but I'd be compensating to avoid discomfort, and I know it would throw off my gait, which I know isn't smart). Any big plans to go to the gym tomorrow morning are sure to be replaced by big plans to get up early and shovel my driveway. Post-work gym trips are out of the question until the resolution-inspired chaos dies down. And while I'm sure I'll end up treadmilling Wednesday or Thursday, technology is mocking me and not letting me put any songs on my mp3 player. I have a new running list full of high energy, run-like-the-wind (in my head) type songs, but having them stuck in my laptop isn't all that helpful.

Hmm. That was negative and whiny. To reward you all for sitting through that, here are some pictures. Boring pictures of knitting, but better than nothing, no?

Soon to be the sleeveless turtleneck from the Fitted Knits book by Stefanie Japel. The yarn is supposedly a cotton blend, but it feels like pure cotton, so I'm a little concerned that it might not hold its shape. Will see...



Progress on Bella Paquita: the torso and lace for the neckline, respectively.

I would just like to state for the record...

... that I type two spaces before the beginning of a new sentence. Sentence. Period. Space. Space. New sentence. I'm old school like that. I also think it's adds visual clarity when reading; obviously, it isn't something one ordinarily thinks much about, but it makes a certain amount of sense for there to be a greater amount of blank page (or screen) between sentences than between, say, an abbreviation and the rest of the same sentence.

Unfortunately, blogspot apparently has some sort of default formatting scheme wherein we all must conform to the new "modern"* practice of using one space between sentences. Those fascists. Please know in your heart of hearts, however, that I'm typing those second spaces, futilely but in earnest.


*insert Air Quotes of Condescension.

Why not...

I'm not a big "tell us about yourself" list type person, but as I've said, 2007 was a big year, so I figure a little examination of it is appropriate.

Where did you begin 2007?
Dressy house party. So much fun.

What was your status by Valentine's Day?
As single as a… wait, what’s the punch line here? Um, very single, which was just fine with me.

Were you in school (anytime this year)?
Yes. Also bar review, which is so much worse.

Did you have to go to the hospital?
Not for me, but to visit a few people.

Did you have any encounters with the police?
Nope.

Where did you go on vacation?
The bestest long weekend in Nantucket.

What did you purchase that was over $500?
Err… my student loans kicked in. Does that count?

Did you know anybody who got married?
Yup.

Did you move anywhere?
Nope.

What sporting events did you attend?
Heh. An unfortunate minor league baseball game.

What concerts/shows did you go to?
Outdoor Rustic Overtones show. Lots of cover bands. Some band with a singer wearing a gas mask at Geno’s. And Cake: so fantastic.

Where do you live now?
TeenyTiny House

Describe your birthday:
Sushi at what’s becoming my annual birthday gathering destination.

What has been your favorite moment(s)?
Oh! Dancing all energetic-like and singing at the top of my lungs with a bunch of friends, to a song I needed to reclaim from the Land of Bad Memories.

What's something you learned about yourself?
I'm the nicest fucking person you’ll ever fucking know. (Or so I was told.)

Any new additions to your family?
Nope.

What was your best month?
Hmm. Maybe August? September?

What music will you remember 2007 by?
Naive by The Kooks
No Sleep Tonight by The Faders
Yellow Ledbetter by Pearl Jam

Made new friends?
Affirmative!

Any regrets?
Heh. Yeah, a few, but nothing major.

What do you want to change in 2008?
Oh, that's a big question...

Overall, how would you rate this year?
Ran the gamut from horrible to wonderful.

What would you change about 2007?
I think I like where I ended up, so nothing.

What did you like most about 2007?
Getting the bar exam over with.

Other than home, where did you spend most of your time?
School. Library. Work.

Have any life changes in 2007?
New career. See above.

Change your hairstyle?
Not really, but I stopped my years-long pattern of grow it out, cut it, grow it out, cut it, and actually landed on a haircut that I’ve been getting trimmed.

Buy a new car?
Nope.

Get a new job?
Yes.

How old did you turn this year?
28.

Do you have a New Year's resolution?
Not really. Just goals. See a couple posts prior.

Do anything embarrassing?
Of course. Doesn't everyone at least once a year?

Buy anything new from eBay?
Nope.

Get married or divorced?
So very much no.

Get arrested?
Again, very much no.

Be honest - did you watch American Idol?
Once again, very much no.

Did you get sick this year?
I coughed my way through December, but that's about it.

Start a new hobby?
Not really. Got more into knitting, though.

Been snowboarding?
Ha! No way.

Are you happy to see 2007 go?
I’m excited for 2008.

Drank Starbucks in 2007?
Hmm, I don't think so. I prefer to support local businesses.

Been naughty or nice?
Both, of course!

What are you wishing for in 2008?
I like Sonya's answer: "To be happy and healthy and excited and exciting." That sums it up pretty well.

Free Form Sweater

My improvised diagonal cardigan is done! I didn't use a pattern, just cast on, decreased and increased for waist shaping where I thought the waist would be, did the same for the arm holes and neckline, and crossed my fingers. The neckline ended up too wide and the sweater itself a bit too narrow, so I did an inch-wide band of seed stitch (boring as all get-out to knit, but it doesn't roll at the edges) along the neckline and both front edges. I need to wash and block it, then it'll be wearable. Yay.



Next up: Marnie MacLean's Bella Paquita pattern.