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.

Oh, the introspection

2007 was quite the year, my friends. I got an advanced degree and a new career, making my life in many ways entirely different from what it was at the end of 2006. I doubt there will be anything quite so dramatic in 2008, but I do have a few small goals. Not resolutions, mind you, goals.

- Begin and complete renovation of the Rustic Attic
- Decide on and implement new look for the kitchen
- Purge house of unnecessary clutter (or at least reduce said clutter)
- Get a knitting pattern published
- Be able to run a 5k again (am signed up for one in March), then improve my time (will sign up for at least one over the summer)
- Cook and eat real dinners, even if I'm eating by myself (heavy emphasis on soups and vegetables)
- Have a rockin' vegetable garden
- Figure out what the heck to do with the decorative garden beds around the house
- Bust out the sewing machine and use up some of my languishing fabric
- Decide on and pursue a volunteering opportunity
- Start up an IRA again; look into other investment approaches
- Update blog consistently and hopefully more interestingly

Ok, that's a good starting point, I think. It's all doable and will make for a happier me.

Oh, fer cryin' out loud...

We got more snow yesterday. My car, much as I love her (yay, good gas mileage), does not do well on slick roads. But I was a good little New Englander, and I drove verrrry sloooowly to and from work, and it was fine. Thankfully, my office closed early, which gave me time to shovel in the afternoon, by which time the snow had pretty much stopped. At the end of the day my driveway was clear, the street had been plowed, and we weren't getting any more snow, so things were good.

Except. My town's public works department was uber-ambitious, apparently, and plowed my street *again* (keep in mind, folks, it had been plowed already and there was no new snow). When I walked out to my car in the morning, this is what I saw:



I was not pleased.

Bad Timing

This week I've been antsy to plant things. Cucumbers and peppers and radishes type things (ooh, yeah, radishes. they grow in like five minutes. very good for impatient folks.), which is ridiculous because it's MAINE, and it's DECEMBER. We're in the middle of our second of what will be many, many snowstorms this season, the ground has been frozen solid for weeks, and it's pretty much exactly the opposite of when a normal person should be wanting to garden.

I should be all psyched about making holiday gifts and wreaths and all that stuff. But noooo, I want to pull weeds. I make no sense sometimes.

Accountability

Let's see how I did, eh?

- Bake a pie (with tofu! that's right!) Check! And I even got compliments on it.
- Finish raking the carpet of leaves in my backyard Check!
- Move outdoor furniture into basement hibernation Check!
- Clean out my car, fer crying out loud Err...
- Go to the gym, go to the gym, go to the gym! Check and check!
- Paint the off-white trim in two rooms true white, so the walls painted eons ago look better One room about 75% done, one room 0% done
- Decide on a color for my next targeted room to paint Yeah, not even close...
- Resuscitate the green/orange sweater I'm supposed to be knitting Check!
- Get through the front and back of the black diagonal cardigan Check!
- Go out dancing *at least* once CHECK!
- Find a cute brown coat once and for all Check as of today. :)


Not perfect, but not bad, I'd say!

Ambitiousness

I have a four day weekend starting in about five hours (hurrah!) so it's list-makin' time. I will:

- Bake a pie (with tofu! that's right!)
- Finish raking the carpet of leaves in my backyard
- Move outdoor furniture into basement hibernation
- Clean out my car, fer crying out loud
- Go to the gym, go to the gym, go to the gym!
- Paint the off-white trim in two rooms true white, so the walls painted eons ago look better
- Decide on a color for my next targeted room to paint
- Resuscitate the green/orange sweater I'm supposed to be knitting
- Get through the front and back of the black diagonal cardigan
- Go out dancing *at least* once
- Find a cute brown coat once and for all

A more spatial project...

So this is a little late, but I realized I haven't posted about a rather big crafty project: revamping my living room. I painted the walls, made curtains, and swapped out some furniture (thank you, Andrea, for the donated stuff!)

Living room before:


And living room after:


Oooh!



Ah!



Aww yeah.