Marching On

Wellll I meant to blog every day last month but seem to have gotten off track.  A quick recap:

The baby birds are doing well.  They are both normal grays, but left baby has cute spangles on her (?) feathers and right baby does not.  They aren't pearls, they are just spangles and I have no idea why some of the chicks get them and some do not.  She also has a lot more bright yellow on her face.  They are both becoming sweet and trusting. They weren't perching yesterday, but it will be soon.

babies, 2/28/2015

On the 7th the Yarnover Truck came around and I picked up some scrumptious yarn.  This will be Fox Paws, a wrap that is all the rage.  I love that Brick color so much and built the project around it.  The Aubergine is pretty amazing as well.

Yarn for Fox Paws

Janet came out from LA to see the truck & we had lunch and beer as well.  She brought a box of spinning fiber & yarn from someone who is moving and deleting her stash.  I am keeping a little of the yarn and all the fiber, there is some really good stuff in there.

 I did some plying of finished yarns; here is 409 yards of 3 ply Polwarth.  It is very soft and squishy and matches well with the green from last month.

Handspun- Bradford Pear Leaf

 This is 2 ply Corriedale. I tried to do a "fractal" spin by first splitting the roving in half and then splitting the other half in two.  I haven't decided how I feel about it yet or what project it should go to.  419 yards in this one.

Handspun - Scarab

I also met Ruth for lunch on Valentine's Day (mmm Marie Callendar's), went to the Dickens festival the next weekend and then got my new Diablo 3 seasonal character to 70.  Love my monk!  Also took a basket of yarn from the destash to donate to the No Idle Hands group, happily it all got taken by the end of the day.  I've gotten back into audiobooks and am slacking with the housecleaning, but am trying not to backslide too much.  Just today I did laundry, a ton of dishes and also started lasagna in the slow cooker.

Ah, one last thing: I finally finished my Catkin on Friday. Just need to wash and block.  Also restarted CeCe today.  All these UFOs... taking a month off from HCKC group has allowed me to finish existing things.

Nice Recovery

All night and morning I turned the problem at work over in my mind.  I was all set to confront the person, but then the problem was slightly less bad and it wasn't worth the possible increase in bullying.  Will continue to hold steady but I have some speeches prepared if I have to engage.  One has lepers.

On the way home I went to the library, discovered my special request had arrived (Old Man's War) and also rented a video ("Dancing at Lughnasa").  I have been enjoying being part of a book club even if it is only on the knitting forum.  Friday is library day - if it is there, I should use it.  Made a trip to the grocery store next; I want to make crock pot lasagna this week.  It might be wierd but it should be edible.  Last adventure was to Kohl's to spend a $10 gift card.  I didn't really have a plan but ended up with some cutting boards (bamboo, set of 3) that I can put to good use.  The only one at home is a pull out from the cupboard and is likely original along with that 40's contact paper.  Finally I can have a dedicated soap board!

Galen is helping type the blog today - he is laying across my arms as I try to type.  It's pretty annoying... he must be thoroughly recovered from his dental surgery two weeks ago.  I know he is sure a bottomless pit as far as kibble is concerned.

Baby cockatiels are hale & hearty, covered in yellow fluff and sporting crops full to bursting.  I think they might just make it.

Put in a good row on Catkin today at lunch, the end is near at last.  Unfortunately this is one of the fiddliest parts of the pattern, which is saying something as this is one of the most difficult patterns I've worked in some time... possibly ever.

Burst of Energy

It was relatively quiet at work today so I scampered off early.  I think I may have actually hit every single thing on my to do list.

• lunch
• catboxes
• finish library book
• return library book
• order book club book
• drop off book donation
• laundry
• pick up cat food from vet
• fix the knitting issue with Catkin
• buy drain cleaner and milk
• clear drain
• spin yarn 90 min
• feed cats

... and it's only quarter to 8pm.  I still have to pay the rent but I really think I did a great job. 

Funny story: the kitten likes to leap from the top of the parrot cage to the bed and then bounce sideways to the floor instead of the 4 foot drop straight down.  Today she lept... and banked off my back as I was leaning down.  Kitty went flying, poor dear. 

No one is in the cat bed by the bookshelf tonight, they must have called a musical cat beds truce.  

Mabon Madness

Well, fall is finally here and I'm going to make the best of it at home at least, even if things at work are still really tough.

The afternoon light in the house is much better; I don't feel quite as much like I live in a cave.  Can I keep the sun at this September angle forever?  The mornings are each a little darker than the last; leaving the house at 5:30 am is becoming more of an exercise in navigating in the dark. 

I bought a full size crock pot last week and am really looking forward to making more delicious meals - last week I made beef stew and it was quite a success.  It lasted Sunday and 4 days' worth of meals (snack & lunch) at work.  I think lasagna or meatloaf will be next... although trying roast chicken looks good too.

A new birdy joined the flock yesterday, a male pearl cockatiel.  His tag says he was called Dalmation, but I'm going to give him a new start as Robin.  My Mustardseed & Peaseblossom will be thrilled that Robin Goodfellow / Puck is joining the "Midsummer Night's Dream" cast.  His arrival triggered a bird room cleanout and everyone is much happier, myself included. Today I sat with them and read for a while - Hamlet claimed my shoulder and Robin eventually made his way to my knee for some head scratches.  The ladies (Sydney and Violet) stayed firmly in their cages.  The parakeets thought we'd lost our minds. 

Opal and Wavey

Robin

Robin from the other side

Knitting continues as well.  I am primarily working on my Order of the Phoenix mission for fall term - Pointelle socks. 

Pointelle (right)

In my off moments, I am slowly making progress on a shawl that has been in the works for a couple years - Catkin.

Dogkin

New Month, New Knitalong

Well it is Camp Loopy time again and I started project 3 last night. The pattern is Malt by Tin Can Knits and the yarn is Cascade Ultra Pima Fine. I am short a skein, but have a whole month to come up with a solution. The knitting is very easy which is a huge relief after the intensity of July.

I really need a kick back project right now. Of course I am still trying to knit my Catkin, but I don't have the deadline pressure anymore. I hit a really fussy part of the pattern and can't do anything else while knitting it, no reading, no talking, no listening to the radio.

Today is just a lazy Saturday. I slept in until 8am (usually I get up around 5 - 5:30) and am getting warmed up for the day.

*update* Thanks to the gods of internet searches, I learned how to fix my editing problem!  Now this post should look a bit nicer. I will add a bonus photo just for fun.

Finish Line

Dew Drops - done
 

Color Affection - done

Catkin - 25%