After a False Start, a Brief Respite
Hey kids, Amy here. I'm taking a blog break of indeterminate length, to deal with a nasty bout of depression. It's been coming on since Thanksgiving of last year, and has reached a crisis point in the last few weeks. I have a good support system in place (LCSW for talking, PhD for meds), and hope to see the clouds lift in a few weeks. Right now, however, I'm down in the trenches fighting to gain ground. I'm going to be OK, but I'm stretched real thin and blogging just ain't a priority when getting up and getting into the shower every day is a major victory. Beam a few positive thoughts my way, and I'll see you soon.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Monday, March 14, 2005
Nathalie requested a "No Poncho" button -- it's on the sidebar for all you fellow Anti-Serape types :-) Please copy it to your own web hosting server -- stealing bandwidth ain't cool. But you knew that.
Happy Monday, everyone.
Happy Monday, everyone.
Friday, March 11, 2005
The Gauntlet Has Been Thrown.
One week ago today, a certain Domestic Goddess was set free from her government-sponsored sabbatical. She was shown exiting the prison wearing this:
Said garment was purportedly made for Martha by a fellow camper; all in all, a nice gesture. And nice of mega-bucks Martha, who could have swathed herself in head-to-toe designer togs for her highly photographed prison exit, to wear such a humble gift. Kudos to her for that.
My quibble? The garment in question is a poncho. A frickin' poncho. It's already been a watershed year for The Return of The Poncho, with yarn companies and pattern designers falling all over themselves to feed the Poncho Jones that's been created.
Don't get me wrong. Ponchos are mucho comfy, hide a multitude of figure flaws, and are eminently makeable for even the most novice knitters or crocheters. My main gripe lies with, again, the pattern and yarn manufacturers who, since Martha's release last Friday, have stuffed my email box with breathless announcements of coming poncho patterns "Just like Martha's!" Lion Brand and Herrschners battled all week to be first. The winner? Herrschners, with a poncho made from Bernat's Galaxy yarn.
Hey, I'm no less guilty than anyone else. I hopped on the Poncho Train when it first left the station about 2 years ago, knitting up this cute number from Lopi #21 (see Design #10 on the page). My sister and mom love it, and mom has sort of commandeered it. I even knit 2 quickie Peruvian Alpaca ponchos for the wives of my husband's triathlon coaches.
A glimmer of hope arrived in my mailbox this week: the latest Patternworks catalog. Yes, a fair number of ponchos were featured, but the ratio is slowwwly tilting back toward more traditional knitwear. And I, for one, am glad. I started mentally totting up all the "must-have" knit items of the last two years. Imagine piling all this stuff on and going out the door: Knit or crocheted poncho, felted clogs or slippers, novelty yarn scarf, felted handbag (with knitted facecloth tucked firmly inside), and for heaven's sakes, don't forget your prayer shawl. Not a pretty sight.
So, in honor of my husband's comment as I finished up the Lopi Poncho ("Nice serape, sweetie."), I am officially declaring AmyKnits! to be a No Poncho Zone. The Official Ambassador of the No Poncho Zone is the Ultimate Bad *ss Poncho Wearer of All Time, Mr. Clint Eastwood as seen in The Good, The Bad & The Ugly. Anyone got any complaints? Take it up with Clint. But only if you feel lucky. Well, do ya?
Happy Friday, everyone.
One week ago today, a certain Domestic Goddess was set free from her government-sponsored sabbatical. She was shown exiting the prison wearing this:
Said garment was purportedly made for Martha by a fellow camper; all in all, a nice gesture. And nice of mega-bucks Martha, who could have swathed herself in head-to-toe designer togs for her highly photographed prison exit, to wear such a humble gift. Kudos to her for that.
My quibble? The garment in question is a poncho. A frickin' poncho. It's already been a watershed year for The Return of The Poncho, with yarn companies and pattern designers falling all over themselves to feed the Poncho Jones that's been created.
Don't get me wrong. Ponchos are mucho comfy, hide a multitude of figure flaws, and are eminently makeable for even the most novice knitters or crocheters. My main gripe lies with, again, the pattern and yarn manufacturers who, since Martha's release last Friday, have stuffed my email box with breathless announcements of coming poncho patterns "Just like Martha's!" Lion Brand and Herrschners battled all week to be first. The winner? Herrschners, with a poncho made from Bernat's Galaxy yarn.
Hey, I'm no less guilty than anyone else. I hopped on the Poncho Train when it first left the station about 2 years ago, knitting up this cute number from Lopi #21 (see Design #10 on the page). My sister and mom love it, and mom has sort of commandeered it. I even knit 2 quickie Peruvian Alpaca ponchos for the wives of my husband's triathlon coaches.
A glimmer of hope arrived in my mailbox this week: the latest Patternworks catalog. Yes, a fair number of ponchos were featured, but the ratio is slowwwly tilting back toward more traditional knitwear. And I, for one, am glad. I started mentally totting up all the "must-have" knit items of the last two years. Imagine piling all this stuff on and going out the door: Knit or crocheted poncho, felted clogs or slippers, novelty yarn scarf, felted handbag (with knitted facecloth tucked firmly inside), and for heaven's sakes, don't forget your prayer shawl. Not a pretty sight.
So, in honor of my husband's comment as I finished up the Lopi Poncho ("Nice serape, sweetie."), I am officially declaring AmyKnits! to be a No Poncho Zone. The Official Ambassador of the No Poncho Zone is the Ultimate Bad *ss Poncho Wearer of All Time, Mr. Clint Eastwood as seen in The Good, The Bad & The Ugly. Anyone got any complaints? Take it up with Clint. But only if you feel lucky. Well, do ya?
Happy Friday, everyone.
Monday, March 07, 2005
52 people at yesterday's Open House. One offer faxed in to our realtor at 10pm last night -- a lowball offer from a newlywed couple hoping for a steal. We're countering with a higher number. We'll see what happens (most likely nothing).
DH is a training maniac these days -- he biked 34 miles on Saturday and ran about 8 miles on Sunday, all to get ready for this in 2 weeks -- The Ralph's California Half-Ironman. I am in complete awe of his discipline and determination. The percentage of people on this planet who even compete in triathlons is incredibly small (about 1%). Of that 1%, how many are 52yo men? An even tinier percentage. Amazing.
So you think that'd inspire me to run, bike or swim, myself? Ha. I'm going through a fitness & diet slump of epic proportions, dating back to around Thanksgiving. I know what I need to do, but have yet to do it. Very discouraging.
While cultivating my middle-aged spread even further, I did manage to get a bunch of knitting done:
I'm a bit worried -- it's looking very wide and short for a sweater. Of course, being a Commando Knitter (to hell with gauge or trying the darn thing on), I've bullied ahead and knit the body and about 1/2 of the first sleeve before I discovered the possible (mis)fit problem. Sigh.
Happy Monday, everyone.
DH is a training maniac these days -- he biked 34 miles on Saturday and ran about 8 miles on Sunday, all to get ready for this in 2 weeks -- The Ralph's California Half-Ironman. I am in complete awe of his discipline and determination. The percentage of people on this planet who even compete in triathlons is incredibly small (about 1%). Of that 1%, how many are 52yo men? An even tinier percentage. Amazing.
So you think that'd inspire me to run, bike or swim, myself? Ha. I'm going through a fitness & diet slump of epic proportions, dating back to around Thanksgiving. I know what I need to do, but have yet to do it. Very discouraging.
While cultivating my middle-aged spread even further, I did manage to get a bunch of knitting done:
I'm a bit worried -- it's looking very wide and short for a sweater. Of course, being a Commando Knitter (to hell with gauge or trying the darn thing on), I've bullied ahead and knit the body and about 1/2 of the first sleeve before I discovered the possible (mis)fit problem. Sigh.
Happy Monday, everyone.
Friday, March 04, 2005
An Embarrassment of Riches
I'm swimming in Winning Bottlecaps from the recent Pepsi/iTunes promotion:
Six, count 'em, six winning iTunes caps and two "buy 1 liter, get 1 free" caps. Don't you wish you were me? I know I do.
No "new house" pictures, but some knittin's goin' on here at Amy Knits! Amazing, but true:
That blurry pile of oat-colored knitting will eventually grow up to be this:
From my seemingly never-ending supply of Lion Brand Wool-Ease in the Wheat Sprinkle colorway.
On the Old House Front: another Open House this Sunday. Wish us luck.
Happy Friday, everyone.
I'm swimming in Winning Bottlecaps from the recent Pepsi/iTunes promotion:
Six, count 'em, six winning iTunes caps and two "buy 1 liter, get 1 free" caps. Don't you wish you were me? I know I do.
No "new house" pictures, but some knittin's goin' on here at Amy Knits! Amazing, but true:
That blurry pile of oat-colored knitting will eventually grow up to be this:
From my seemingly never-ending supply of Lion Brand Wool-Ease in the Wheat Sprinkle colorway.
On the Old House Front: another Open House this Sunday. Wish us luck.
Happy Friday, everyone.