Progress (Day 210 KEDfaY)

I think I'm going to make Friday, Saturday and maybe Sundays just picture days. It's the weekend when people are doing other things, I'm doing other things, and I figure that a picture would just be better.

Pen names (Day 209 KEDfaY)

When growing up and dreaming of being a writer, I always thought that I'd use a pen name. That I'd come up with something creative and use it instead of my real name. I'm not too fond of my name because of the constant misspellings and mispronunciations have left a bitter taste in my mouth. It wasn't until my freshman year of college that I actually had my name pronounced correctly. And it's not even that difficult. Leigh Montano. Simple enough, right? NOPE.

Lea. Lay. Laya. And once, apocryphally, Lee-i-gah. I was too young to remember this so I can't confirm but I can believe the stupidity of people.

Montana. Montonyo. Montonya. Nope. Not at all. Thanks for trying though.

Imagine this at every introduction, class roll, doctor's appointment of my entire life. I actually had the same professor for two semesters in a row who never, not a single day of class, pronounced my name correctly. He was also one of my favorite professors so you can imagine the blow to the self esteem when that happens to you.

You can see why I would want a pen name.

But now that I've actually had a handful of essays published and I'm hoping to get more (much more) writing work in the future, I think the time has past.

And I'm okay with it.

Sure I've had a frustrating time with my name my entire life but I'm at a point where I am happy with it and how unique it is.

I still hate introducing myself though. The new trend is for people to hear "Emily" when I say, "Hi, I'm Leigh."

In other news, I got my ribbing done for my vest and excitingly, got it done in fewer days than it took me last time so WHOO! Now onto the hard part of color work and paying attention and counting a lot. 

Ad nauseum (Day 208 KEDfaY)

I didn't want to, but I did. I ripped out what little I had knit on my vest and started over with a new cast on number. I also redesigned what little I had designed. And this took time but I think I'm going to be much happier with the finished product, if I ever get there. 

I'm at that point that I really hate with starting any bottom up sweater/vest/shirt thing: The endless ribbing. I know it isn't endless but it feels like it. It feels like no matter how much I actually knit on this damn thing, it isn't getting any further along. At this point I kinda need it to go a bit quicker since I'm now behind schedule by a A LOT. I guess I'll just have to plan my time better and you know, get out of bed before 11 am...

Life is funny sometimes (Day 207 KEDfaY)

Yesterday was a day spent thinking about life, death and everything in between. Contemplative was the word of the day yesterday. I found out a friend had died and I had a job interview that didn't go as well as I had hoped.

Today, I got a job. There will be of course, more details once they come about but I get to write and I am so damn excited about it.

It's just weird to have two very different days right next to each other.

I spent a lot of time spinning today. I'm working on some fiber that my aunt gave me to spin for her. I have plans for it and I'm excited but this first batt of roving is taking FOREVER. Seriously, I feel like I've been spinning it for months now and it's probably been a week, maybe a week and a half. It's coming out nicely though, I think. I'm excited about my plans for it. 

I also pulled out my nerdy vest after not working on it for over two weeks and I JUST realized that I could've fixed a problem simply by adding two more stitches. So now I get to rip back what little I've had done even though it's taken me FOREVER to get that little bit. But in the long run, I'll be happier with how it looks. I just have to remind myself that sometimes these things happen. 

Losing (Day 206 KEDfaY)

A friend of mine died today.

That isn't entirely true. He died in October but I only found out today. From Facebook.

You could say that we weren't entirely close since I didn't find out sooner. You'd be right. I would still call him my friend though.

He was one of the awesome people in my creative non-fiction classes. There weren't a lot of us but we became really close. We shared stories of dying pets and what the manners were about returning a plate that once had cookies on it. I remember him talking about a girl he had a crush on when he was a kid and the funny drawings he did to accompany them.

That whole class got really close. I am still friends with a few people in that class and would run to them if I ever needed advice about an essay I'm writing. They're some of the most creative, funny, sincere people I've ever met.

Thomas included.

It hard to lose a friend, someone you think you're close to. It's even harder when you realize you weren't that close at all.

----

Finally finished that washcloth.

Lazy bum (Day 205 KEDfaY)

Another action shot of my latest skein I've spun

Felt a bit sick today so spent most of the day on the couch being a lazy bum. Knit more on that saaame washcloth. Maybe one day it'll get finished. Meh.

All dyed up (Day 204 KEDfaY)

Knitting: Saaaammmmmeee washcloth.

Orange you glad (Day 203 KEDfaY)

Knitting done today: Same old washcloth

Winter Sminter (Day 202 KEDfaY)

This is my first winter in Florida. I use the term “winter” here very loosely. It’s something that the locals refer to as “cold” but I just look at them as if they’re crazy. As a native Hoosier, winter for me involves single digit temperatures with wind chills that are described by the local weathermen as “arctic.” Floridians don't realize that their winter is actually just jacket weather to the rest of the country.

Now, I'm what most people think of as weird: I really enjoy winter. A lot. I love cold weather and snow and dangerously cold temperatures. I like to tell the anecdote that I love winter so much that I walked 45 minutes to campus in 6” of snow with -30* F wind chill and loved it. My legs were a little cold but it was a type of chill that is exhilarating, the type of chill that all of those mint gum commercials say they provide but don’t because it’s gum not a force of nature.

When my boyfriend got his job in Florida and asked me to move with him, I agreed quickly, without thinking about everything that I’d leave behind. I knew that my family and friends would of course still be in Indiana and I’d miss the various locales that I loved to frequent that had no substitute but I honestly didn’t think about the seasons. It wasn’t until mid October when the high was still in the low 80s every day that I realized just how awful “winter” was going to be.

The first thing I really noticed was the lack of color. Sure, everything was still green, the grass, the palm trees, the pine trees, but there wasn’t the color. One of my favorite places is State St in Pendleton, IN. It’s a road that I always try to take when I’m visiting my mom. It’s where most of the historical district is with houses that are stately in their determination to remain as pristine as the day they were finished over 100 years ago. The brick road adds the idea that you really are transported to a different time. And the trees, oh the trees. The trees are the best indication of what season it actually is. They tell you when fall is finally here because they turn the most gorgeous shades of brown and red and gold that you will ever see in a collection. 

So when mid October hit northern Florida and I was still contemplating going to the pool and had the air conditioning on, the lack of color just reiterated the fact that winter was going to be different. Much different.

I think it should be outlawed to have the icicle lights that don houses from November 1^st through the end of the year, in places that don’t get actual icicles. It looks unnatural to have “icicles” next to your palm trees that are next to the pool.

So when Indiana got their first of several snow storms, I cried. I hate to admit it, but I did. I cried a little bit when one of the Indianapolis news stations that I still follow on Twitter posted a picture of the Indianapolis skyline with snow falling down. I didn’t cry a lot, just a few tears before I realized how ridiculous I was being.

That’s generally why I stop crying most of the time; I realize how ridiculous I’m being. “Oh this puppy food commercial is so adorable and that puppy is so cute! Leigh, why are you crying? You realize this is a commercial about a happy and well-fed puppy right? Good. Now stop crying. You’re being ridiculous.” You would be surprised at how often I have this conversation with myself.

So while my family was literally snowed in or trying to shovel the car out of the driveway, I was in Florida sitting with the air conditioning still on and wearing a tank top to go get the mail. I’ve been told that this winter here is colder than normal, but I don’t believe it. Yeah, there have been a couple of nights that are reminiscent of Indiana but the distinct lack of snow or biting wind remind me that I’m still in Florida’s tropical climate.

I've offered to trade locations with numerous friends and family, have them come stay here in Florida while I go back to Indiana to play in the snow but so far, no one has taken me up on it.

----

Knitting today: Same washcloth I've slowly been working on. 

Crochet (Day 201 KEDfaY)

I know this is a knitting blog. I set it up specifically to talk about knitting and to show my progress and show the world what I'm working on. I started my "Knit Every Day for a Year" challenge to try to challenge myself to knit every day for a year so that I can hopefully be more productive and have more to show.

But here I am. Crocheting.

A lot.

Something about the cold weather that has finally found Florida is making me want to crochet all of the blankets. In the past week, I have worked on four different crochet blankets. Four. You know what I've knit on this past week? I finished a blanket and I've done a handful of rows on a washcloth. And I haven't even wanted to do those, I've just been doing them to fulfill my own self-imposed challenge.

I don't understand it and I don't know why but right now, lately, the past week, I've just wanted to crochet. What's gotten into me?

Question question! (Day 200 KEDfaY)

Lately, I've opened up Blogger, early in my day, and planned to write a post. A real post. A post with some content and not just about my knitting plans and me being boring about my life, which in return is quite boring. But the problem is that I've gotten distracted, mostly because I don't know what to write about.

What should I write about?

I could write about my life, I guess, in the way that most blogs do. I could write about memories and discuss various aspects of my life but whenever I think about that I get a bit depressed. I mean, I had a pretty crappy childhood, something that most 20-somethings say before their 30s epiphany that they really didn't, but I actually did. I've thought for years that I didn't and that I had a normal life but the more people I've told about it, the more people look at me in amazement that I'm not more fucked up. I'm quite proud of the fact that I haven't yet been committed to any sort of mental facility, even though I've thought of it and there was a 3 month time period where it probably would've benefitted me.

So while I could talk about my life growing up, I just don't think that anyone wants to be bummed out that often, especially not me.

I could write about my opinions but every time I seem to do that, I end up pissing people off and while I don't mind pissing people off, I just hate people yelling at me for something as stupid as my own goddamn opinion.

I could write reviews, I guess. But of what? I don't try new things that often because of various food things and budget restraints. I don't really watch new movies and the TV shows I watch but do people care that much?

What do you think, dear readers? What would you want to read about, aside from my various knitting plans? Do you want to hear about my tumultuous childhood or my personal opinions about random things or something else? Help me, dear readers. You're my only hope. Okay you're not but you get the idea. Reader input is important so let me know what you think and what you want to read about!

Ow (Day 199 KEDfaY)

So the hat that I knit yesterday, I was going to reknit so that it actually fits a human being and that human being my Boyfriend. And then I forgot. He leaves bright and early tomorrow.

So I marathon knit it. And knit some more.

And it still doesn't fit.

I have time to fix it still but at this point my hands hurt so bad, I can't knit any more.

Ow.

Rut rut rut (Day 198 KEDfaY)

Still rutting around. Rut rut rut.

My posts have been short lately mostly because I want to get something done and up quickly before I go to bed since the posts recently have been put up about 5 minutes before I hop under the sheets and off to Sleepy Time Fun Land.

Friday I finished a blanket that I've been working on for quite some time! I've been knitting on it for over a year. It's actually one of the first things I blogged about! That's how old that blanket is! And surprisingly, it's not the oldest scrap blanket I have in my WIP pile. I have some that are older than my relationship with the Boyfriend.

Yesterday was a lazy day filled with dicking around, doing nothing and lounging on the couch watching TV with the Boyfriend. He's been gone for business for the past two weeks so it was nice just to do normal couple-y things like watch Mythbusters and cleaning off the DVR. I picked up the washcloth yesterday long enough to do two rows and move it off of the couch so lounging could reach maximum capacity.

Today though. Today was a deadline day for HPKCHC. One of the quidditch events required us to knit or crochet something really fast so I busted out that hat and even though it's too big and I needed to make that lovely/tacky flower for it, I still got it done. The hat will go to the Boyfriend when he goes out of town on business again in the future since winter in other parts of the country are actually cold. I have to reknit it but it's something he actually requested so I figured I should oblige. So I actually have something I need to get done on a somewhat deadline which is kinda nice. I have other projects I should probably work on as well, but scrap blankets are just much more entertaining. (Don't ask me how many scrap projects I have started or how many bags of scraps for future projects I have. Let's just say "A LOT.")

Lazy Saturday (Day 197 KEDfaY)

Done! (Day 196 KEDfaY)

Zombie (Day 195 KEDfaY)

The past two nights, I've woken up at about 6AM because of a zombie themed anxiety dream. I'm terrified of zombies. Waking up before I've gotten enough sleep generally causes me to be a bit anxiety-y anyway. Waking up before I've gotten enough sleep because of zombie dreams makes me wake up crying. I do not recommend this. Crying is the worst alarm.

I still feel like I'm in my rut and I still don't know what to do about it.

I'm up for suggestions, dear readers, if you have any helpful advice. So far, I've got nothing.

Knitting for today: A row on a random washcloth. Accomplished more spinning than knitting.

Rut (Day 194 KEDfaY)

I feel like I'm in a rut.

I really enjoy routine. I have routines on top of routines and thrive when I have every minute of my day planned.

But a routine isn't a rut. A rut is worse than a routine.

A routine has purpose, structure, meaning. A rut is something that you have fallen into and repeated so often that you can't get out of it.

So how do I get out of it.

I don't know. I don't know yet but I'm hoping some things will change in the near future to get me out of said rut.

I'm at a place where I feel stunted and like I'm missing part of me, like my creative part decided to get up one night and take a walk and got lost on its way back to me. Maybe it'll find its way home soon.

Maybe.

----

Continued working on the grey monotone blanket today. I can't decide if I'm done with it yet. I feel like I might be since it's garter stitch and will stretch a lot after it's washed. I don't know. I feel like I can't decide anything right now. You know?

Chores (Day 193 KEDfaY)

Today I did chores.

I woke up in a terrible mood.

Well first, I woke up at 6 am and was hoping to get another few hours of sleep. Four hours later I finally decide to give up and just get out of bed. Between the one cat drooling on my arm, which was adorable albeit gross, and someone calling me, and then the other cat deciding it was time to get up, I never really got back to sleep.

So I worked out. Ate lunch. Showered. Did chores. I did a lot of chores. I swept every room, I mopped all the non-carpeted floors, I cleaned litter boxes for hours (really only like 10 minutes but it felt like hours), I cleaned off the one counter that I don't think has been cleaned since we moved in, I semi-repotted a plant. I was busy.

And then I spun some fiber.

And then I ate dinner.

And then I watched the cats to make sure they weren't going to murder one another.

And then, after all of that, I finally knitted some. Only a row of a washcloth but I knit.

Sometimes terrible moods lend to more productive things like cleaning instead of knitting. Knitting while frustrated usually just leaves me frustrated. Cleaning on the other hand tends to make me feel better.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll get some progress done on something.

Introspective (Day 192 KEDfaY)

Today was a nothing day. A day that is the equivalent of a slightly cloudy afternoon. Nothing exciting happened. The cats didn't get in a fight. The laundry came out of the dryer just fine. My dinner was as expected. Knitting went without a hitch.

It was a day when nothing spectacular happened.

I don't know if I should be grateful of it or start preparing for whatever might happen next.

Job search (Day 191 KEDfaY)

The problem with big projects that aren't necessarily big but just complex is that your progress is small. I've worked a lot on my newest fair isle vest project and yet it's still about 4" long. I could show you a progress picture but it wouldn't be that exciting. It looks a lot like what I had last time I showed the vest.

I also wish I had more excitement to talk about.

I heard back from a job. I won't say much about the job itself although I do really hope I get it because I think it could be a lot of fun and really rewarding.

I think my day was made though when I opened my email and saw that I had gotten the response about a job. If I had a dollar for every job I have applied to, I wouldn't have to worry about getting a job. If I had a dollar for every job I have heard back from, I'd have a dollar. My mom and I were talking one day, both of us in the midst of heavy job searches, and she said that it would be nice just to hear back to remind yourself that you are a person and that you do exist. And it's true. Even just a "Sorry, you're not the right candidate" would be better than just being ignored. Being ignored continually really affects your self esteem.

That was a real downer. Sorry.

In other news, the cats are still not getting along. They are sitting closer together now and the growling is at a minimum. Maybe, one day, they will be friends like some Disney movie or some shit. *dreams*

Knitting on my cat! (Day 190 KEDfaY)

YUP!

I'll write a better post tomorrow, I promise. Well, Slightly Inebriated Leigh promises.

Step by step (Day 189 KEDfaY)

What am I thinking? (Day 188 KEDfaY)

So I started a new scrap blanket today. And it's not even knitting. It's all crochet. I know. What am I thinking?

I was thinking that there were a couple of really pretty blankets that people are doing and I wanted to join the fun. A square every day. That's the plan. One square, every day for a year will give me a queen/king sized blanket which will be perfect for the Boyfriend and I.

As for knitting today, I just knit for the first time today about five minutes ago. I casted on and knit the first row of my second commission stocking. I probably would've knit more but I have a lot of graphing and sketching I need to do first and I just haven't felt like it. I definitely need to get a move on it though because I promised it for the end of January but the customer said she didn't care when it got done. I need to stick to my own deadlines though.

I didn't run today. I should've but I just didn't feel like it so I went to the gym and lifted some weights. My goal is to not get gross granny arm flab even though I'm starting to. I'm too young to have grandma arms so I did lots of dumbbell exercises in my attempt to stop that process. I almost didn't work out at all but I made myself because I need to not be a lazy bum, dammit. At least that's what I keep telling myself.

But for now, I'm going to be a lazy bum. At least until tomorrow morning when I go and run again.

Progress! (Day 187 KEDfaY)

Today I started the colorwork part of my vest. The tricky part. The part that I messed up at least 6 times on the first row alone. The part that is going to take me forever if the three rows over three hours I did tells me anything. I'm glad I started it now.

I also plied the yarn I was spinning. The picture above doesn't do it justice but I figured my dear readers deserved a picture of some sort and the cat one cat is only glaring at me right now and the other won't hold still long enough to take a picture. 

Today I also tried to find my favorite fingerless mitts. They're lightweight enough and loose enough that I can still use my hands but warm enough to be useful. I'm being stubborn and refusing to turn the heat on even if it is pretty cold outside because I live in Florida, dammit and we don't need no stinkin' heat, especially since our apartment hasn't gotten below 63* yet. But it is still chilly enough that while I'm sitting at the computer or typing or knitting, my hands tend to get chilly. None of the other mitts I've made fit like these. They fit like a glove, if you will. But I can't find them. I can't find them anywhere. I've looked in drawers, I've looked in bags, I've looked in boxes, closets and pockets and I can't find them anywhere. I know I'll find them eventually but probably not until July, because that's how these things work. I just wish I knew where they were. 

Poor Planning (Day 186 KEDfaY)

I don't have a picture for today, not because I didn't knit, because I definitely did. No, because my phone is dead and that's how I get pictures to this cosy little blog.

Knitting accomplishments today:
Finished the ribbing on my vest! WHOO!
Figured out the lace pattern for that blanket I was working on! Also WHOO!

I also finished spinning the singles for that little bump of fiber I was spinning. I hope to ply it tomorrow although it might wait until Thursday.

Tonight my only goal is to actually get some sleep.

The past few nights, one or both of the cats has woken me up in the middle of the night. Interrupted sleep isn't good, especially not for numerous nights in a row. I also hope that one day, these two cats will get along. Hey, a girl can dream, right?

Monotony (Day 185 KEDfaY)

I knit a lot today. A whole lot. I worked out and showered and did chores and all that stuff today too but on top of all of that, I also knit.

And guess what?

You can't really tell.

I always feel like ribbing, especially for bottom up sweaters, goes slower than anything else in the world. Put it on size 3 needles in fingering weight yarn and at 274 stitches and it's going to take FOREVER just for a row.

So while I knit today, I didn't really get anything done. Sure, I got quite a few rows done but my overall progress is still minimal.

I also spun a bit today. I have some mystery fiber from a destash that I've been working on. I'm guessing that it's about an ounce of fiber so it's not a whole lot but it will probably be enough for a square that I'm totally not planning on knitting right now. (What? It's actually cold outside. This is what I do. I get cold, I get the urge to knit all the blankets. All of them. ALL OF THEM.)

So that's where I'm at. While I've done a lot, you can't really tell, hence no picture because it would probably look a lot like the one yesterday.

And the cats still hate each other.

Biggun (Day 184 KEDfaY)

I've casted on my next big project. It's a biggun too. Fingering weight and fair isle. That's all I need to say to really explain how big this thing is going to be. SHOULD BE FUN!

Revisions (Day 183 KEDfaY)

This is a blanket that I've been working on for a while. Probably about a year.

"But Leigh, why is it so small if you've been working on it for so long?" you might ask.

Well that's because I restarted it today. It also wasn't very big anyway because it is one of my numerous scrap blankets. It's actually the last blanket on my Ladder of Scraps, a term I just came up with.

So I love scraps. A lot. Probably as much as I love knitting. Each length of scrap has a different project it's attached to. This one is where all of my very shortest scraps go. Nothing longer than two or three yards and some as short as a few inches. And it's going to be awesome.

I'm making up my own pattern as I go. So far I'm enjoying but that could change as I go along. I could change my mind and change the project yet again but so far it's enjoyable!

WOAAAAH WE'RE HALFWAY THEEEERRRE! (Day 182 KEDfaY)

WOOO! I've made it halfway! And this just so happens to be my 200th total post for the blog! EVERYTHING IS SO EXCITING TODAY!

Right now, I'd just like to thank everyone who reads or stops by or casually glances at my blog. I don't really do this for you but it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy to see my page view numbers slowly go up. I'm fine with talking to myself but it's nice to have someone to talk at as well.

Today for knitting, I knit a bunny nugget. It was SUPER quick and fast and easy and the new kitty, William, loves it. That might have something to do with the catnip in it but he loves it nonetheless. I want to make another one for Pebble cat because I know what it's like to have a sibling get something and you not get anything and I know she's a cat but I figure that she'll enjoy batting it around as well.

Adventures in Cats (Day 181 KEDfaY)

When we were given William, everyone involved expected him to be the one to go along with the new living arrangements. That he would jump right in and make himself at home and even try to get along with the co-kitty-habitant. 

Not so much.

Today he slipped out of the bedroom while the Boyfriend was going in or out or something and walked right up to Pebble and started a fight. Now, Pebble can hold her own. She's one tough cookie and I will attest to her skills. I have been on the receiving end of her claws one too many times. And yet, she wasn't the one to start the fight. William, tame, sweet William, picked the fight. Luckily, Boyfriend was quick with the broom and broke them up quicker than I could run into the next room to see what had happened. 

Just goes to show that not everyone acts the same way all of the time. 

New Years Day (Day 180 KEDfaY)

I recently went through a journal I was keeping last year. I was going through a bout of depression and was trying to write through it and turns out that writing everyday about how much your life sucks doesn't really help you get out of the depression fog. Oh well, you live and learn.

But, aside from a bunch of pages with bad doodles and ramblings about how much I was depressed all the time, I found my new years resolutions for 2013.

• Drink a glass of water every morning
• Exercise more even if it's just a few pushups while something is cooking
• Read more. Try to average a book a week
• Knit more, especially for charity
• Be on the computer less
• Write more

Underneath that list, three months later was the next, very short entry.

030613

"Welp failed at that..."

I didn't really though. I do drink a glass of water every morning, one of the few habits that I've actually stuck with and have kept doing all year. And for those loyal readers of my blog, I think we can all agree that I have knit more and while I haven't necessarily knit more for charity, I have knit a lot more for other people which is something that I didn't really do before. This past Christmas is the first in a VERY long time where I have actually had a present for everyone. I even had two for my mom. And while exercising at large didn't happen, I do try to get a few pushups in when waiting on the microwave or do a plank for a minute or so every few days. 

But reading more hasn't happened. I was on pace for a while but then I got distracted by the internet and decided that I would rather play Candy Crush than try to muddle through a book. I did read two chapters of Game of Thrones last night and I didn't even fall asleep. I'm pretty happy with that. And yesterday morning I started to work out again. I've started one of the many iterations of the "Couch to 5K" program in hopes that I will actually stick with it. I've run two days in a row now which might be a record for me. I've found that I don't have a reason to work out since I don't want to lose weight and just going and elipticalling away for 45 minutes or so isn't really that exciting. But if I have a goal then maybe, just maybe, I will stick with it. I've stuck with this goofy blog since I have a goal for it. So I guess my key to success is just having a goal and then trying to reach for it, something that I'm sure much of the population has already discovered but I've never been that quick to get things.

So here it goes, yet another year of resolutions that I might give up after a while:

• Continue drinking a glass of water every morning
• Knit more, especially for others
• Read more
• Write more
• Exercise more and follow through with the Couch to 5K program
• Be on the computer less
• Be less of an all around lazy bum

William "Buddy" Spoons Greyson Esq. 

We also adopted a new cat. A lovely lady in my knitting group helps run a cat rescue and when the Boyfriend and I decided that we wanted a second cat to keep our current cat, Pebble, occupied, she mentioned that she had just found an abandoned cat that would be perfect. And so far he's been fantastic. He's already 10x cuddlier than Pebble and nicer too. Now let's just hope that him and Pebble will get along. Time will tell on that one though. Pebble is....prickly so it could be a challenge.