Scarf for Kat

I finished Kat's scarf with plenty of time for the holidays. Because it got so cold here so fast, she got an early present. She loves it and I think it turned out pretty spiffy. I love the colors and the way they are blocked instead of smaller stripes, as I was originally thinking.

Sure, it's just garter stitch, but it's warm and durable. I also found out that the Vanna White yarn is just a bit smaller than the Loops and Threads yarn as far as weight. I didn't realize that I had picked up two different brands until I got home and just worked with it.

Knit knit knit

It's that time of the year and I am busy with parties, work, cooking, cleaning...and knitting. OMG knitting. So far I've finished two scarves and a couple kitty kickers. I have a few more octopus cat toys to make for the boyfriend's stepmother. I have swore to not give my family knitted presents, so instead I'm doing a really neat thing with the shells collected in Destin this October on my first family vacation in about 12 years.

This time of year also means snow, which makes me just want to hibernate. I should head south with the migratory birds every year.

Oh, wait... I'm going to do that with my aunt during the first part of the year! Yes!!!

Until then though, knit knit knit...purl purl purl

Yes, pics will be forthcoming.

Knit knit knit

I'm working on presents already and a lot of work has been done. I am not knitting much for my family, as I'm sure they are sick of hats and scarves, but I'm doing something really special for them.

Again, those with kitties are getting kitty presents. SURPRISE!

Busy Little Bee

I've been quite busy lately. Work has had me quite busy and add in the animal care and housework, on top of getting my holiday presents started, I've been quite busy. I'm excited though. I'm getting stuff done and have been knitting a lot more than in years past.

With all the business comes stress, and with stress comes a little bit of a melt-down. I am currently medicated and the first time in, well forever, the combination works. That doesn't mean I have bad days, just days that aren't as extreme as they were prior to medication. I cope a lot better and I tend to get through things easier. The stress over the last few days has been overwhelming though. I am going up on my anti-anxiety medication and I am getting medication to try to help me sleep better.

I'm hopeful of things to come and hopeful that this will continue to be more and more manageable. Right now the fight in my head is one of therapy vs. no therapy. With bipolar disorder it is a given that I will always need medications, and therapy will help. I have been in therapy and know what it is to do, but a part of me thinks this is a time I need someone that doesn't know me to give me that little push. I'm seriously considering it's time again to lie on that proverbial couch.

Off to be social, which will be discussed later as it takes a lot to get me out and around more than 4 people at a time, and knit with friends. Well, I will knit and chat as it is comfortable to me.

This Week's FO's

This weekend was productive. I finished the kitty kicker and made a little octopus toy for the kitties. Both were fulled with stuffing rolled in catnip, so they were a pretty big hit! My goal is to keep making cat toys out of my own patterns and eventually have an Etsy store for them and then do some art fairs/pet fairs with them.

Cables!

I decided to branch out and do a project with cables. I was always scared to as I knit while watching a show or socializing, but this is a fantastic pattern from 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders.

The edges are curling a bit so it looks uneven. Instead of sewing it, I'm going to crochet the sides together and then stuff it with catnip and fluff.

So far, I'm over 1/2 way done. You can see where the pattern breaks to fold over.

Baby Blankie

I finished the blanket for a coworker's sister's baby. Follow that? She and her sister loved it. It was small, but little Xavier was pretty tiny - just over 5lbs.

Now, I'm working on a kitty kick toy with cables!
Well, in between cleaning that is.

Bunny Nugget FO

I found the pattern on Ravelry for Bunny Nuggets and had to make one for my friend we call Bunny. She loved it. I can't wait to make more!

Changes

There are huge changes going on currently in my life. I am learning quite a lot about myself in this process. I am becoming a different person and the change is more apparent daily.

I am still knitting and I'm hoping to do that more. I am still wanting to work with ferret rescue, just perhaps not to the capacity that I was. I want to keep socializing with my friends and building friendships.

But I'm doing all this alone now. I have my roommate to help with things. I'm having to rely on myself and not anyone else. I'm having to stand on my own two feet more than ever. I'm having to be strong and learn to do things that I haven't for a long time or haven't ever done. I am on my own.

I have a lot of work to do now on the house, for my pets and for myself. I hope that this will one day be worth it because right now, it can get hard to breathe and it is incredibly lonely. I have confidence that I will get through this and I will be a stronger person because of it.

Ruby-gills

Ruby is all better. I couldn't be more proud of her progress. She actively wants to be out in the rest of the house. She's found her own special spots everywhere. She is trying to play with the other cats and is learning to ignore the dogs.

I still try to make sure she has a little more attention than the other cats because she is so sensitive and needy. She as partially adopted me as her "mommy" and is distant if I don't at least read for 1/2 hour with her squishing my belly.

So glad she's happy here.

Typical Day

Seems like daily I try to get myself into a rhythm. I get up, get to work, come home...then it all falls apart. I'm missing my motivation to do anything other than sit and watch shows. It' a chore to knit lately and doing housework...eh, forget it.

Tonight, I'm trying to change that. I did some dishes, am going to clean boxes and fold laundry.

I will only give into Netflix temptation once those things are done.

Buena

Buena's feeling under the weather and is demanding mommy time making it difficult to knit. She's prone to sinus issue and colds. When they hit she becomes super needy. She adopted me when I met Kopi, so she's my baby girl now. She's exactly Anna's age and they get along as well as they can. They are both top girls in the house, but as long as both can lay touching me (as they are right now), they are happy girls.

She's a very special girl. Most people are put off by her screaming meow that sounds like she's angry at you touching her. She's not. She's deaf in her right ear and slowly losing hearing in her right. She's big, loud and super friendly.

She loves people and is quite social with new people. She's getting older and doesn't play as much, which upsets Mimir when he tries to pounce and she curses at him. She will play all day with a laser pointer or anything dangling. We can't have those cute over-the-door toys because she will keep us up all night playing with it until it's torn to shreds.

She's tough though. Rob has a big black cat, Raven, that apparently is her sworn enemy. They do not get along at all, but they don't fight much either. It is just a lot of talk and hissing and growling. Buena would rather find another place to lie down than start a fight.

I might bitch and whine about how needy she is, but I can't say that there is a better snuggle buddy when I'm ill or upset. She may not be beautiful or slender, but she's loving and sweet.

Baby Knits

Currently working on a blanket for a coworker's sister's baby. I had the yarn and wanted a good use for it. It's the same colors as the baby's stuff (blue and brown) and I have three skeins of it. I'm going to make a blanket and then, if I'm brave, I'm going to try to tackle booties.

Knitting the yarn I used for the hat in my last post is....fail. Complete fail.

Will try again with garter stitch.

Looks like Ruby came through okay. It's a lot worse than we thought, but her liver and kidney functions are normal. We're sending the stones to pathology to get a better idea of a possible cause to avoid this again. She's coming home today.

Starla (see picture on my blog) is going for her spay and Pocki (ferret) is going to adrenal surgery. We caught the adrenal really early, so that is good. She's the first of the Ohio crew to go adrenal.

I'm delivering more of the ferret rescue hats to the shelter today. I'm knitting the next one and while it's taking longer, I think it will turn out great.

This is one I made with double stripes that was my first experiment with this yarn:

Heathier

Saturday I was told by my doctor that my cholesterol levels are high. So far, diet and exercise are what she wants to do. Dieting isn't quite a change for me as we already eat really healthy. Don't believe me? Look at the guys and the weight that they lost after eating like me for a bit. Adding more fruits and veggies is happy for me as they are tasty, so that's not a bother.

Exercise. Now, that's something I've been wanting to do. Gyms can be expensive and I would rather spend money on things like getting debt paid off. I've got some yoga/pilates videos that are saved on my Netflix and a dog to walk.

Today is day 2. I'm very sore, but I walked/jogged and stretched. Pilates is going to be a once or twice a week thing.

Also, Ruby goes to the vet for surgery tomorrow. She's in amazing hands and I have no worries. She's just been doing so well here, I don't want this to upset her. I'm sure she'll be fine though.

Cat Toy Eyeballs

This is one of my all time favorite FOs. I made these for Raven for Xmas. I was making little cat toys for my mom's cat and Rob commented how the ball pattern could be made into an eyeball. Well, he was right and this is the end product.

Hello. This blog is going to primarily be focused upon my knitting and other fun crafts. I can be found on Ravelry.com under shinypapillon. Please feel free to add me or follow my blog.