Reading.

My back is much better now. I still haven't gone to the doctor (bad Maggie), But I'm much better than I used to be. The back has settled down just nicely.

Now.

The knitting. Nope, I'm still not working on it. I was attempting to work on a scarf for my Dad, but the summer "heat" meant that it got attacked by a moth and I had to throw out the 2 inches I'd done. I feel sorry for my Dad, but I'm not knitting on anything at all, so he's not being truly ignored. He knows this.

My cross stitching. Well, that's being ignored too, as is the garden. I'm waiting for a hard frost (should be along this week if the Met office is correct), then I'll go out and cut down some unwanted saplings and small trees that are trying to gain a foothold. Naughty Ash trees.

All I'm really doing is cooking, mild (and constant) de-cluttering and reading.

I'm not 100% contented, but at least I'll fulfill my 2016 resolution (get rid of a lot of clutter). It's a good thing. I'll make it my yearly resolution from this point. I can't go the hard de-cluttering route (get rid of as many items as the day of the month - e.g get rid of 24 "things" on the 24th). I did try it for a couple of months, but to be honest, I'm just not that way. But I am realizing that I can get rid of a few more items than I bring into the house, and on a daily basis, I'm now looking around and seeing things I don't *really* want to keep (then figure out a way of getting them out of the house - not just throwing them away if they're items that should be either recycled, donated or re-purposed). It's working nicely so far. Although, there is a small pile of bags that have items that need to go somewhere (the special tip (there's an area for purposed skips e.g. broken electrical items, wooden furniture) , the charity shop, the supermarket recycling places or other recycling places). I'm being cheap and lazy because I need to get a taxi to get to some of these places, and I don't want to yet. Shame on me.

Now as to the reading. As of today, I've read 78 books this year. I'm very happy about this. I'm tempted to make next year's reading challenge 75 books, but I think I'd be jinxing myself. I'll just keep it at a constant 52 books per year. It means I might look like a reading maniac, but then again, I might not. I just think that if I do, I'm catching up on reading I didn't do in previous years.

Ok, Time to go.

Later.

Ow. . . .ow. . .ow. . .

I'm in pain. My back is much better than it was at the beginning of July (when I injured it), but it's not good.

I've been avoiding going to the doctors, knowing that I need to let it heal for a while, but also doing simple stretching exercises so my back doesn't "freeze".

Urg. I hurt. Im tired of taking Ibuprofen.

I do and don't want to go to a chiropractor or osteopath or any other therapy at this point (I said I was going to 2-3 posts ago, but I haven't.). I'm tired of being in pain.

I have a few circumstances I want to be free to think about/deal with, but they're no reason to not go to the doctor. I've not made an appointment because I'm scared. That's it, pure and simple. It's stupid and irrational. I'll make the appointment to go because I should.

The one reason I'm going to make the appointment is because I took a journey by public transport to a health-food store (a journey I've needed to make for a while), and on the way home with a backpack on (balanced load so I didn't put stress only on one side of my body), I was getting shooting pains down my legs. There were only 2 or 3, but I know that one was too much.

I can't spend too much time standing, I can't sit in one position for too long, but walking's ok. No carrying heavy things. No sharp bending over, no sudden moves.

It isn't quite as bad as it sounds, but these are things I've self-imposed until I've been given the all-clear by a doctor/chiropractor/whatever specialist I need to see.

Ok, I'm done procrastinating.

Later.

I'm just tech savvy enough.. . .

OK, Crafting and reading first, then I'll get to the reason for the title.

Well, I've been crafting just enough so I feel not quite lazy (the back isn't helping, but I'm working with it.). I've been a busier reader than I thought I was. I checked on my "read" book list on Goodreads, and found that my record keeping wasn't as good as I thought it was. I fixed it, and come to find out I'm 10 books ahead of my reading challenge. I was thinking of changing my goal, but I really want to do a lot of craftwork in a couple months when my backs better and I've had a couple adjustments, and I expect that might have an affect on the book count. 

We'll see. 

Now to the title.

I'm *so* glad I keep a notebook of all my online accounts with enough info in it that I can get into most of my accounts. (there's quite a lot of obsolete data in there, but I have a method to let me know what's active or not.) 

I've had enough online and equipment changes (My second ISP changed e-mail clients and I lost my primary e-mail address (I'd had it for over 20 years), so I was twittering around reactivating the secondary e-mail addresses I'd gathered over the years (I have about 4, I think, but was only sort of using 3) redistributing the more important contact and information e-mail to them), Then I went looking around for a better ISP and found one, which meant getting a new primary e-mail. So with all that, I've been in and out of accounts re-setting passwords and changing e-mail addresses, If I didn't write enough details down, I'd be screwed. 

I now have to figure out which newsletters and contacts I want where. I (luckily) can take my time now. 

Ok, This is an abrupt stop, but the back is complaining. I've got to go stretch.

Later

Back in the groove. . .or should I say thread. . .

I'm happily back into cross-stitching. It's taken too long to get here, but I'm back.

I only do about an hour of work per piece right now, but I'll take anything I can get. In a few days I'll push myself to do more, but not too hard. I've damaged my back and sitting in one position for too long is not a good idea. I also don't want to go back to my previous mind set. That was miserable.

I mean, I do like reading, but I like doing other things as well.

Anyway, I should be sleeping, but I was excited and wanted to post.

I'm off.

Good night!

Well. . .

I finished the bracelet.

It's not perfect (rice pearls aren't all perfect, and the ones I bought really aren't perfect).

But I really like it. I'm happy,

Next project.

Later

I'm past the slump. . .kind of. . .

Well.

I didn't want to cross stitch or knit.

I knew I wanted to do some sort of crafting, but because of a few stressors (I'm not going into them here, but I'll have most of them sorted by the end of June), I just couldn't mentally "sit still" to look into which type.

Yesterday, I just sat around and let my mind wander for a while. I didn't expect to get very far, but for the time I did, it was really nice. I then surfed a tiny bit on the TV and watched a cooking program. I saw a pretty pearl bracelet and *ping*. . .

There was a project I wanted to do.

I had a stash of rice pearls and beads in a baggie with some beading thread that had been stewing for a few years - and I had fine beading needles nearby.

So I found the baggie, found the needle, threaded it (a lovely concentrated job that I was very glad I could still do) picked out most of the pearls and started weaving a square stitch bracelet.
I think (not sure) I'm just going to keep weaving rows until I run out of pearls. I've got 5 rows done and it's looking very nice. It's not perfect, but I can tweak it after it's finished so it looks much better - I'm not going to re-start it, as I think I just need to get this finished. I have to get my "mojo" going, so to speak, and I think that this *might* just do it.

But yes, I'm VERY happy. Overall, I feel a lot better about most things and (as an surprise to myself) I've also done some cross-stitching (not a lot, but a little is better than none) and if I'm right, I'll be doing some more of it today. . .

Life is very good. I'm off to bead.

Later!

Another slump. . .

Well, I love my cross stitching. I've got some really pretty pieces (I think so anyway, and let's face it, that's the most important criteria - since they're going on the walls in my house,) in the queue.

The problem is that for the last 3 weeks, I've not wanted to do any. Not a single stitch. It's bothered me, and I even regularly pick up the frames or look at the charts in order to try and get the urge to start working on it again.

 - So I read instead. (I got 2 books ahead of my Goodreads goal)

I picked up a little knitting 2 weeks ago and I did 3 rows on a scarf and I didn't want to work on that.
Last week, I went so far as to buy more frames for the smaller pieces. I put some of them in the frames and. .  .sewed 3 stitches on each small project and  . . .nothing. I still didn't want to really work on them.

 - and I did some more reading (I got 4 books ahead of my yearly goal)

I tried again today to work on them. Picked out three projects and did a teeny bit of work and . . .nothing. No oomph.

 - So I'm now 5 books ahead of my yearly reading goal ....

I'm glad of the leeway the extra books give me, but at this point, I would love to want to be cross stitching or knitting more than reading. I've got 6 months to finish at least 3 projects and with the lack of "oomph" I've got going, I'm going to have nothing to show at the end of the year.

That's really making me irritated and angry.

I hope something happens soon. . . .and I'm sure it will.

Later. I'm going to go read.

The knitting is losing. . .

I love my knitting, I do, but it's not got my attention right now. In fact I haven't picked up a single piece of knitting in the last 2 weeks. All the knitting I would normally work on is literally right next to me on the couch, but it's just a pile of pretty knitting.

It's been put by the wayside so I can focus on my cross-stitch. I've even gone and bought supplies and a couple tapestry frames so I can make it easier to work on the cross-stitching. I am sorry about ignoring the knitting, really I am, but I am concentrating on the stitching. I don't know why, but there it is. It's coming up on March, and right now, the best I can hope for is that I'll pick up a knitting project before April.

Got to go, I need to sew.

Later

I was Determined and Successful . . .but.. . .

I waited for the sunrise and found the yarn. I started the cowl. The yarn fought me (100% linen is surprisingly springy. It likes to "squirm" off the ends of the needles, so I'm working on a much longer double-pointed cable than originally planned for - it's . . . interesting), and so I had to frog and re-start the cowl 6 times. I'm now 1/3rd of the way through the cowl.

I'm definitely less stressed now. I have also found out from the comments of our choirmaster over the last couple of weeks that he's expecting that this isn't the last semester. It's nice to know.

But . .
I've had to drastically slow down on the cowl.
It's very nice, and I'm happy that I'm working on it,
But . .

To be honest, I've started working on some of my stored cross-stitch projects. I've ignored them for a few years and for the past few weeks I was constantly thinking about completing a few of them so I can see if their charm is still the same as it was when I bought them. I've pulled out a few things I had originally wanted to frame when finished, and I deserve to complete those at the very least.
(there's 2 sets of 4 small pieces, a rectangular piece, and about 6-7 others.)

But . . .
I don't know exactly how long I'll work specifically on them - or if I'll even finish any of them.

I'm very much enjoying working on all of them, so I'm taking each day as it comes. While I'm working a little bit (about 1/2 an hour each) on a few projects every day
(I'm constantly rotating the projects, so it's not necessarily the same few projects).
There's a specific project I'm singling out for working on after 9 p.m. - for all that it's got a limited colour palette, it's quite lovely.
(No, I'm not saying what any of them are. I feel I'll jinx all my work and plans if I say what they are - silly, I know.- but it is what it is.).

But I will say, while I am doing a lot of cross stitch, I am doing a little knitting every day- still (though it tends to only be between 10 - 30 mins of knitting, at least I'm doing something.).

I don't know what's going to happen with my knitting "plans" of 2016, but anything's possible.

Later.

I need to be determined. . .

I'm a bit upset. There's a genuine chance that the choir I've been a member of for 15 years is in it's last semester. We're very low on members (10) and no amount of advertising or promotion for the last 3 years has done anything to gain members. It's a very sad state of affairs and I'm not at all happy about it. I'm really sad, if I'm honest.
I want so much for our choir to keep going, but every time we lose members there comes a point where the cost of meetings goes up and so we have to pay more money (it's now £70/term (10 weeks/term)). If it goes up again this time, there's a very good chance I can't afford to go anymore. I don't know what to do.

Which comes to the point/reason for my title. . .

I have a de-stressing mechanism. I either start knitting a new project and/or I buy yarn.
For the first de-stressing mechanism, . .
Well.  I have plenty of projects to knit upon, seeing as I still haven't been able to decrease the number of projects I have to finish (about 50). I do try, but life is stressful, and there's *so* many lovely patterns I want to knit (that, and I keep adding them to my queue, which now has 1111 patterns. . .and growing *sigh*).
So, I almost immediately start a pattern for everyone I finish. Ah well. As I always say: "At least I'm not bored".
And as to the second one. . .Well , , ,I really, honestly, *CANNOT* buy anymore yarn for the next two years.
This isn't because I'm on a budget.
It's simply because I have enough yarn in my stash (most of it isn't listed) that I don't have to buy yarn for the next *FIVE* years.
I also have 3 boxes of bundled projects of various types (e.g. shawls, wraps, scarves, a sweater, a coat and a couple other things I can't remember) with pattern and yarn ready to go (roughly 15 projects).

But if I'm honest, I do have a way to de-stress . . .
But . . .
I have to be determined, and use some of the stash yarn for a project I want to knit *now*.
It's a beautifully interesting cowl (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/pfeilraupe) in a soft sportweight yarn (whatever fibre "you" want to knit it in) and I have a linen DK that I think will work (a minor problem with getting the yarn out of the stash - but - it's about 4:30 am while I'm writing this, and I'm waiting for the sunrise so I can go get the linen yarn - there's reasons for that.). Unfortunately, my stressed out little brain *still* wants very much to go buy yarn for it.

Ah well.

I have to be determined - and happy - to not go buy any yarn. Seriously determined. It's driving me mad. I think I'd better go and start listing all of my stash. It might make it much easier to not want to buy yarn. . .
I sure as hell hope so.
Onwards.

Later.

Addition to the last post

Well, I was perusing my queue on Ravelry, and for whatever reason, I was reminded of a shawl I've been drooling over for a few years;

Aquila Shawl by Sari Anstrom

It's a Finnish pattern without an parallel English transcription, but so many people have knitted it (175 on Ravelry), that there's quite a few sets of English translations of the stitch meanings for the chart. That'll do for me. I think it's a stunning design, and I've not knitted it before now because I wanted to find just the right soft greyed-brown yarn. Which, really, I've not been able to find no matter how much I wanted it. So, because I want to knit this lovely beastie, I'm going to use my skeins of white no.8 crochet cotton and see what happens. I've wound up half of it (it came as a bunch of 10 10g mini-skeins). The reason is that the pattern says to repeat section/chart A until half the weight of yarn is used and then knit the other section/chart. I figure I'll get a nice length of shawl for everyday use. I might decide to dye it, and I might not. There's a lovely white one in the project display page, and I'll be happy if mine looks anything like that one.
Anyway, time is wasting, and I've got to go knit.

Later.

Onwards!

The project round-up of 2015.

Well, I was ticking along, knitting a little everyday, and honestly, until about October, I thought it would be something of a damp squib. I had felt like I'd done nowhere nearly enough, and my finished project list reflected this. Then three days after my "musings", something took hold and I became a knitting daemon and by the middle of December I was rather proud of myself. One project I really was determined to finish didn't get done, and I'm rather sad about that. But, it's a good contender for finishing in 2016 (got lots of seaming to do and it's awkward, but not impossible).

Onwards for a good chance of finishing 16 projects in 2016. As last year, I plan on finishing at least 3 long-term projects - with no pressure. I can do it, I can do it, I can do it. . . .


Well, here it is again, my completed (and not-so-completed) project lists of 2015.

Projects Completed in 2015 (long-term projects marked *):

Flip-Top Mittens
Camera Case
Nori Shawl
Quant #2
34 Leaves Shawl* (started 2012)
Ten Stitch Twist Blanket #1
Clapotis Shawl #2* (started 2007)
Secret of the Stole II * (started 2008)
Ditty Bag #2
99 Percent Hat
Queen's Garden Shawl
Lap Blanket for the Cold
Brea Bag* (started 2012)
The "Almost Lost" Washcloth #1
The Final Multnomah+ Shawl (#3)
Leafy Washcloth #1
Helen's Washcloth #1
Summer Mystery Shawl (#2)
Mermaid Jacket * (Finished just under the wire. Almost literally. I finished the last i-cord sleeve edging on the 30th.) . I still have 1 hole to repair, but all the knitting and sewing of seams is complete. I'm so happy!). (started 2011)

Projects Started in 2015 (But not finished):

Ten Stitch Blanket #2
Papyrifera Shawl (I had great hopes of this being an Christmas gift, but I lost "oomph")
Feather and Fan Scarf (it was a project to use some angora wool)
I Flap My Wings and Glide Shawl
Taliesin Shawl (Granted, I started it in December 2015 - and even with the best will in the world, I couldn't finish a 1600m cabled shawl in a month.)

Projects Worked on in 2015 (but not finished):

The V-Necked Sweater (I'd hoped to get this finished in 2015, but to be honest, I lost "oomph" in October. I'm hoping this will be finished by July 2016.)
Beaded Muir Stole
Indian Shawl
Icarus Shawl
Cherry Leaf Shawl
Saroyan #2
More-Than-a-Triangle-Shawl
Grey Rhodion Stole
The Spider Web Half-Hexagon (+1) Shawl
Funchal Moebius Cowl
So Long Duster
Jack Skellington Hat
Orenberg Shawl
Spring Blossoms Square Shawl
Foreign Correspondent's Scarf
Luna Flickering Flames Skirt
4-stitch Scarf (it used to be "3-Stitch Scarf")
Construction of the Cotton Square Blanket

Projects I'm hoping to Start in 2016 (provided I finish other projects) I have both the yarn and the pattern for each project:

Sagrantino Shawl
Hemlock Ring Blanket
Ecotone Shawl or Mariposa Shawl (I love both shawls but even after months of trying to decide, I just don't know which one to knit with the yarn I have designated - I guess I'll have to swatch both and see. *sigh*)
2-Colour Under Dutch Skies Brioche Shawl (This is also my "learning new knitting technique" project for 2016, as I haven't yet done Brioche Stitch in any form at all)
Leftie Shawlette
Semele Shawl
Igneous Stole
Storm Cloud Shawl/Shawlette
Holden Shawl #2
A Cardigan for My Father (I forgot the name of the pattern. Oops.)
A Diagonal Blanket #2 for my father, smaller than the first one.

As always, I've got to go knit.
ONWARDS!!!!

Later