It's been a crazy few weekends here in our house. Steve and I hosted the End of Season Party for our Sunday night softball league. We had so much house cleaning and yard cleaning to do before everyone came over so that our house would be functional for more than just two people! In the spring we had some guys take down our giant silver maple in our backyard. Below is a picture of my size 6 feet standing on the stump when they were finished. (I'm going to try not to have this post be too picture heavy...but that's what happens when I don't post more often...crap!) We also had them take down a hard maple of some kind as well. So the first few weekends (and week days actually) We spent splitting wood. Steve and his Dad, Ray, did most of the work. I helped sometimes by running the splitter. I moved a lever back and forth while they did all the heavy lifting. Though I did also bring them water and kool-aid when they needed it. During the week I did my best to clean up the house. Honestly...if I wouldn't let it get so messy then I wouldn't have had to scramble to get it clean. House work is soo boring! (but I guess that's when you have to do it for a few hours all at once instead of five minutes every day) This is the room that Baby Ewoldt is staying in...this is the pre-party clean-up picture, but it's only half cleaned out. The huge gray desk is still in there and a few boxes full of yarn...but it's getting there. I only have until September 26th. In other news...I chopped my hair off.... Before: After: I am loving it! Short hair is awesome and the people at Locks for Love got all of this! I hope they enjoy!

I really stink at posting to a blog

So it's already March, my birthday has passed and I haven't written here since January. Obviously I haven't put up pictures of all the things I have yet to finish with my knitting, but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy.

I have been amazingly good. I have not bought yarn, I did a commission project (a small boring scarf with awful yarn I didn't even bother taking a photo of), and I made 2 baby blankets. Other than those things I have been working on existing projects. It's hard.

I work in a knit shop. There is always new yarn, new books and patterns and loads of people coming in making beautiful things that I would just LOVE to try! Though at this point I think I'm starting to lose it. I saw someone knitting a small dog sweater and thought, "That looks neat." Umm....I DON'T HAVE A DOG! Not to mention that I think knitting a dog sweater is silly, mostly because I think small dogs are silly...big dogs don't need sweaters.

I have set aside yarn to buy when I do get down to 3 projects, but I still have a long way to go. I do get to start a new baby blanket for a friend who is having her baby in June. Hopefully that will hold me for a while.

I have 3 projects that are so close to being finished it's almost criminal. I have a shawl that has about 15 rows left which doesn't seem like a whole lot, but the rows are in the hundreds of stitches. Activity rows take me at least 30 minutes and that is when no one is interrupting me. I am making an upside down sweater that was all the rage at the knitting shop this fall. I have 3 more inches and a few ends to weave in. No seaming! So when I do those 3 inches I'm finished. I also have a cardigan that I am test crocheting for my friend. All i have left to do there is the other sleeve, which will be much faster than the first because I don't have to count to make sure that the pattern is working out. And then I need to make the trim.

If I actually take the time to work on these things then there is a possibility that I could have three finished objects by the end of this weekend. Awesome.

I have finished my NORO sweater, I should post a picture, but I don't have a nice one yet. Though it does look awesome. After I finish those other projects it will be time to dive into the pile and pick a few more to finish. I'm actually enjoying finishing these projects. It's nice to be able to add a pair of socks or a sweater to my wardrobe.

I'll have to post pictures, but then next time that I may have a chance to get here with any decent amount of time will be Saturday.

I'm still itching to start something new, especially a summer tank or something, but I need to stay strong. All the money that I don't spend on yarn will go towards going back to Mexico this next winter.

I'm going to knit now...

New Year's Resolution

I've been sitting on the couch for the past half hour wondering what to do with myself and then I thought, "Hey! I can use my blog for my New Year's Resolution!"

I was at work back in October and some customers were complaining that they had too many projects on the needles and that it was driving them bonkers. I decided then to count in my head the number of projects that I had. When I got to 15 I though, "Maybe I should write this down." I bet you can't guess how many I had. 33. That's more than a project per month! Granted it is projects from the 6 years that I have been playing with yarn.

I mulled that over for about a week and then decided that something needed to be done. Not only do I have at least five pairs of socks that could be on cold feet, but five sweaters that I could be enjoying in this lovely 15 degree weather. So I am not going to purchase yarn or start new projects in the year 2011 until I have cleared my needles to one project. After that I will not allow myself to have going at one time more than three items and no more than one sweater at a time.

My husband thinks this is a great idea. He loves that I have a great hobby, but the sheer amount of project bags and needles and yarn is starting to get to him. He knows about the plan because I'm going to need all the support I can get. He's around me enough to know that if I've been camping out in my stash room for a few days that I've started a new project. I have also told my Monday night knitting group. They all thought I was crazy, until I told them the number of projects that I have sitting around.

You can watch my progress as the months go by on here and on ravelry. My ID there is also Dontpokeme311.

I've already finished a few projects since that wonderful day in October and it feels good. It even feels good to have it all organized and into separate project bags. As of the last count I have 32 projects to complete. That's almost three per month and it doesn't include the yarn that I have sitting around destined for a certain project.

It's going to be hard. I will try to put up a list in the next few days of what exactly I have to do. It should be fun. I'm excited now, but I work in a yarn shop, new fun yarn comes in everyday. I think I'll be wanting to shoot myself by the end of the year.

Anyone else has a good resolution?