It's Been too Quiet. . . But I Like it That Way (knitting/sewing over food right now and a Frankie moment)

It's difficult blogging during these winter months. So much of what keeps my attention lately has little to do with food, but more to do with keeping busy, not focusing too much on the news and generally taking a hibernation approach to life. This weekend DH and I ventured out "quickly" on a short jaunt that ended up taking up half the day and him saying to me when we got home, "This shopping stuff is exhausting and sucks the life right out of me." Really? Welcome to my world, sweetie. Someone must run the household. Someone else must go to work. I really try not to drag him along when there is shopping to be done, but this go around, he actually wanted to see a gadget "in person" at the Big Electronics store, so I indulged his wish and out the door we went. We wear hats, glasses and plenty of hideaway outer wear to keep most people from approaching us. We wish a sign could dangle from around our necks reading, Caution: Introverts Entering, No Interaction Required! Amazon is our most favorite place to shop, if truth be told. But that requires a delivery person to bound up to our door and creates another whole set of anxiety (aside from the Jehovah people--omg, don't get me started). But I am completely off track in what I was originally going to talk about.

  This is the time of year when my knitting needles are ablaze. I have a big project I am really trying hard to complete before it warms up this spring: The Hitofude Cardigan. This is a doozy of a knitting project. But I have oogled at this thing for nearly a year now. Started it once, then ripped it out. Started it a second time and am making good progress. It is an intimidating knit to be sure. I mean it's ALL lace. And really not sure how I'll manage once I get to the body of it. I decided to knit it in one of my favorite colors--something bright and cheerful, in Madelinetosh tosh merino light.   

Then there is this shawl, Esjan by Stephen West. I really would have never attempted this were it not for a Yarnbox delivery of Imperial Yarn in worsted weight--a very squishy, soft yarn that is knitting up beautifully for this project. It's been months working on it. I have over 300 stitches I'm now going through during these last finishing rows before binding off. So close, yet so far away. My goal is to have this done by this weekend.

 Stephen West helped me with a Christmas gift this year, too. I knit the Windschief for DH. A fast, relaxing and successful "happiness" project: Dr. Thyme loved it!

I knitted my first Little Person wearable. Unfortunately, I've stopped on it just shy of getting it done. I need to get buttons and I'd like to embroider some flowers on it still. If I don't get back to it soon, I may have missed the window of when said recipient will be able to wear said "gift". This is a lovely pattern, too. Super simple and fast: Small Things Sweater. 

Am so very close to attaching the backing to a quilt I have had hanging on my wall for a year now. Sewing is something that either I want to do or I don't want to do. I bought the fabric with the intention of making something with lots of muted colors to sort of "go" with our home colors. Now that it's nearly ready for its backing to go on, I can say with conviction: What in the world was I thinking? This is not a very pretty quilt at all. But at the time I was seeking simple and straight line sewing--nothing too taxing on the old brain. Well. I will await judgement until I get the binding on it and the quilting (I'll be doing myself). 

Meantime, here's The Introverts--all dressed up for a function in December. We were both exhausted when we got home, but you can at least get the gist of what the high point of us (out of our pajamas!) looked like.

And Frankie. Poor girl had her spay surgery a week ago. She was in the Cone of Silence for the recovery, but came through the operation no worse for the wear. You will never see a more pathetic, how-could-you-do-this-to-me face than this one.