WIP Wednesday - Sick of Snow

I don't think I have ever been a person to bitch about the cold weather.  I am not a huge fan of the heat waves and humidity in the summer and I make that statement known.  So I tend to grin and bear whatever mother nature deals during the winter.  Alas, everyone has a breaking point and the snow is starting to get to me.  Over night we got 4 more inches of snow and ice and cleaning that off my car was not fun.

But even with the snow and foul weather, there is beauty in the world.  This past Christmas I finally remembered to buy an Amaryllis bulb.  I can't very well call this Amaryllis Musings and not have the actual plant.

Such a lovely splash of color on a grey day.

Rigging Up the Color Affection

Almost there...

I managed to finish my Sundry (I am super behind on FO posts) and went back to this project.  I may have mentioned this already but I did the majority of the second section while recovering from my surgery.  I got to the solid band of the third section and petered out.  This is the last slog that takes the longest time.  It's straight forward but the shear number of stitches on each pass is daunting.  I hope to get this done by the end of the weekend, the I can start on some new things to watch during the Olympics.

So that's all for this week.

For other WIPs check out Tami's Amis

<3 Heather

WIP Wednesday - Thinking Warm Thoughts

Hello again my lovely followers!  It's -1° F here in the Burgh and I'm cold.  Thankfully I live in a building with radiators so my place is generally nice and warm but it screws with my head when I am getting dressed in the morning.  I have been known to not wear a warm enough coat because I misjudged the weather.

Really in this weather I miss my snuggle bug, Zoey.  She and I would cuddle while I was home recovering from my surgery.  She would find the crook of my knee and curl into a little ball and sleep with me in the morning.  Since I am back at my apartment, I don't get my own personal heater but I at least get to see her on weekends.  :)

During my recover and since I have returned home my needles have been flying.  It's hard to explain but while on the pain medication it was hard to concentrate to read but I was able to knit.  I think it was the muscle memory and the simple movements but my hands flew while I recovered.  Other than that, I just sat around and watched movies and binge watched Big Bang Theory and NCIS.  

Now that I am back to work, I realize how important calories are to energy.  I am only able to eat about 500-600 calories a day and boy am I tired when I get home.  I know I am going to crash when I get home tonight since I also have my Grad Class to attend.  Other than being tired I feel great but I think I might need to start exercises with some light weights as my arms are really flabby.  I used to be able to flex a bicep muscle but now its just flab, need to get on that and do some bicep curls.

Rigging Up the Color Affection

Lots of colors!

This was my go to project while recovering.  I still had the majority of the short rows to complete and then the last section.  As soon as I got to the final section I decided to take a bit of a break.  It's kind of tedious and I worked on it for 2 straight weeks so really it needed a time out.  I really like the colors though.  When I am working on it I doubt my love for the shawl but when I step back and look at it, the shawl really is lovely.

Now just to plow through and get the border done.  Shouldn't take too long to get completed.

Hue Shift Afghan

Progress!

This is the third major section of 4 and I am about half way done with it.  Woot Woot!!!!  Unlike the color affection this has some instant gratification that I can get a square done and feel like I accomplished something.  Due to the construction, when you get a square done, it seems necessary to start the next square so you don't drop stitches.  So I hope to get this square done soon and then start on the last one.  That one should be fun since it's just the blue section.

Cherry Sundry

Almost finsihed

I have also picked this back up.  It got shelved when I was working on my cardigan and then back burnered when I started the color affection.  Given the break this project had I gleefully picked it back up to work on instead of the color affection.  I finished the houndstooth section and started on the final solid color section.  I am about half way done with it and then just need to figure out the picot bind off.

I really love this brown.  It looks brown but in the right light reds and greys play with the brown and just look lovely against the crimson.  

It's also really big and warm.  I can't wait until it's done so I can wear it on these cold winter days.

So that's all for this week.

For other WIPs check out Tami's Amis

Check out my new meme Movie Madness Monday

<3 Heather

WIP Wednesday - Anxiety

As a result of the holiday and my surgery I won't have any new posts until January.  

Happy Holidays from Amaryllis Musings!

I really don't know how the past 3 months have sped by so fast.  I feel like it was just last week where I sat in the surgeon's office and talked about surgery and what I would need to do to prep for it.  But now the wait is in the single digits and I am suddenly full of anxiety.  Mostly I am anxious about stuff I can't control.  For example, my insurance hasn't approved the surgery yet and there was some complication with my leave.  And what I have in my control hasn't been very controlled this week.  

I need to lose 3 more lbs for my weigh in tomorrow.  I am a nervous wreck that they will tell me that the surgery is canceled because of 3 lbs.  I wish I could say that I followed my diet but in the face of not eating real food for 2 months, I was weak and didn't follow the plan.  Now I am super nervous.  I always do this.  While I bitch and moan on my blog about stress, really I make my life stressful by procrastinating.  Perhaps I secretly covet the thrill that procrastinating provides.

Never the less, please keep me in mind tomorrow morning when I go to the nutritionist.

In other news, I almost prepared for the holidays.  I have the majority of my shopping done in record time and I just have to wrap.  I still have some baking to do but basically I am almost done.  I even got my nerd wars swap present done and out almost a week ahead of schedule.  :)

Rigging Up the Color Affection

11 rows of lights :)

I have one more stripe repeat to complete and then I start on the short rows.  I had hoped to have that started for this week's post but I wanted to the hat done for Christmas first.  So hopefully I will have a third color incorporated for next post.

Hue Shift Afghan

This is a big welcome back to the hue shift afghan.  I put this aside to concentrate on my White Centered Granny Blanket and now have finally gotten back to this project.  I got two more squares complete and started on a third.  Maybe I will be done with this by spring? 

So that's all for this week.

For other WIPs check out Tami's Amis

Check out my new meme Movie Madness Monday

<3 Heather

WIP Wednesday - Merry and Bright

What a week!  Pitt is technically in Finals but I just have a paper to submit before Friday at 6 pm.  The paper is complete just with my group for a final review.  That out of the way, I am back to my regular schedule and it's a little weird.  I really have lost track of what day it is because I'm not leaving for class on Monday and Wednesday.

I do want to apologize for not responding to comments this past week.  Something is wrong with the embedded comments and I cannot reply.  When I started my blog I promised myself that I would respond to every comment.  I really appreciate your insights and reminds me that there are people out there reading this.  :)

In another bit of news, this one's a big one.  I am having Gastric Bypass Surgery on December 24th.  I have kept things quiet while I was prepping and telling friends and family.  Now that it's so close I am excited but anxious about how rapidly it's approaching.  Please keep me in your thoughts.  With that said, I can't wait to post pictures of my weight loss.  I have lost 25 lbs in 2 months in preparation for the surgery.  My doctor wants me to lose 30 total and it's been a bit of a challenge.

Rigging Up the Color Affection

This is coming along nicely.  I have 8 of 12 stripes complete with only 4 more to go.  This section has flown.  I am also at the point where the stripes are mixing colors.  I like it but it took a while to get used too.  Its a little more muddled than the solid color stripes.  Anyway, can't wait to get it done.

Pittsburgh Panther Hat

This is a hat for my bestie's guy.  Like me he went to the University of Pittsburgh so I decided to make a Blue and Gold hat.  I looked for color work that was Pitt inspired but couldn't find anything so I settled on this pattern.  It was originally Steeler Black and Gold but the blue looks so nice. Since it lacks any logo, it can be worn anywhere.  I made a boo boo and misread the instructions. You're supposed to knit plain for 4 inches before the pattern and i knit 2 inches.  Sadly this is a but of a blessing because I was low on the navy blue so the hat will be predominately gold.

So that's all for this week.

For other WIPs check out Tami's Amis

Check out my new meme Movie Madness Monday

<3 Heather

WIP Wednesday - Mitts and Lights

Hello again!  Welcome to December and all of the craziness of the upcoming holiday season.  I had a lovely Thanksgiving and then did some serious shopping the rest of the weekend.  I fell hard at Candy Skein and bought enough yarn for a sweater.  Now that I finished my cardigan, I want to knit all the sweaters!

Anyway, I have been listening to Christmas carols non stop and thinking about what I am going to get for my family and friends.  I also have plans to get some shortbread made as gifts for my swap partners.  Oh the lists keep on growing!

Ginger Ale Podsters

One down, One to go

I was clearly productive in the time off of work during the holidays.  I went from one cuff to a 1.5 completed mitts.  I have since weaved all of the ends in on the left mitt and started the fingers for the right mitt.  I hope to get the right one done tonight because I still have a hat to make for a gift.  

One thing I can say is that, while I like the finished result, this pattern is riddled with mistakes and some issues.  I followed the size small directions so far an had to make some modifications, thankfully I get the general construction and was able to fix some things.

Rigging Up the Color Affection

Pretty Colored Lights!

I have had a Color Affection on my to do list for ages but hadn't found anything that inspired me to make the shawl.  Now if your a frequent visitor her at the musings, then you know I like me a garter shawl.  Anyway, I was inspired by Candy Affection by Maria of Kiwiria Knits and I found this lovely yarn at the Pittsburgh Indie Knit and Spin Festival.  When I saw the sparkily multicolored yarn from Fibernymph Dye Works I know it had to be a shawl. 

So I picked a lovely grey and went home to check out my stash for the third color.  I had a lovely teal blue in Shalimar Yarns Breathless and knew I found my set of colors.

So as soon as December rolled around I got my needles moving and started this shawl.  I am really pleased so far but I can't wait for the colors to start to blend and meld together.  But the stripy pattern is pretty awesome too!

So that's all for this week.

For other WIPs check out Tami's Amis and Frontier Dreams

Check out my new meme Movie Madness Monday

<3 Heather