Work brain! Work!

Have you ever had moments/hours/days where your brain refuses to work?  I just farted around the web for an hour while work email piles up.  But my brain says "ah...feeling lazy...don't want to be think."  Sigh... I'd be very happy if I knitted instead of whatever I do "brain farting".  I don't watch TV so maybe the web is my distraction of choice.  I applaud those people who read as a distraction.  At least that's somewhat useful!

http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/15-brain-stop-paying-attention-zoning-out-crucial-mental-state

Back from Sydney!

We are back from Sydney and boy did I get some knitting done.  Sweater sleeves all done and I started a sock on the trip as well.

Moose and sweater

Sock so far!

And just to prove we actually were in Sydney...

Koala Babies:

Opera House:

Darling Harbor:

Some more pictures (including ones of kangaroos and crocodiles):

http://picasaweb.google.com/chen.irene/AustraliaOct2009

Sleeve fish?

One down, one to go!  Does a set-in sleeve remind anyone of fish?

Sleeve Front

Sleeve Back

Chicken

Free association time:

1. Knit chicken

2. Cooked chicken

3. Chinese chicken!

4. See the squid? Knit the squid? Nice squid!

Making things

For 10 minutes yesterday I was torn between doing chores and sitting down to knit. Last week the chores won, but this week I decided to knit.

And here is the result! I got the body of Sandy's sweater done! All that is left are the sleeves and neck. Woo Hoo!!

This is the front of the sweater (see the neck opening?). The back looks very similar except without the neck opening.

It was so hot yesterday, Moose and I didn't go for a long walk. By about 4 or 5 pm, he became restless and didn't know what to do with himself! So he started wondering the house and picking out random laundry from the hamper. No damage to the house but it was funny to see him like that!

Queen of wasting time

Am I not the queen of wasting time? This is from the "Entertainment Web" (which I've never heard of before this!)

I give these guys credit for their sense of humor! My favorite 2 + 1 I'm sure is funny to 90% of the American world except I like the other ones better...

Oh Neat!

Totally not related to anything, but I thought this was a neat link to share

How Different Groups Spend Their Day

The American Time Use Survey asks thousands of American residents to recall every minute of a day. Here is how people over age 15 spent their time in 2008.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/07/31/business/20080801-metrics-graphic.html

Knitting and Moose

How boring is this blog title! At 7 in the morning I couldn't think of anything better.

I finished another travel-project dish cloth. This time I crocheted it just for practice. It was fun and was fairly quick to make. But I can tell you I missed my needles the whole time I was crocheting!

I also made good progress on Sandy's sweater; there are 3 inches left until I bind off the back piece. Each row is taking less time now that I am working on it regularly and I have the pattern somewhat memorized.

Last week I brought it to lunch and Sandy liked the pattern so far. I was worried that it wouldn't fit but when we eyeballed the size against her body, it seems like it'll work after all!

Lastly, a picture of Moosey. He's 9 Lbs now!

I want some

KnitPicks is sponsoring a Zephyr Knitting Needle Set Giveaway. This company makes me weak in the knees, and they also have new products all the time. Whenever I need retail therapy (it is rare, but does happen and happen in bouts), KnitPicks will be one of my therapists of choice. Man, I want some new needles, yarn, time.... how about a winning lottery ticket?

By the way, I'm not the only one. There is a "Step away from KnitPicks" thread that is VERY active on Ravelry. The poster's first sentence starts with: "Man I need a “stop ordering” support group." AMEN!

try harder!

I started thinking yesterday that I have to try and find the time to finish Sandy's sweater. Previously I was able to knit a few hours on Sundays after all the chores are done. But weekends are getting busier and busier, with the occasional work "issues" popping up.

So I'm thinking maybe I'll try knitting 30 minutes (or at least 1 row) every day. Now I just have to find the 30 minutes when I will actually DO it! Why do I have this feeling that I'm treating this like other people think about working out? I mean, I LOVE knitting. This seems so wrong!

Maybe it is because I'm now so used to spending all my time with work or Moose that knitting has fallen out of habit. I guess the effort part is to break my own habit. And lord knows I'm a habit-loving girl!

We'll see.... Sometimes goals and reality don't always agree.