Hello? Anyone out there?

I seem to have fallen down a deep, dark hole.  The last few weeks have been spent in an effort to climb my way out.  There's been too much time lately spent in doctors offices, having tests done, recovering from those tests and generally trying to get myself feeling better.  Nothing really serious - I suppose a lot of it can be chalked up to aging not so gracefully and thinking I can maintain the same activity level I did 25 years ago.  I am nothing, if not stubborn.

Aannyy wwaaayy (as Ellen DeGeneres says), onward and upward.  Here it is deep into January and I've accomplished none of my January goals.  I'm going to have to get a move on.

What have I done?  Feed the sheep, chickens, dogs, cats, peacock, llamas and alpaca boys first thing in the morning, do a few necessary things around the house (cleaning, cooking, washing, ironing, filing patient records, etc), then off to the barn for evening feeding chores.  There's been some cleaning out going on too.  I've had the urge to purge lately and closets, drawers and cupboards have been under attack.  I've done a few small knitting projects while watching 'Downton Abbey' (I'm sooo happy it's back), 'The Last Tango in Halifax' and now Sherlock.  I've glanced longingly at my Lady Marple sweater, but it's at a point where I need to be at home and paying attention when I'm knitting on it and that hasn't been happening much lately.  So far,  the year 2014 has been a bit of a bummer. I'm ready to change that!  Really, I am.

One way I'm going to perk myself up is to go to a fiber gathering. Fiber Frenzy, a yarn shop in Berea, Kentucky, is hosting a Pins and Needles Retreat in a couple of weeks.  My friend, Teresa, and I have booked a room at historic Boone Tavern and signed up for a few classes. There's nothing I like better than learning new skills and getting to interact with other fiber folks.  I'm thinking it may be just what I need to get myself in gear again.

So, a few of my small projects.  The mittens are Cozy Purl Ridge Mittens designed by Jenny Gordy.  The rust colored ones are knit with Brooklyn Tweed Shelter (oh, I do love the color palette of Shelter) and the white mittens are a rustic handspun skein I found lurking in the stash. It's a well written, fun pattern and perfect for some quick knitting.  The socks have been on the needles for a long, long time and are now finally finished.  That is some Kroy sock yarn that I believe came from Michael's or JoAnn's or some such place - bought just because I liked the bright stripes. (They are not weirdly shaped as they appear to be....photographer error!)  The headband/ear warmer/or whatever you want to call it still needs a button and is knit from mystery yarn, also dug out of the stash.  I'm hoping it's going to be the cure for my perpetual case of bad-hat-hair in the winter.  It's cold and I need something to keep my ears warm when I'm feeding the sheep, but pulling on a hat several times a day electrifies my hair.  I have one more small-ish project that is off the needles and ready for felting.  I'm going to take some before and after pictures and do a book review, along with a great give-away in a few days.

Clearly, I've got some make-up work to do here on the blog.  I'm vowing to do better.