Saturday, January 31, 2009

First Month Done

Well, January is done...that went by really fast. Tomorrow new classes will be posted for the House Cup. I have a lot of projects I need to do for other people so I really hope they fit in with the class assignments. I'm so excited!! (Yes, I realize I am a dork)

I have been working hard on my OWLs, I signed up for 4 of them! I am doing the Seascape Stole that I mentioned before, 9 mini Weasley Sweaters, a granny square blanket, and Ingenue with added cables to the front and sleeves. I am 16 rows into Seascape...out of 421 :( I have the 5 different squares designed for the granny square blanket. There is a front and back of one sweater done and 2.5 other backs :) As for Ingenue, I have the neck/collar finished...40 rows at 124 sts each is a huge neck!! (it does get folded in half though), now I have to start the cable portions so I need to figure out exactly how I want to do the sleeve cables.

I am determined to finish all 4 of the OWLs because a lot of people don't think it can be done. I also plan to take every class, unless I really can't think of something that fits the assignment...and if you saw my queue you wouldn't believe that is possible :)

I'm sure I will post again tomorrow when I find out the assignments :)

Monday, January 19, 2009

I lost it!

Well, today starts an 8 week weight loss program through my gym (Anytime Fitness) called 'I lost it!' I'm really excited for the one hour a week training sessions with the personal trainer. I really want to get in shape and be ready for the Half-Marathon this year and to look good once bikini season comes 'round again. I must beat my marathon time from last year and hopefully not feel like I will die at the end (like I did last year).
I hate to post this in public but here are my stats:

Weight: 156
Body Fat: 27.6%
BMI: 26.8
Waist: 29.5"
Chest: 35.75"
Hips: 38.75"
Biceps: R-10.25" L-10.5"
Thighs: R-22" L-21"

I may update periodically but I will for sure at the end of the 8 weeks.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Startitis

I have at least 12 WIPs, homework to finish for the House Cup, and swap stuff to work on, yet I still want to start new projects. I'm trying to restrain myself but it is difficult. I did however finish my Butterfly Garden Baby Blanket for my friend. Her baby shower is this Thursday so I'm glad I'm not down to the wire on that one.

I used the Butterfly Garden afghan square, which is supposed to be 12 inches, and I just kept adding rounds until it was the size I wanted. I then added a shell stitch border. I'm really happy with the way it turned out and it was really easy to make and alter.

Now I'm working on my Arithmancy homework which is a pair of mittens that is a DROPS design. I did the cuff the same as in the pattern but I modified the entire top. I added a cable in the center and used stockinette instead of moss stitch. I also had to add some stitches because for some reason the cuff fit fine with the amount of stitches the pattern called for but the hand part was too small. Maybe it is because of the ribbing, I don't know.

I'm also working on a Snuggle Rug for Izzie's kennel. Her bed in the kennel right now is pretty dirty and it doesn't wash well so I will be replacing it with the blanket. I'm using some old Red Heart that I got from Nicole's grandma for the blanket, I'm really trying to use up stash yarn.

I started an OWL for Arithmancy and I have to make 8 Weasley sweater ornaments by the end of March. I will save them for xmas next year to give out. I might not duplicate stitch letters on all of them, I'm not sure yet. I have to start my Charms OWL as well. I am making the Seascape Stole from Knitty with some Knit Picks yarn I bought. I'm really excited to make this but it is a bit daunting to me because I've never worked with lace weight yarn, never done a lace pattern this big, and I've never used multiple charts on one project before...scary. I really like it though and if it works out well I want to use it as my wrap for my wedding.

Aright, that is enough blabbing for now.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Sick, sick, sick

I hate being sick!!! Everyone is getting sick all the time this winter. I did get to stay home today and work on some knitting but it was bittersweet since I felt like crap :(

On a brighter note I am now finished with Herbology, Defense Against the Dark Arts (DADA), Charms, and History of Magic (HoM)...now all I have left is Care of Magical Creatures (CoMC), OWLs, and Arithmancy. I have started both CoMC and Arithmancy so I'm doing really well so far this month. I do have to finish a baby blanket for a coworker (her shower is next Thursday) and I would like to work on my Brea bag as well. I really want to get that finished and Puck is making one for a class this month so it gave me a reason to want to work on it. I'm surprised that mom didn't ask about it when she came up, she bought the yarn for it for my birthday last year.

I was pretty excited today because I got my Knit Picks order which included my new Ball Winder! I made my very first yarn cake today and I am really excited about it. I also got some yarn in the package as well :)

Thursday, January 8, 2009

New Year's Resolutions

Alright, its that time of year again. I have a few, some are typical, some are not.

1) Actually fulfill all my New Year's Resolutions :)
2) Lose 15 pounds
3) Run the Half-Marathon in June and beat my time from last year (shouldn't be hard)
4) Finish all my WIPs from last year or frog all those that will never be finished
5) Learn at least 2 new knitting techniques
6) Update my blog more
7) Work on my Spanish more

Okay, those should be enough to work on.

Empecé a practicar mi español esta noche. Unas amigas y yo fuimos a un restaurante mexicano y yo hablaba con el dueño, Pedro. Este fin de semana voy a escribir una carta a mi familia en España porque no he escrito en mucho tiempo. Tengo que decirles que estoy prometido. Me gustaría leer uno de mis libros de España, posiblemente El Lazarillo de Tormes.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

HPHC January 2009 Term

Well, the new year is off to a good start :) The classes were posted for the House Cup and I signed up for all of them, of course. I am also the quidditch captain and I may end up as a beater or chaser as well.

So, here are my classes and the projects for them:

Herbology: Organize yarn, patterns and Rav queue, and pick one project to do every month for the next 12 months. I love this assignment because I am organizing my new craft room and this gives me a kick in the butt to do it. Also some of us decided earlier that we would start on yule/xmas gifts now and do one a month, so that works in perfectly :)

Defense Against the Dark Arts: The assignment is the Imperius Curse. We had to look at another students project page and do one of the projects that they have done. I am doing Calorimetry. It has been in my queue forever and I can use the leftover Malabrigo Worsted from Jenni's scarf that I am working on now.

Charms: We are supposed to knit something that will make us happy, something for ourselves. I chose the Celtic Cable Neckwarmer from my queue and I will use the amazingly soft and lovely pink Araucania Azapa!

Care of Magical Creatures: Something to keep our magical pet warm. I am crocheting a blanket for Izzie. I have been meaning to do this for some time so this is great. I am using up some really old Red Heart that I got from Nicole's grandma.

Artimancy: Find our numbers and create something with them. Not sure what I will do for this one yet....

OWLs: I want to do the Seascape Stole. I ordered some yarn from Knit Picks for it. This one we have all term (3 months) to finish.

History of Magic is the last class but I don't know what the assignment is yet.

I started Jenni's scarf today. I was hoping it would fit in for homework for one of the classes but it didn't, oh well. I am already 2/3 of the way done, so I should be finished by Saturday night when we go out to the cabin to see them. It was supposed to be her xmas present but I was doing the Herringbone Neckwarmer and I just didn't like it. I frogged that and started the Ribbed Mini-Scarf which I like a lot better.

I have a feeling there will be a lot of knitting and crocheting this year :)

House Cup

Most people are excited today because of the New Year, I am excited because the new term of the House Cup is starting on Ravelry. Hopefully the new classes with be posted in the next few hours and I can plan my projects :)

I am also excited because we are finally moved into our new house. I still have a lot of things to organize and do here, but everything is here now :) And, we both love this house!

And, another reason I am excited is that I just got engaged a few days ago!! The wedding is tentatively set for October 2010 in Bermuda. I will be knitting and crocheting my entire wedding dress and some extras for the trip.

All in all this is set up to be a great new year. Happy New Year to everyone. Prospero año nuevo.