Procrastination

As I sit at JFC's computer taking pictures of myself with the webcam, my mind is scanning thru the lists of things I SHOULD be doing. Like finishing up the gifts I need to mail out so they get there by the birthdays they are intended for. Or packing up some boxes for the move. Or finishing the singlet I started 3 days a go, which I promptly set aside after finishing the "fun part". Or starting the camisole I bought the pattern for...or working on Stephanie's hat that I promised her...or the socks for JFC...or the sweater I started for him last OCTOBER. Or the grocery shopping I said I would do while he went surfing...

now I am not totally lazy...I did do the laundry, tidied up and even put our "important do not lose" papers in a special binder. But now I find myself glued to this chair taking pictures of myself. Doing the whole...ok right after this one I am gonna go get busy, or in the count of 3 I am going to get up and get to that to do list.

On the productive side of things though...I did use my new earth & human friendly biodegradable wool wash. The sweater and slippers came out on the other side brillianty...its the hat I decided to block that I am a little worried about. It wasn't very tightly knit and the contact with the water let it wiggle around and loosen up so that it is now like 2 or 3 times the size it was before (which was already a bit big for my head). So I scrunched it up a bit and put it on a towel to dry and I am hoping it just shrinks back down...otherwise I will just have to carry it around with my and offer it to the first "giant head" person that crosses my path...I hope they like the kitty ears and purple tyedye.

Anyways I will hopefully do another post this evening with a picture of something besides myself (cross your fingers...like a finished lovely knit something or other)

Social Anxiety Disorder

As I sit here...anxiously awaiting the clock to strike 6 (as once this happens we are on our way to have dinner with some very nice people), I can't help but wonder why I am so afraid of socializing. The second I am told that we will be going to a somewhat social activity, dread creeps up my spine. My mind frantically searches for excuses of why I can't go. But why?? I like people...I like chatting...and I like eating dinner. But for some reason all of these things combined = near panic attack for Andrea. I am thinking maybe it has something to do with my fear of embarrassment...for you see, I am a living "embarassing moment." I am constantly walking into things, dropping things, hurting myself, saying things that don't make sense...but luckily this is usually in the comfort of my own home where the only person to make fun of me is JFC...and I can laugh with him at my lack of grace. But in front of other people...especially other people I don't know that well...my clumsiness is heightened to a whole new level. I will trip on the step the second we walk into the house, if there is a cupboard anywhere near me I will bang my head on it (and then I think for maybe a second no one saw me and then I here the OOOO that looked painful are you ok?? and I say yes of course ha ha ha, as I clench my jaw and try to blink back the tears) I will struggle to answer the simplest of questions, I all of a sudden become afflicted with every speech impediment known to man...stuttering, dyslexia... Add wine to the mix and oh man...you get basically what is pictured above...a red faced frantic woman a few seconds away from a nervous tick. I have trouble controlling the volume of my voice and find myself rambling on for AGES as the other persons eyes go blank. I hate eating in front of other people, and because of this i syke myself out and end up doing horrible things like accidentally spilling my glass of wine (which JFC has become accustomed to the habit of constantly moving away from my flailing arms) or flicking food off of the plate as i am trying to cut into something...in fact just the other night as we are eating with all of JFC's family...I have my plate on my lap and am trying to cut into a potato and somehow my hands slip and I end up with three quarters of my meal on my skirt and the floor. And you can forget about going to the bathroom! My bladder will explode long before I gather courage to ask where the toilet is.
Basically...if my mothers legs were long enough, I would still hide behind them like I did when I was 5 (actually I think I did that up until we moved here). If given the choice, I would probably become a hermit and never have to deal with an awkward situation again...luckily I have people, like JFC, who make me go...and by the end of the dinner I am happy to have been in the company of others and I always tell myself "see remember this next time you get your pantys in a twist about hanging out with other people...ITS GOOD FOR YOU!" Unfortunately that thought is far from my memory by the time another dinner invitation comes our way.

Larry

Well since we have been here I have seen all kinds of crazy little critters...a Weta, Praying Mantis (such as Larry here), a Ghost Moth...and I just find them amazing. Especially the bright green ones. So I take pictures of them, because well...they are just much more interesting then your run of the mill insects I was use to seeing back home. Although now that I am paying more attention...I'm wondering what I may have neglected to see in Michigan...I think when we are back in the fall for a bit it will be like looking at everything thru new eyes. And I am very excited for that. Excited to enjoy everything that I may have taken for granted in the past few years.
Anyways...it looks like we are moving, most likely to Rotorua. We gave our 3 weeks notice today for the Ponsonby house. I'm excited for the move. It looks like we will be living on one of the lakes. Which are beautiful. And I think that it will give us much more to do...the lakes, walks, mountain biking...and the little bonuses like the LYS that i really like in downtown Rotorua. Plus we will be closer to the snowboarding and still close to the ocean and JFC's family of course.
Well I am suppose to be working on a pattern for the baby singlets I have been asked to make...instead of sneaking and writing another blog. I get so distracted. I think I need to just turn off the computer and leave the room...otherwise I won't ever get any knitting done.
Oh! I almost forgot...so the other day we are driving back to Auckland and I have my arm out the window and am literally thinking "wow this is such a nice feeling...the air temperature is perfect and feels so nice runnign along my arm and hand...and I might just write a blog about how nice this is!" when out of NOWHERE I feel this horrible little pain on my arm. I yank my arm back in the window and look down and there is this little thorn looking thing popping out of it (we were on the highway by the way...going about 110 km) so I try to pull it off and it is all sticky and it is stinging...I am confused and a little bit shocked because I have just been so violently jerked from my happy little thoughts...so I grab a piece of paper and use that to remove the "thorn". So I am now feeling alittle shaky and I look around the car to see if anyone has noticed my frantic behavior...but no one has. So I look back at my arm which is swelling a little and a rash is breaking out and I go to move up my sleeve a bit more when a WASP flies out!! This wasp flew/landed stinger first in my arm! And is still alive and on ME!!! So now I am waving my arms wildly trying to get it out of the car...which finally it does. Now JFC's brother is in the car so I am attempting to keep my cool. (Otherwise I wouldn't be surprised if there had been tears). I mean what a horrible feeling. I was so happy...just really enjoying life at that moment...and then STING...I just felt so violated...it still makes me shiver a bit.

Dipping my toes into the design pool...

Here is the hat I just finished up...I was surprisingly pleased with how it turned out as I just kind of winged the design as I went along. Next up will be all knitting for others...I have lots of presents to do, a hat for Stephanie, and a family friend of JFC asked me to knit some baby clothes...time to get busy. But I think it may have to wait until tomorrow as I have spent about the last million hours loading my pictures into flickr and getting it all set up...and well i'm spent. So I leave you with one extra picture, a close up of the hat so you can see the wonderful little button and all the fun textures.

Daylight Savings

Alright this is just a quickie...but I would just like to share what time it is. You see, we have to pick up JFC's brother at the airport this morning so I knew it would be an early one...I just didn't know how early. We had to set the clocks back an hour last Sunday...no problem. So last night I set my phone alarm to wake us up at 4:45 a.m. Which it does. So I lay around for another 10 minutes and then force myself up and into the shower. As I get out I grab my watch and head to the bedroom to get ready, and this is when I peer down and look at my trusty watch which tells me that it is now only 4:05. You see in Michigan, cell phones just automatically change the time, whether it be for daylight savings or just when you are on a trip and change time zones. Here this is not the case...so yup by now it is very obvious...I didn't change my phone clock. So JFC is dreaming away in the other room enjoying his extra hour of sleep while I am sitting here writing a blog. Ouch.

Anyways we are off to Rotorua today and probably won't be back until Tuesday...so this is the last one for a few days. Enjoy my picture of the ladybug :)

mmmm...knitting

Well I finished the camisole...and i love it. although I am looking a bit on the gumpy side in the pictures (taking pictures of yourself as quickly as possible before somebody spots you doing it sometimes ends with odd face contortions and awkward poses)...but I am still very happy with the outcome of this little diddy. It was so fun to make and didn't even take much yarn. I can't wait to start my other pattern from Glampyre.com...Orangina. Unfortunately her site isn't loading so I can't link it, but I will when i can. I also designed a hat to knit up out of some of my new yarn, and now that my books came there is a Hoodie i can't wait to design...the project list is growing faster than I can knit them!



As an added bonus my knitting books finally arrived!! Very exciting. Knitting Without Tears is marvelous, one of my favorite quotes so far being "Washing a real sweater is akin to bathing a baby, and brings the same satisfaction of producing a clean, pretty, sweet-smelling creature-very rewarding." And the cover alone on Knitting from the Top Down makes it a worthy purchase.

I hate running

Well first things first...I hate running. I knew this already, but for some reason decided...maybe it isn't as bad as I remember. It is. I woke up bright and early this morning ready to go, laced up my little puma running shoes and even did some stretches. At first it was good, but that is probably just because I was going downhill. Which, if I could always be going downhill...I would love running. But you see once you get to the bottom of that hill...you have to run back up. I live on a hill...so only 2 blocks down from my house as I am climbing back up the hill, the song I was listening to ended and for those brief seconds when the next song in line is getting ready to start I heard my breathing. My labored wheezing...and all of a sudden I remembered just how much I hate running. All of a sudden my throat and lungs were on fire, I felt dizzy and nauseous. I kept going...hating myself more and more for not having a fast metabolism and naturally toned thin body...I think tomorrow I might try yoga...because I hate running.

Good news...excercise is checked off the list for the day and now it is on to knitting. We had to take an emergency trip down to Rotorua a few days a go and I got to stop at the LYS (which is the best I have found so far). So I picked up some very soft slightly thicker yarn for socks (as we are moving to a colder climate so JFC can snowboard) and also the yarn I plan to use for Orangina.

Monsters, slippers, & camisoles...oh my!

I decided to take a few more photographs of some of the recent knitted works while I drank my afternoon tea. I am loving knitting the camisole tube . The yarn i am using is a 100% merino, kona superwash, hand-dyed from Woven Art . It is so soft and perfect for knitting the lace patterns and the bobbles. Here is a close up of the bobbles which were too fun :) I am down to the ribbing on the bottom, so i am thinking i will be finished by tomorrow.



Here are some ballerina slippers I whipped up when I couldn't think of anything else the other day:



And last but not least, a fun snapshot of the 2 headed love monster:



Well tomorrow I am going to attempt at going on a run, should be a funny site at the least. After that I am planning to finish the camisole and start swatches for the next top I will be working on. And plotting out gifts for upcoming birthdays and sketching for a sweater I am trying to design. I'm hoping (fingers crossed) that my 2 new knitting books from amazon will arrive!

Happy Sweet Sixteen

Happy Birthday to my BEAUTIFUL little Katie Rose!! I wish I could I be there! I will be thinking of you the whole day. I miss you so much. You are so sweet and kind...and dorky and goofy :) And just fabulous...and i really hope that you have a fabulous day.

Thinking of you!

xoxo Your big sister

i love you a bushel and a peck, a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck

Well we spent a lovely morning at the beach, Justin spent the morning surfing and i spent it sitting on a blanket and knitting my new project...the camisole tube from www.glampyre.com.





i am really excited about this project because it is only the 2nd piece of clothing i have done. wish me luck :) anyways we just got back alittle bit a go and had a delicious lunch which i suggest for anyone looking for something yummy & fresh:

Avocado Toast

*a few slices of your favorite grainy toast (my personal favorite..sunflower & barley or lynseed & soy)
*ripe avocado
*vine ripened tomatoes
*fresh basil
*coarse sea salt
*coarse freshly ground black pepper
*zataar spice (this is a blend of spices, sesame seeds, thyme, oregano...) popular spice used in Mediterannean food

very simple...just toast the bread, spread with avocado, top with basil and tomato and season to your liking. the fresh ingredients and hearty toast leave you full but not stuffed, a healthy and savory lunch (or breakfast)

well time to get back to my knitting and maybe an episdode of Blue Planet

Here i am...

Well lets see...My name is andrea...and i'm a knitter. I was born in Michigan but i now live in New Zealand. A typical day for me goes something like this...wake up around 8ish sneak out of bed and start the tea...while singing in my wonderfully tone-deaf voice that i inherited from my lovely mother. once muesli and tea are ready i wake up my partner and we enjoy it on our front porch...followed by coffee (i like mine wet cappucino style with an extra shot) and a game. morning game is usually michigan rummy or a game of dice. next it is more off key singing while dancing around the house doing chores and getting ready for the day. Next on my list...the internet. not owning a tv has made me obsessed with the internet. i gorge myself on email, myspace, and knitting websites/blogs. when i have checked all of my usuals it is time for knitting or reading. i make lunch...dance aroudn some more do whatever needs to be done...and we usually go on a long walk somewhere. dinner time rolls around after which we hang out until movie time. we end every day usually watching a film and then having a little read. so there you go...that is basically what my days involve...

Well I think that is enough to kick this off...I am sure I will have plenty more to say later.