I've been busy lately. With all of the crafting I've been doing on the go, I decided I need a new project bag. The grocery bags I've been using are perfectly serviceable, but I just don't like them for daily use. The straps are a perfect length for hauling groceries, but they are too short to carry on my shoulder for an extended amount of time. AND it's awkward to work on a project with the yarn coming out from my armpit. So I've decided to make a new project bag.
     I'm making up my own pattern out of Tunisian crochet and have no clue how it's going to turn out. If I manage to finish it, I may just have to write up the pattern to share. All I know so far is that it's going to be smaller than the typical grocery bag I normally use, and I plan to have a cross-body strap.

In other news, I managed to remember how to do Tunisian crochet. It was a hairy couple of minutes as I struggled to remember how to use a skill I have not practiced in a few years. This is how much I had accomplished after about two hours of Netflix crafting. Not bad considering I needed to dig out YouTube videos to remind me how the stitch worked.

A really bad time

I've mentioned my depression before. It really sucks sometimes. Like this weekend. It's a shame that I got so far in my life before I learned about self-care and how to better live with this unwelcome visitor.

I feel like I should have seen it coming sooner. When I look back over the last few weeks, I can see the signs. I've been extra forgetful, having trouble sleeping, violent in my anger at small things... But then I woke up on Saturday and it was like I had no feelings. It's like someone switched off my desire to enjoy things and replaced it with a desire to sleep forever. I spent much of that day staring disgustedly at the crochet in my hands, loathing it for not becoming what I wanted it to be. Watching Netflix hasn't been the haven it normally is, because all of the shows I normally watch while relaxing feel off and less pleasant than normal.

I hate this! The only positive I can see in this current flare up of ugliness is that I don't hate myself and I don't think I'd be better off among the not-living. While I'm exhausted and emotionally blank, I know that I am still deserving of love, and that has been a Very Hard Lesson to learn over the years. I know I'm not a failure even though I made major mistakes in the recent past. These are the kind of mistakes I make when I am not at my best, and nothing actually went wrong. Everything was able to be fixed and I just have to straighten myself out again.

In the meanwhile, I will continue to take care of myself. I will shower, even when I don't feel like it. I will eat at regular intervals, not constantly snack on junk food. I will try to keep my sleep schedule as normal as I can. I will work on crochet projects that behave so I can see something go right and start trying to feel better, even if it's only a little bit at a time.

It's been something of a trying week. But I'm keeping my hands busy and myself mostly out of trouble. Getting so super excited about my crochet is good for that.

I bought some new boots for the winter and made a worrying discovery about halfway through my work-day. The zipper on the right boot was rubbing on the inside of my ankle and was really starting to hurt. I did what any crafter with half a brain would do. I decided to make a new thing! So I crocheted my first pair of boot cuffs. Ignore the reflectiveness of my legs. I don't fare well in the sun.

I'm looking forward to having the chance to try socks or *gasp* a sweater! Someday...

Back into the swing

     I managed to find a new idea to get excited about, and have been creating personalized scarves for giftmas presents. It's nice to have a challenge that is completely self-imposed. And it can get challenging, creating my own patterns. But I'm finding interesting ways to make people's names fit inside a scarf without the scarf becoming too wide to be comfortable. I've gotten one finished. Now, I just need to get it washed and photographed.

A productive weekend

It has been so long since I felt good at the end of a weekend. But this has been a good one.

I finished another hat and a giftmas present today. AND I figured out that I can borrow roomie's styrofoam wig head to take pics of hats. I like the idea of being able to post pics without having to grab random friends to model.

For now, I'm going to dive back into my Netflix binge and work on my filet tablecloth. I still need to settle on what colors I want my lace wall-hangings to be for my next charity project.

Time to do a thing!

I LIVE!!!!!


But seriously. It's been a short eternity while I dealt with many life changes. And now it's time for the next challenge: selling my things. Above, you'll see a tab labelled "Tiger Tangles Pricing Guide" which is the genesis of my new business selling crocheted items. Please check it out and hopefully order something. I still have to get a complete Terms of Service in place, but one step at a time will get me where I need to be.
And I swear I'll post more often than once a year.

On how depression is like being drunk

    It amazes me how much depression has remained in my conversations while I'm (temporarily) in a state of relative emotional good health. But maybe that's a good thing. For the record, everything I'm going to say here is based on my own experience. It may help someone else or not. I'm an expert only at what I've lived through.
     I was at a bar this past weekend, talking to some friends, when what should enter the conversation but that one of them was celebrating that he'd recently crawled out of a longer-than-usual depressive funk. After congratulating him on making it through, I decided to show him one of my tricks I use when no one else is around to see what a state I'm in. That led to him asking the question that has lodged in my mind ever since. How can one help someone struggling with depression while being in that very same pit, themselves?
     Today, I came up with the perfect analogy. Helping a depressed person when you're depressed is kind of like two drunks trying to help each other stay standing. It's messy, and awkward, but somehow it still works out. For a while, at least. So here's what I do:
     I keep a folder of pictures in my phone. It's labelled as "Inspiration" and is full of images that have positive comments.

 They remind me in my worst moments that the bad moment I'm in won't last forever.

 They remind me that even though I may question it, I have people who care about me.

 They remind me that even though I'm feeling bad, I can be something good for someone else.

     Because I know that if I can just get through one more day, it'll get better eventually. Even when I'm at my worst, it often makes me feel just a little better to know that I've done something to help someone else.
     I have a best friend. I talk about her enough that I don't think I need to explain how awesome she is again. When I hit my absolute worst points, where I think I'm not worth anything, and don't deserve to have any friends, she manages to make me smile. Even if only for a few minutes. And that is enough to get me through one more day. And when she's in her bad places of a different variety, I do whatever I can. I listen, I commiserate. I make wild, insane plots of cartoonish violence that we will never actually attempt.
     And if I'm merely leaning on another depressed person, while it may not be pretty, eventually one of us will start to feel a little better. And no one has fallen down. Because we're holding each other up.

Just another weekend

     It's been pretty boring of late.
     I had a minor temper tantrum about work and I don't know what's going to happen with that in the coming days. But when I was reasonable in explaining my mood to my manager, he seemed to understand and is going to try to see what can be done about it.
     Yarn stuff is still happening, although I may have slowed down just a tiny bit. I'm hard at work on the Candy Corn Throw for BFF. I have 40 of 72 pieces started. Once I have all of the pieces done with one color stripe, I can begin with the second color. There is something so satisfying about having a portable project that I can work with anywhere. Since I haven't been doing washcloths this year, I forgot how good that can feel.

     I'm getting ready to head off to Biscuits Bingo soon with BFF and some other friends. For those who don't know, Biscuits Bingo is an annual bingo event to support the Animal Rescue League Shelter & Wildlife Center. It's probably one of my favorite fundraisers to attend every year.

     I wish there was more interesting stuff happening in my life to talk about. I feel bad that I rarely have anything worthwhile to say. I'm trying. Honestly!

Trying to keep in touch

     I swear, every time I say I'm going to make a habit of sitting down and blogging more frequently, I get distracted by everything else going on in my life.
     It's been a busy time. With the New Year, I decided to make 2015 "The Year of the Afghan" because I have an irresistible urge to knit/crochet blankets. So far, I've completed one afghan to donate to WPAFW for their charity raffle. I've started and almost completed  a second blanket for a good friend. And I'm getting ready to start on a third for my bestie. I hope to have 12 afghans completed by the end of the year, but if I leave room for reality, I'm planning to have about eight done by Christmas.

     Here's a WIP photo of the blanket I made for WPAFW. I haven't gotten a final picture of it since completing it.

     Here's the most recent photo of the afghan for Shiki. I'm almost done, but have to get a good picture soon.

     I'm honestly going to try to update this more often. But sometimes, the routine of life makes it seem like there is nothing interesting happening when it's only routine to me and it might be interesting to others.

Just a rant

     I miss you. As much as you say you miss me. You keep asking me to come visit you on the other side of the country. I don't think that is ever going to happen, and I'm trying to come to terms with the unhappy fact that I may never see you again.

     You want me to take time off work, pay airfare and stay with you in a home that is going to make me physically sick because I am allergic to your multiple pets. And then there is your roommate who, although I love them as much as you, is enough to make a saint swear. I've offered to get a hotel in the large city an hour from your home, but you tell me that is too far for you to come to see me. You offer to get me a room at a hotel in your town that is so small you don't even have a pharmacy. I'd have nothing to do except gamble at the casinos where you spend so much of your leisure time.

     I have asked you several times to come visit me. But you say you can't. I don't understand why not. You don't have a job to take time off from. You could visit other relatives and friends other than just me.

     I feel like I just don't matter to you as much as you say. I don't know what to do with this unsettling thought.

A discovery of self

     Confession time: I've never been the neatest person.Trust me, I've felt nothing but shame over it, but I just felt there was nothing I could do to change it, no matter how hard I tried. Even living with roommates who helped share the load of housework, nothing seemed to be enough.
     Now, I live alone and guess what! While the apartment isn't ready for magazine covers, it's a far cry from the messes I've lived in for the last ten years. I've spent the last month trying to budget enough money to replace cleaning supplies and make sure everything has a proper space, rather than in piles of "I'll get to it later." I even found myself cleaning the toilet, not because it was especially disgusting, but because it has been a month and I wanted to stay ahead of stuff.
     I'm just happy to see that it really hasn't been my fault for all this time!

Craptacular day

     I wish I had something wonderful to talk about. I wish I had something awful to talk about. I wish I had anything legitimate to talk about.
     But today was just another in a series of crummy days...where everything just wasn't right!
     Days like today make me wish I was still married. I want someone at home who will hug me and tell me everything will be ok again. I want someone to bring me something to drink and a snack to share while we watch something silly on TV till I cheer up again. Of course, when I was married, I didn't have that either. When I was still married, days like today made me want to kill myself. So I guess I'm still doing better than I was.
     I really want to post more often, but I feel like I'm under so much pressure to maintain the relationships and social life that I finally have after craving them for so long. I have scheduled a lazy weekend soon, where I'm not allowed to make any plans or invite anyone over. I hate feeling alone, but the constant activity has finally worn me down to the point where I am so worn out every day that I am starting to cry over the littlest things. Maybe after I recharge a bit, I'll be able to find a better way of budgeting my time...

How to move without driving everyone around you insane

     As I said recently, I moved at the beginning of this month. It was rough on me, but then, I never handle moving well... I was living with a series of friends over the past two years in a wonderfully large house. But things changed, and it was time for me to live on my own. I found a nice one-bedroom apartment in a nearby complex, and started getting ready for the next phase of my life.
     In the course of preparing to transition from one home to the next, I went through a lot of phases. And I learned some things to remember next time. If there is a next time... I rather like this place, and don't know if I want to leave it any time soon...
     In no particularly important order, they are:

• Start saving months in advance. Moving is expensive and rarely comes as a surprise. There's the moving truck, security deposits for your apartment/house and utilities, and a million little things that you will need that you didn't before. Plus, you will surely want some new things for your new home, such as a new broom, curtain rods, shower curtain... Most of these things are inexpensive, but they add up quickly. Have enough money put aside so you can get them without having to live on Ramen for the first three months after you move while you try to figure out what you can afford to live without.
• Go buy good boxes. A lot of them. I went to Home Depot and got the "small" moving boxes. They are a little over one cubic foot. With the smaller boxes, I was able to keep anything from being extremely heavy. Having my boxes be roughly the same size made things easier when it came to playing moving-truck tetris. Don't get me wrong... You can totally stalk the local liquor store/grocery store/fast food joint to beg for free boxes. Those do tend to be pretty strong, but I found that after making the investment in boxes intended for moving, I could be sure that all my boxes were strong and intact. I had about 40-50 boxes and spent about $.75/box. 
• Start packing early.  I started almost six weeks before the planned moving date. Pack everything you know you aren't going to absolutely need in the immediate future. I started with my books and most of my yarn. I got my Christmas decorations together. If you wait till the week before, you're going to feel rushed and stressed out. It you wait till the day before the move, you are going to hate yourself and everything you own very quickly.
• THROW SHIT AWAY! I know this sounds silly, but really... Why are you saving that? Is it actually important? If so, pack it. But if it seemed important once, but you can't remember why...maybe it's time to let it go. There is no reason to transport clutter from one place to another. One of the great things about moving (even if the move itself is for crummy reasons) is that you're starting over. Make it a conscious decision to carry only positive things with you.
• Label your boxes. It will make unpacking so much easier when you know what will be in the box when you open it. Your labels can be as simple as "books" "pantry" "movies". Whatever makes sense. But try to pack boxes so that whatever is inside should go together in the new place. Try avoiding having boxes labelled "stuff". You'll probably end up with one or two boxes of things that don't really match in any category. Mark them for what room they will belong in.
• Use really visible marking for different spaces. Are you moving to a one room shack or a place with multiple rooms. They make duct tape in lots of fancy colors for some reason. Take advantage of this to use different colors to mark what room boxes will go in. And stay consistent. Think how much easier unpacking will be if all the boxes for the bedroom are in the bedroom, and not the living room. 
• Assemble your team. About a month before your move, start asking friends who you want to help you. Give them time to plan, so you aren't springing this on them at the last minute. Your friends have lives, too, and you're asking a lot of them. Be prepared to pay them back. Pizza and beer is the traditional fee for friends helping you move, but sometimes cold, hard cash might be a better offer. Don't forget that you will be obligated to help them in return someday. It's one of the rules of friendship, unless you're a total jerk. Or maybe hiring professional movers might be the best bet. Whether it's because you don't have any strong friends or just because you just don't want the hassle. I planned to do this, but I wasn't able to save enough money. Fortunately, I have more awesome friends than I realized, and acquired a small army that made my move happen really fast!
• Plan, plan, and over-plan. What time are you starting? Who is driving the UHaul? What is the worst thing that could happen on moving day, and how are you going to deal with it? If you plan for the worst, it is less likely to happen. And even if it does, you're ready for it. By the time moving day comes, you're going to feel stressed. If you have plans in place to deal with the things that will bother you, at least it won't kill you.
• Have an idea where you want your furniture. Chances are, you've seen your apartment at least once before moving day. Take a few moments to sketch out a basic floor plan with your furnishings where you want them. When you're unloading your truck at the end of the day, getting the big stuff into place before bringing in the boxes is infinitely easier than trying to arrange it around the boxes. It will also help you to feel "at home" sooner when your new place actually looks like a home, rather than a random pile of stuff.
• Appoint a Second In Command. Who do you really trust to keep a level head? On moving day, you will have a lot happening at once. Having another person who knows what you want done will help to eliminate confusion as you direct your team on what needs to go into the truck next, or where to put things at the new place. Share your floor plan with them, so that one of you can direct things from inside the house, and the other from outside.
• Eats! As I said earlier, if you're having friends help you, you should probably feed them. I've never had anyone complain about pizza and beer. If possible, pick up a case or two of beer a day in advance and put it in the refrigerator. Shop around for pizza deals in the neighborhood of your new place. Get people's topping preferences in advance, and have it written down. If you're going with a national chain restaurant, store your order in their mobile app. Then, you can place the order for pickup, and grab it on your way back from returning the moving truck! No matter how tempting it is, don't take a beer-break until the truck is empty. A pleasant break makes it hard to get motivated again.

     I know this seems like a lot, but moving is stressful and these are things I did to help make this current move a lot easier on myself. I'll add more, if I come up with anything else that seems worthwhile. Next, I'll post a few tips on how to unpack in a way that might help you stay sane!

I guess I should get back to this...

     It's been quite some time since I have posted anything. MUCH has happened in my life. Friendships have changed. People have come into, and gone out of, my life.
     I moved into a new apartment. By myself. It's been a long time since I lived alone, and I'm not sure if I'm really ready to do it again, but too late!
     I learned some things during the process of this move, that make me think people aren't very good at moving. So I think after I get a few thoughts together, I'm going to write a how-to guide. Just a few pointers of what I did that made things run more smoothly. As well as the things I should have done, but forgot to or just didn't think of until it was too late...
     But for now, let's just call this late-evening, before bed blurb be my re-entry to telling you about all the things that I get myself tangled in. Like finding my books and yarn again. And strengthening friendships that I never thought would be as important as they have become.

     I've missed you, by the way.

The annual holiday melt-down

     But really... I feel like I have this immense weight on my shoulders. No matter what I do, it never seems to get lighter. I do everything I can, but as soon as I think I've got things under control, someone dumps a fresh pile of rocks on top of me. Now, I don't know how to handle what's going on. I struggle so often, not only to be a responsible adult, but also to be a good and supportive friend to those around me.
     Now I find out that I don't just feel taken advantage of. I have been handed proof and an admission that I am. I have a friend that needed some financial help for a while. All I asked was that this person be honest about certain things that were going on. Tonight, I got incontrovertible proof that this person has been lying to me. They promised me that something was going to happen, when they knew the whole time that it wasn't. When I asked direct questions about it, they lied to my face.
     I try and try. I feel like I'm supporting my friends, but I'm not getting the same support in return. I don't know what to do anymore....

Existential crisis?

     I had some stuff happen the other day, where I started questioning my definition of my self.
As I've said, I'm losing weight. At this point, I've lost more than 20 pounds. This is wonderful, and I'm more than proud of myself for sticking with it. But I was looking at myself in a mirror to fix my hair, and I didn't recognize the person looking back at me. I knew it was myself, but something had changed in my face. Something that I still can't put my finger on, and it wasn't what I was expecting to see. This left me off-balance for the rest of the day at work. I mentioned it to a dear friend when we went out for dinner that night, but she really didn't have anything helpful to say. I think she just chalked it up to me "seeing" the weight-loss for the first time.
     After we got home from our wild and crazy adventures of dinner and grocery shopping (We're totally out of control!) I played online for a while before heading upstairs. I was having one of those nights where I didn't want to go to bed, even though I was tired and had to get up in the morning. After reading a short story and playing with my phone, I actually said out loud, "Go to bed, Morgain." This sent me into a philosophical spiral that kept sleep from me for some time.
I didn't recognize my own face in a mirror. I called myself by something other than the name I've used for most of my life. It was like I don't even know who I am anymore. Is this new person who I'm supposed to be right now? Or did I lose myself somewhere along the way. I've said before that I wouldn't undo my mistakes, because I'd lose the good things I gained along with the troubles... But should I take this chance to re-invent myself? Do I want to be whatever I'm becoming? I thought by now I'd know who I was. Now I wonder if I ever will...

Even if it kills me....

     I'm working really hard at this weight loss thing. I'm struggling with managing my calorie intake and portion control. I'm wearing my Jawbone UP every day and trying to manage my 10,000 step goal. I haven't really succeeded very well with either. But every day is an improvement over how I was living my life only two months ago.
     I bought the Zombies, Run app on the advice of a friend, and she was right. It is amazing! It really doesn't take much to turn exercise into something fun. The story line is compelling enough that I try to turn it on any time I'm walking more than four blocks and have nobody with me.
     Weekly yoga with Sage and Yitters is a good idea, but I have yet to see any success out of that. Of course, the first week was just that. A first. The week after that was Anthrocon, so we skipped that week in favor of the convention. Last week, I was just too hungover and anything that involved too much pressure on my stomach was dangerous. I got through maybe a third before I had to crap out. But as a reaction to that, I pulled out some of my favorite poses and am trying to do a fifteen minute workout at least once or twice a week, by myself. It's dreadfully simple and really doesn't have me doing any real stretching. But the point is that I'm conditioning myself to make a point of regular exercise. Eventually, I'll step that up, along with my walking.
     When I get better internet and cable, I'm going to get back into watching Doctor Who. I found a highly amusing DW exercise game that should make working out really easy to do, as well as something I'll rarely have trouble scheduling! I have to steal it from the website where I found it, and post it here so I can always find it. But that's an adventure for another time...

Way overdue!

     I know, I know.... It's been over a month. But STUFF has been happening, and it doesn't belong on the internet. And it has been so all-consuming that I didn't have anything else on my mind.
     Instead, let me tell you about my latest attempt at getting healthier! I went out with Paige last weekend, and we both got ourselves a Jawbone UP. It's a fitness band similar to a FitBit. By having something that tracks my daily step-count, I feel more motivated to actually move more often. And Paige and I are able to be "teammates" so we can share whatever daily info we choose with each other. This lets us see whether the other one is making their goals so we can support each other. This is definitely an improvement over having to do it alone.
     I went to the Emergency Room after Memorial Day weekend. We had gone up to Ohiopyle for a lovely day, but the plants up in the mountains are quite different from what we have down in Pittsburgh. So my allergies went haywire and I couldn't breathe. But that's beside the point. I had to step on a scale, and to my major disappointment, my weight had gone back up over 260. I managed to lose two pants sizes since leaving the ex- but due to circumstances leading to poor diet, my pants were getting pretty tight again. Now I know just how bad things were getting. I had to do something.
     My first step was to get back into the habit of eating more than once a day. I've never been a big fan of breakfast first thing when I wake up, but starving myself until dinnertime was not doing me any good. And while a sausage biscuit at McCrack is not the best option, but unless I start getting up at 6am, it's the only way I'm going to be able to eat before work. I just can't stand eating within the first hour of being awake, and I leave home less than 30 minutes after I roll out of bed in the mornings. And I make sure to log it into my UP app, so it can keep track of my nutrition for the day.
     The next thing I've done is, about two weeks ago, I stopped drinking pop. Except when I go out to a sit-down restaurant. Instead, I got a case of bottled water and a bunch of Mio and Dasani water enhancers. They have no calories and, more importantly, no sugar! And I have several flavors that I really like. I drink a lot more now, because it's a lot cheaper than pop, too. 
     Other than keeping track of how much I walk, I haven't really added any exercise yet. I wanted to spend a full week actually seeing what my behavior patterns are before I see what I can do to change them. So far, I'm averaging between 7,000 and 8,000 steps per day. So next week, I'm going to work a lot harder at making the 10,000 step goal that UP recommends. I'm also going to try some simple yoga once a week. A furry who lives a few blocks away loves doing yoga, and has found some easy, beginner poses to help me start with that. We're going to try it out for a few weeks before I decide if I'm going to commit to that, but nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?
     So, today when I came home from work, I randomly stepped on the roommate's scale. It said I weigh 250. That's a ten pound weight loss since Memorial Day! I've been keeping pretty decent track of my eating habits, and my UP tells me that I'm burning more calories than I'm taking in, and all the water I'm drinking is doing a pretty good job of flushing out my system. I don't expect my weight-loss to continue at such an awesome pace, but as long as it keeps going in the same direction, I'll be a happy tiger!
     Oh! And Anthrocon is coming up in just over a week! I'll be doing TONS of walking there! Let's see where my scale sits after mid-July!

Alexander does dumb stuff!

     Geek rant time! I haven't blogged in a month, because there isn't much in my head that I'm willing to share. But with last week's twelve-hour Werewolf game, I haven't been able to stop thinking about that. I will now go into nauseating detail about today's session. For those who do not enjoy role-playing geekery, I'm sorry. Try again next time?

Werewolf and yarn

     I haven't been posting much, because really, there hasn't been anything worth talking about. I get up and go to work every day. I come home and work on my scarves for Anthrocon. I spend weekends hanging out with friends. My mind is almost completely dominated by stresses I'm not willing to blog about yet, yarn-craft deadlines, and gaming.
     We finally got everyone in the same place at one time, and were able to play Werewolf. Gods, I keep forgetting how much I love that game. And how much I love my character... It always makes for a good game when everyone else is also having fun, resulting in us forgetting to watch the time and running on far past when we had intended to stop! I kind of miss the days when we used to play until someone literally fell asleep! But this group isn't up for those kind of sessions. But we seem to have a (mostly) functional group, and this might actually last to a complete chronicle! I was pleasantly surprised at how well Cortez did in his first session. He still has to make up his mind if he's going to continue playing, but I hope he does.
     As far as the yarn-craft goes, I'm slowly but steadily working my way through my list of projects. I'd probably be further in my progress if I didn't keep distracting myself by adding new projects!

• Complete the Elements of HArMoNY scarves in time for Anthrocon. I finished the elements of H , Ar, and Mo and am more than halfway through N. I have a minion that will sew in the eleventy million yarn ends, so I don't have to.  But he'll get equal credit when I turn them in for the charity raffle, so I don't feel the least bit bad about making him do the crap work. And he's doing a good job, too!
• Knit my $5 in Paris sweater.
• Thing A Day in February. I plan to make eleventy million washcloths again. DONE!
• Skillet handle cover for the cast iron skillet.
• Pot holders. I don't even know why I want these, but one must admit they're useful!
• New wristers for me to wear to work. I made a set out of the silky merino Zelda gave me for my birthday They are amazing, but they stretch so much during wear. I need to felt them to make them fit better. And I still want a new pair in a different yarn. I started on a pair, using the fingering weight yarn I got at the Fabric Fair, and a pair of size 0 needles. Such teeny little stitches!
• Wristers for Tom. My uncle works outside, and has been wearing little wrist-bands to help keep his hands warm. Good woolen wristers will do a lot more for him!
• Wristers for Mort. If I'm making them for family, why not my roommate who is a mechanic. Warm hands + maintaining dexterity = a good thing every time! Did I mention that he's totally knit-worthy at this point? Well, I made one... The rest of the yarn is sitting with the needles, waiting for me to pick them back up again. It will eventually become a portable project for during my commute to work.
• New arm warmers for myself. I love my "tiger paws" but they don't fit very well, and they don't look that good with everything. I need to make a nice grey(?) pair that will look good with any outfit. Plus do better at sizing them than my first attempt.
•  A new shawl for this summer. I bought yarn as a treat, and it's my project for during the commute to work. I have no real deadline for it, but can't wait to finish it. Just a simple, one-skein project to remind me that I'm worth something nice "just because." But for now, it's in "time out" until I have the energy to rip back past  a mistake.
• Baby gift for supervisor L
• Baby gifts for Berry I just want to make adorable baby things! And she is the lucky acquaintance who managed to get pregnant at the right time!

     See what I mean? The list just keeps getting longer! But I'm still making things. And finishing them. I'm also forming next  year's to-knit list of big projects. I'm seriously considering a goal of a king-sized afghan and a Doctor Who scarf in the same year!