How many?

Occasionally, I clean my office. It's tough to clean my office because it sends me down memory lane. Oh! I remember that yarn... I bought it at CGOA in 2014. I had big plans of designing a top-down sweater with it!  And oh yeah! I forgot I bought that luscious hank of hand-painted yarn because I couldn't resist the color... I had no plan for it but I knew that I HAD to have it.

How many of you, like me, have abandoned single skeins in your closet? They are too good to get rid of but the plan for creating from them just hasn't happened.

How many, would you guess, single skeins do you have in your yarn closet?

Do they have memories for you like souvenirs like mine do? Where is your most obscure skein from?

A New Binder

Keep your fingers crossed for a new binder project.

Monday Motivation: Going Without

We had a family wedding this weekend. Tom's Niece, Erica is now married to her beloved Jeff. Here I am with Chickee.

A rare photo of Tom and me. 

Then, as promised... Monday Motivation. Yesterday was cold. It was blustery. I was tired. It was a long (but fun) weekend. I couldn't think of a good reason to run. I already wore the dress, so I didn't have that hanging over my head. I had a race last weekend, the last one for a while... so that wasn't motivating me. My running partner, was out of town, so I didn't even have peer pressure to motivate me.  I got to the park, and as you can see, I was stalling taking selfies instead of getting out the door. The only thing I could think of was that I hadn't run all week and I'd feel really sluggish if I didn't get out there soon. I knew I'd probably feel happier once I got it done.  I'm 15 miles BEHIND my goal for the month. It would be so easy to just say, 'I blew it, I give up'. So... I would just have to run without motivation. Just go without. I had shoes and warm clothes, who needs motivation? Not me.

And a random cat photo. 

Monday Motivation 230%

When the alarm clock rings at 4:30 in the morning for a 7 am race when it's cold and dark, it would be easy to hit snooze a couple of times. But really, it's much easier to "don't think, just go" first thing in the morning when I am still asleep and half conscious than convincing myself to exercise at say, 6 pm.

In the afternoon or evening there is plenty of time to talk myself out of doing things that get me to my goal. That's why, I know that if I don't exercise before noon, it gets less and less likely that it will actually happen.

Anyway, yesterday I got up at stupid o'clock, in the dark, in the cold, to go run 13.1 miles. At that point in the morning as we all congregate around the start line, you can hear people saying, "Why did I think this was a good idea?" and "This seemed like a good idea over the summer..." and "Why am I doing this again?".  But, at that point, the decision has already been made, so finishing is the only real option.

I guess my point is... don't talk yourself out of your goals. Don't think, just go. Show up at the start line. Be there. Get it done. Whatever your start line is.

#willrunforbling

Doesn't everyone plop down on the ground in a parking lot? #dontcareaboutdirt

Wow, 230% of my day's activities done before 10:30. That's kinda cool. 

Doting on Dots Revealed!

The Doting on Dots handbag is here! It's a new pattern in the December issue of I Like Crochet magazine. Check out the full issue which also includes my Isabella Cowl that I revealed on Wednesday.

I don't get to work with black nearly enough! Yes, working with black yarn is tough to see and requires great lighting but I think it's worth it. 

See... you don't have to be a great sketch artist to be a crochet designer. ;) 

Isabella Cowl Revealed!

The Isabella Cowl is a design that had been on my mind for some time but I hadn't gotten around to stitching it until I Like Crochet gave me the opportunity! It's in the new, December issue of I Like Crochet, which can be found HERE.

Here's my original design doodle: