Friday, February 6, 2015

Friday Mishmash

Last Saturday Cary and I drove to the MINI dealership for my "second date" with my salesman - they offer this so that you can ask any questions that have come up after you've had your car for a while.  The dealership is about 70 miles from my house, and we took some back country roads to get there.  As we were coming around a curve on one, I saw some giant blue birds ahead, on the side of the road.  Just as my mind was trying to process what kind of birds they were, we both saw the open tail on one and realized they were peacocks!  Right in front of us - it was so random.  A good blogger would have turned the car around and gone back for a picture, but there you go.  Anyway, loose/wild peacocks in Texas - who knew??

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I finished another cowl recently!  I've really been loving the cowls this winter - they keep me warm and I like wearing something that I've made:
Pattern is Duotone Cowl, yarn is Madelinetosh DK in Baltic colorway, and Knitted Wit Worsted in Autumn Rainbow.

I learned how to do the kitchner stitch to seam the two ends together.  It was a magical thing (and also a wee bit challenging)!

Drum roll, please:  I also finally finished the green mohair scarf that I started last March!  Woohoo!!!  I had to force myself to finish this one...it's not that I don't like the end result, because I do, but I did not enjoy knitting with mohair.  It was slippery on the needles, it stuck to itself, and god forbid I made a mistake and had to unknit it, because that was almost impossible.  But the scarf is very soft and pretty:
Pattern is Color Play Mohair Scarf and Wrap, yarn is Rowan Kidsilk Haze in Forest Green, Fern, Jelly, and Alhambra.

I haven't blocked this scarf yet - it's just about 5 feet long, and I think I can get a few more inches out of it if I go ahead and block it, so that will be a project for me one of these days.

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Spring has come early - well, at least to my closet.  We had several bright, sunny days and I was inspired to clean out my closet and really purge it of things I don't wear, don't need, and don't particularly need to be stored in my closet.  Because of the angles, it's hard to get a good picture, but it went from this:
Stuff everywhere!

To this:
Ahhhh...much better!  I filled up the boot (trunk) of my MINI and took a bunch of stuff to Goodwill.  Moved boxes of pictures and other things I need to save to the floor of the guest room - guess which closet needs to be cleaned out next?  I wonder when the next sunny day will come?  And now I'm wondering why I choose to spend my sunny days in a closet? 

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I can't resist a sleeping Paco:
This is where he stays while I shower.  Once I'm finished, and he knows the coast is clear and he isn't getting one, he goes onto the bed to sleep.  Silly pup!

Have a great weekend!

14 comments:

  1. I love the mohair scarf, the color is beautiful.

    And always when I see your closet, I want it too. I don't have a closet as cool as yours.

    Ah Paco is too cute. It's so funny to see how our dogs have routines for things. Bella f.e. knows that as soon as I pick up my keys from table at night, it's bedtime and she immediately is at the door to go to bed (she sleeps in her crate in our bedroom).

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    1. When Paco hears me click the off button on my iPad, he gets up and heads to his crate...love Bella has a similar routine!

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  2. That scarf is gorgeous. I guess after all that hard work you should just keep it for yourself.

    My closet looks like something blew up in it right now. But since it has no heat as it's under the eaves of the house, all I do is dash in and out of it. Won't get a good cleaning until the temps are at least in the 50's. This is the year for my big cleaning - throwing out things I haven't worn or looked at in a couple of years. I'm dreading that just because it's such a project.

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    1. You know, it was easier than I thought to purge clothes, once I realized that I was pretty meh about a lot of them (going by how I felt when I wore them). My friend Andi does the 33 clothing item thing per season and she always looks really pulled together; I should make more of an effort and try something like that (btw workout clothes don't count as part of the 33, otherwise I'd be dead in the water already, haha).

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  3. Nice closet!! I still haven't completely organized/arranged my closet. Its pretty cleared out, because I did that purge when it was being re-done. I still need my baskets from Ikea. Oh, I do have one shelf just for cowls and scarves, so I can see them and use them more often. Now if it would just get a little colder for a little while.

    The duotone cowl is very cool.

    And Paco--Sophie has some little hiding place she goes to when I start washing the dogs. But she can't help herself. She always comes out of hiding because she is afraid she is going to miss something.

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    1. I have my cowls on an open shelf, but it's at the bottom and you're right - putting them front and center means you'll see them and wear them. I've had no problem with it being cold enough to need them this winter - I swear, Texas has gotten colder in the 20+ years I've lived here!

      Love that Sophie can't help but come out of hiding. She is so funny!

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  4. I have been doing some early spring cleaning too! Even though nobody sees my closet but me, it makes me feel So much better! Beautiful scarf and Whoa on the Peacock! That's something!

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    1. Exactly - no one (well, except for the internet now, lol) sees my closet, but I feel good walking into it now. :)

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  5. Wow ....that must have been quite a sight to see a peacock! Your mohair scarf is absolutely stunningl!!

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    1. Thanks - I think I'll like the mohair scarf more as time goes by and I forget about the hassles of knitting it. :)

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  6. So does Jeff have a closet that big as well? It doesn't look like you are sharing that one ;)

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    1. Haha, nope. But his is a walk in. Just not quite like mine. Separate closets, along with three bathrooms, were a big selling point when we found this house!

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  7. You may think this is funny Shelley, while I don't normally wear a winter coat unless it's under 20 degrees, I DO wear your cowel to and from work each day - I love it! And if you want to come over and do my closets, I'll cook for you! :D

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    1. That's awesome - I'm so glad you like the cowl AND that it's enough to keep you warm! :)

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