Why is Simple So Hard?

Know your limitations.  Isn't that one of those catch phrases floating around out there?  Well, limitations suck.  There.  I said it.  It seems as though all of my days and weeks and months of late involve me not being able to accomplish everything I want to accomplish.  Granted, I am trying to accomplish a lot but it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth when I have to edit and omit and postpone...

Where did simple go?  Simple is simple, it shouldn't be that hard.  Family dinners, homemade Holidays, time spent together playing a board game, playing in the snow (if/when we get any), baking cookies, reading a book, being present in the moment, even just being.  These are not hard things but with the all the other stuff/crap that I have to contend with it just seems impossible at the moment.  My house is never clean, the laundry never seems to be done AND put away, my WiP's remain WiP's because I don't have the time to work on them, patterns don't get finished as quickly because I don't have time to write them/knit them, projects don't get started because I haven't finished the WiP's, cookies don't get made because I am trying to ignore my dirty bathroom and put laundry away and read with my minions and make some sort of feeble attempt to find my floor, I lose out on full days at a time because my god-awful nursing gig only allows 12 hour shifts and the shifts themselves have been so bad (I don't remember the last decent shift I've had but lately they have been truly horrendous) that it takes a day (or more) just to even be able to focus on trying to do something remotely productive and if I'm lucky, creative....  It's all just negativity and I don't like being so negative.  It's overwhelming.  I just keep trusting in the hope that if I just keep plugging away eventually I will be able to see blue sky above me and will be able to breathe again.  I'll keep you posted ;)

Now that it's December, I can show my November Mystery Sock photos - Moody Stockings :)

This is actually the second sock that I test-knit for this pattern.  I thought I was losing my mind as I knit the first sock.  No, really,  I did.  To keep my needles organized, I keep them in their original packaging so I can just look for the size I need and grab them without measuring.  This is important to mention because I knit my socks using the circular needle method so the needles need to match.  As I was knitting my first sock, I would grab one of the needles and think, "wow, this needle is huge, this can't be a US 1".  I'd finish my round and would grab my needle gauge and would pick up a needle, "nope, US 1".  Okay.  I'd knit a bit further, "Seriously, this can't be a US 1!".  I'd try it again and the needle I picked up would fit perfectly in the US 1 slot.  This went on and on and on.  The sock fit further up my leg than it would normally have done given the CO number but I thought it was just looser due to the texture pattern, I knit fewer instep rounds than I usually do but still thought it must be some sort of fluke.  I couldn't figure out what was going on.  I finished the entire sock, kitchener'd the toe, and took both needles to the needle gauge.  I had knit an entire sock using a US 1 (which was the one I would keep grabbing when I measured before), and a US 2.  What I felt as I realized this was a mixture between Validation!  I wasn't insane - it was bigger than a US 1 :D  and wow, what a dumbass - why didn't you measure both needles at the same time before?  Then it hit me that I would have to knit 2 more socks instead of 1 for a matching pair and the validation elation wore off...  The second, well, third Moody sock is still on the needles and will remain a WiP until who knows when.  I'm not sure when I stuck a US 2 in a US 1 package and vice versa, but the issue has been sorted out and fixed and will hopefully not be repeated ;)  However, I am using the first Moody Flub Sock as a mixmatched pair so that worked out!

Another illustration of my postponements of late would be the following 2 FO's.  Last year the Dreams in Fiber Household went to the Indianola Balloon Festival and I had the thought - now wouldn't those make fun Holiday ornaments?  

 

I had the original prototype finished last Summer with the intention of releasing the balloon ornament pattern along with a few other patterns last December.  Nope.  Released them this December.  Hey, it's one thing that I could cross off my list!

The other FO that will be a Holiday gift for little miss is this Flip Top Bag.  Remember those sandwich baggies that were around before the zippered versions?  This is one of those only knit.  I've sewn a few of these bags before but thought it would be an easy way to use up scraps and to make a bag that can be used for Holiday wrapping or stuffing pj's in...  

 

This particular bag (minus the embroidery that I had planned on adding once upon a time) will be used to house some doll clothes.  I have always wanted to have a Molly Weasley Christmas where all of my minions and hubby would receive sweaters.  I have accepted that this would not be my Molly Weasley year but I still couldn't let go of knitting the minions sweaters.  So I knit them each a sweater for their stuffed animals.  They will get more sweaters, but I'm starting with one a piece.  I'm almost done with both - I think I need sleeves on one and sleeves and a collar for the other.  Pics will follow.  It is really an insanely easy project that didn't take much time - just a rectangle with some creative seaming.  This is the smaller version (again, knowing my, uh, limitations...) but I'll probably whip out a few larger ones next year.  There are only 20 days until Christmas and less than that until the Mayan Calendar runs out - should be interesting!!!

The third pattern that I released recently was finished and gifted last December - a wee doll blanket.

Little man had a great Birthday and THANK YOU to those that sent him presents.  I have every intention to send out Thank You's with the Holiday Cards but I seem to be on a roll lately so if they're late...  

 

The hubby had a nice birthday as well.  I don't know how well being in the "mid-thirties" range is agreeing with him but there's really  no helping that.  

We went down to the in-laws's lake house over Thanksgiving weekend and the minions got to spend some time outdoors.

    

The weather was a bit chilly and damp though so Grandpa H brought out a new "toy" for them to play with. 

I need to spend some quality time with my To Do List and clear out a few WiP's so I can get a few more projects started/finished.  I have a rule when it comes to the Holidays that each minion has to make something for the other.  I will help them, but it is their idea and if it is knitted, they are required to knit actual stitches in the project.  I haven't started either minion project and they're both knit.  Gulp.  And I still need to finish embroidering the stockings along with other things...  I have finished a few Holiday projects though, the tree is up and decorated, and I've even wrapped some presents.  I'm getting there.