Before I forget, here’s the One Small Change update:

February’s goal was to reduce printer output (saving paper, ink, energy to run the printer, and $).  It may sound stupid but I discovered the draft option, which I used as possible (I did not use that as an excuse to print more;  rather, if I could use it, I did).  I can’t quantitate how well I did, since there’s not a set amount I print each month, but I was certainly very conscious of when I did print anything, and being so, I do think I did much less.

We did finally get the deck lights off.

March will be an experiment in making do:  for the next week (at least through Friday) with the exception of buying milk, no trips to the grocery store.  We’ll eat out of the garden, fridge, freezer & cupboards. (And no cheating by ordering take out.)  I’d like to try this once/month.  Considering we usually end up going to the grocery store multiple times per week, this is a big thing for us.

Here’s some garden eye candy, pics I took last week:

And here’s a pic of Yosemite Valley:

We were in Yosemite for the CVMA Spring Conference this past weekend;  it’s a yearly veterinary continuing education seminer that Dave & I have gone to since spring 2000 (I go to the lectures, he grades papers).  Lectures are generally til noon then we have the rest of the day to hike.  This year we hiked partway up the Upper Fall trail (we got to the point about the level of the snow cone/ base of the upper fall, stopping because the trail was too obliterated by snow pack) Friday afternoon, and to Vernal Falls and nearly to Clark Point via the Muir trail (having to turn around early because it was getting too late in the day and the trail was a bit treacherous) Saturday afternoon.

The weekend before last, of course, was Stitches West.  I drove to Pacific Grove Thursday, staying with friends, then to Stitches on Friday.  It was a long but productive day of networking.  I drove back to Pacific Grove Saturday a.m., hung out with my friends, then drove back home Sunday.   I came home with some great yarn to inspire me:  yak blends from Bijou Basin, fingering weight from Mackintosh Yarns, and some lovely sheepy sportweight wool from Blackwater Abbey.

…not happening for us this year.  I just found out this afternoon.  I’m a little bummed, but at the same time, a little relieved;  we were worried, with how much everything is flowering now, that we would be peaking too early.

Anyways, we have a couple things they want us to change (and a couple things we can’t, like the parking situation):  primarily get the DG away from the plants and only use it in the paths, and get more gorilla hair mulch for around the plants.

Regardless, I’ll get some pics up, probably next week;  the poppies are really blooming as are the different Ceanothus.

If, perchance, you are interested in test knitting, I’ll be posting sometime this weekend in the Free Pattern Testers group on Ravelry, looking for volunteers.  (I’m also going to be posting for testers for the yellow socks as well.)

More stuff!

Socks, in City Tweed HW, featuring a cabled heart motif, and options for corrugated ribbing, 2 color cast-on, Vikkel braids:

Fingerless mitts, with seed stitch ribbing & honeycomb cabling, in City Tweed DK (in Poseidon):

Klahhane in KnitPicks Swish:

….and the I Love You Dad socks in City Tweed:

I’m currently knitting up the companion mittens to the Dad socks.

I’m hoping Klahhane, I Love You Dad & Sw’Elegant! will be up on KnitPicks this week.

Starting with this month’s box I’m participating in the Phat Fiber boxes!  I sent in a new pattern incorporating the heart cable from the Dad socks heel flap as my sample;  if you get one of the boxes with it I hope you enjoy it.

I realized I’d neglected updating this for February.

Visit One Small Change for details.

January was supposed to be about turning off the computer monitor when not in use.  I hate to say I was not perfect, nor even 90, 80 or 70% good on this;  I’d guestimate about 50% success rate.  It’s still not yet a habit.  However, that’s better than not doing it at all…

Lights off when not in the room:  doing pretty well there (but that’s not quite a new habit, just reinforcing an old.)

The deck lights:  still on, but the other outdoor lights are off.

Meat & eggs:  did great.

For February:  with all the pattern designing, there’s a lot of printing, despite that I’m trying to work primarily on the computer.

I don’t want to say I’ll only print out ONE FINAL COPY, because that’s just not going to happen;  I’ll print out what I think is the final copy, then, despite countless times proofing it on the computer, I’ll still find another error or something wonky happened to the layout between Word and saving as a PDF etc.

But — for February (and beyond) I’m going to make a conscious effort to really decrease how many copies do get printed, and if I don’t need to reprint the entire thing, I won’t.  I do print double-sided, so will continue with that.

One down!

I’m using KnitPicks City Tweed HW and just loving it;  it’s incredibly soft & luscious to work with.  This is a very quick knit;  the cable patterns are easy to memorize (with the exception of the heart heel flap, which is nonetheless logical).

Poppies are already blooming in our yard….hoping to get some nice pics this weekend, after we’ve weeded.  It looks like all the garlic bulbs have sprouted.  We also have a multitude of volunteer tomato seedlings — figure I’ll just let them do their thing.  Still harvesting tons (well, lots) of kale.

The pattern is up on Knit Picks here!  Very excited.   I mailed in the Dave socks earlier this week — they’ll take pics as well — then return the socks.

I should be getting yarn for Klahhane soon, as well as for the Dad Socks and Sw’Elegant.  I also have a couple other patterns in the works as proposals.

We’re been getting hit hard by the rains, but it’s all good for the plants.

I’m still not completely recovered from my cold, but almost.

A large number of designers on Ravelry, including myself, have pledged to donate varying proceeds from pattern sales to relief efforts in Hait. You can see the list here.

….albeit not a very well paying job, it’s now a job.

I got a whiff of this when I did the 2009 Christmas knitting extravaganza. Knitting to a deadline, limited to things that, though I did pick out things I was fine knitting, weren’t possibly my first choice for that moment in time.

I’ve submitted some patterns for the KnitPicks Indie Designer Program, and am delighted to say they are definitely interested in them. They sent me yarn for one project, and color cards for help in planning another.

I received them today.

And of course, I’d blithely told them I could have the finished project back to them in 10 days from receipt of the yarn (planning on mailing flat rate priority).

So guess what I’m going to start working on now?

I have no idea when I’m going to finish the Galileo mitts and my Polar Chullo.

***

Anyways, I’m still getting over my cold; Dave finally showed symptoms today and is having to take off from work. (The administration at his high school specifically wants teachers to stay home if they are sick/feverish; even if he’d felt up to going in (which he didn’t, feeling weak as a newborn kitten), they wouldn’t've wanted him to come in.)

I got my sutures out yesterday. I’ll have a small scar, but my hair will cover it.

All the plants have new leafy growth; some more poppies are already blooming; I can see little flower buds on the various Ceanothus. We’re expecting a lot of rain next week, fantastic for the plants. I’ll try to get some good pics up in the next few weeks.