a day late... with more FOs!

I've been trying to stick to posting once a week on Sundays, but I didn't have a pic of the project I finished yesterday so you had to wait. =) Still working on Christmas projects, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel! This weekend, I finished up two more projects.

First up:

A cowl for my mother. I bought the yarn for this four years ago while working in Seattle, but then my mother actually requested something and it did not fit with this yarn. At long last, she's getting it this year... and it's out of my stash! It's a nice, cushy, long cowl that can be looped around twice for a snugger fit. She loves purple so I'm hoping she likes this. =)
(pattern & yarn details on my Ravelry project page)


And, no surprise:

 Another hat! I still have one more to go for Christmas but am having a hard time settling on a pattern. lol
(pattern and yarn details on my Ravelry project page)

Here's the stack heading to my sister's for Christmas:

Not too bad, huh? I do need to do a quick blocking on the two wool hats, but otherwise everything is ready to ship which is really good news since in this small of a space, three boxes of gifts really cuts down on the already limited free space around here! =)

Next week, you should get to see my last two planned projects... one more hat and a headband. There might even be a third, though I haven't yet decided on what that will be. lol

another week... FOUR more hats!

Yep, still knitting away!

 

I continued my knitting by knitting a slouchy hat for my niece:

I used some more of my overdyed yarn. It still needs to be blocked, but from what I hear, she really likes hats so it should be a hit, esp in her favorite colors!
(details on my Ravelry project page)

Then I knit up a hat for my middle nephew:

(details on my Ravelry project page)

 

My friend wanted a hat for a friend's baby shower, so I knit this quick one up:

It was an owl pattern, but after getting the eyes and tassels on, I think it looks more like a monster so I skipped adding the beak.

(details on my Ravelry project page)

 

Then back to Christmas knitting with a hat for my brother-in-law:

I figured I should go as basic as possible for his or he wouldn't wear it. 

(details on my Ravelry project page)

 

I can see the end in sight! Only two more nephews to go and the family is done. =) I'm planning a cowl for my mother and that's the last one that needs to be mailed. I'd originally knit a hat for my friend and was planning ones for her family, but was informed yesterday that none of them wear hats... So, the hat for her is going to my sister. I might end up making her a cowl and possibly a headband or something for her daughter. I'll have to figure out something else for the guys. I'm truly at the point that I don't ever want to go to another store though! It's online shopping all the way from here.

 

I did have to go back to Jo Ann's for thread for a sewing project and since I had a few 60% off coupons, I finally picked up needle felting supplies: 

=) The little packages of roving are way too expensive, but with the coupon, now SO bad. I have some roving I picked up at a wool fest but it's all in storage. This will work for now.

And now... back to knitting!

Christmas crafting!

This year, I got the wild idea of making several gifts for Christmas. Of course, I didn't decide this until it was almost Thanksgiving. lol Yeah, gave myself plenty of time. I am making some progress though!

 

First up:

 

A slouchy, cabled hat for the friend who's letting me park in her backyard right now. =)

 

I'm not big on wearing hats, but after trying this one on, I might just have to make myself one... after Christmas, of course!
(Ravelry link for details)
 

Then:

 

A cabled hat for my 7yo nephew. This one was my first shot at cabling without a cable needle - definitely quicker!
(Ravelry link for details)

I'm still planning something for my niece and three other nephews and possibly a few more items, time permitting. =)

The past few days have involved a LOT of family time between Thanksgiving, shopping and decorating. We hit a few stores Friday (no, I didn't get up at 4a!) and I spent time yesterday helping my friend decorate. Let's just say, that experience reminded my why I got rid of all but a single bin of Christmas decor...

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! =)

feeling a little crafty... and froggy

Last week, a friend asked if I'd be interested in testing her new pattern and of course, I said yes! I was especially interested once I saw what I'd agreed to knit. lol

Isn't it cute? I jut love the little cabled owl that has been popping up everywhere the past couple years.

With my limited stash in the rv, I didn't have the super bulky yarn she used for hers, but I did dig around and came across some Jo Ann Sensations Caribbean in a sparkly variegated green and held that double. I wasn't quite thick enough, but made a nice little sleeve for my iPad. After the photo shoot, I decided a handle would be useful so I single crocheted around the top and added slit handles to turn mine into a bag.

Details and a link to the pattern page can be found here.

I also finally pulled the crochet purse/bag out and finished it!

It became a nice little basket for the bathroom cabinet to keep items organized. I love how the variegated yarn flashed on this! I think I'm going to use more of this yarn to knit or crochet a net bag to tote my shower items to/from the shower building at the rv parks.

I also have been working a bit on my alpaca blanket and was working on block #4:

I kept feeling like I was wasting my time though. An alpaca blanket in a household with critters? Not very practical. Add that to the fact that the yarn is so thin it's knit up on US6 so the progress is going at a snail's pace? Yeah, not so excited. I love the yarn though so a couple days ago... I frogged it! 

At this moment I have exactly ZERO items in progress. lol Deciding what's next. I have yarn for 2 sweaters and some miscellaneous yarn as well. Decisions, decisions...

if I could...

I was asked if I'd do anything differently in regard to the rv and thought I'd address it here so it's easier to find. I was a total newb when I bought this rv... still am actually. I didn't grow up rving; I barely camped as a kid outside of summer camp where they handled everything. lol

The view out the back window where I'm currently parked:

I bought a 28' class C that's about 10 years old. Would I buy a class C again? Absolutely! This rig is easy to handle, much easier to move around than a travel trailer. I can tow a vehicle for getting around without being stuck driving a huge truck around on a daily basis. This is a huge bonus to me. While I'd rather not tow anything, having a small vehicle to get around in is pretty much a necessity in some places - it all depends where you're parking.

As for particulars about the rv itself... I'd probably look for one with a better temperature control for the a/c if I had it to do over again. It's a pain having just a knob that adjusts up and down on days when I have to leave at 6:30 in the morning and can't get back until after 6p. It was still chilly when I left, but I had to turn on the a/c so it would be on for the afternoon when the temps soared to keep the critters comfy. Day 1, I turned it up too high and it froze over. Thankfully, it wasn't too awful hot that day so it was warm in the rv when I got back, but not unbearably so. Now, it's staying fairly cool most of the day but heating up dramatically around 3p so I'm only running the a/c a few hrs a day since I'm back working remotely and can better control the temperature myself. I'm really thankful I brought a small fan with me too. The a/c has a fan setting, but it's super loud - a good thing when the pup's here all day without me since it helps drown out outside noises... not so great when I'm here working.

I'm finding it's plenty of space for me, even without a slide like so many others here have. The tt next to me actually has THREE slides... and it's just a guy in there. lol I'm actually discovering that I have more than I need packed in here. Isn't that always the case? We always seem to have too much stuff! lol I also quickly discovered the need to keep things tidy. I packed up so quickly at the end, drove down to Oregon and then was so busy between work and play =) that things weren't as well-organized as they should have been. Once everyone left, I had time to finally really clean and organize things and it felt 100% better in here. I just have to keep things put away and it keeps its spacious feel. =) I've been trying to get a tv since a lot of the parks have cable access, but my timing is off. Too many college kids also looking for smaller tvs. lol And they're apparently quicker than I am! I'm also still looking for a good deal on a laptop so I can download the pics from my nicer camera. Again, no luck yet.

The critters are adjusting to the smaller space pretty well. It helps greatly that my youngest cat is 9 yrs old. Reilly loves having so many new places to sniff and trees to pee on. lol He's not so fond of so many other dogs having access to what he has decided is all "his" space. Xander got a new harness and leash and is enjoying his outdoor time too. =) Xander is still a brat, but that's no different than before. heh



The park I'm currently staying in has wifi, but it's spotty when the park is full and during peak times of the day. I can usually work all day using the park's wifi, but it comes to a screeching halt around 6p... then again around 9p. lol I did finally go upgrade my phone and got a mifi (Verizon) last week as back-up. I have to have reliable internet access for work. I've used it a few times, but mostly I'm still using the park's wifi and I do avoid streaming video with my mifi since that gobbles up the bandwidth. I am falling behind on my podcast-watching! lol I need to remember to stream those during the day while I'm working and the wifi is stronger and should probably weed out the ones I don't love. Mostly, I fell behind though because I was in offices all day. I listened to audio podcasts, but obviously couldn't watch the video ones. heh If I knew I was going to be in one place long-term, I could get a regular internet connection, but I'm still undecided at this point. I like where I am now, but I have to go back to Spokane to sell my Jeep. Not sure if I'll head back down here after or not. I did get an offer from a friend in Spokane to park at her house while I sell my Jeep. They even have an rv dump station. lol That's another thing I wish I'd done... sell my Jeep before I left!

my oh my

Hmm, it's been awhile, huh? Sorry for the radio silence since I got the rv. What's been going on the last month or so? A lot! Let me tell you...

I'd had this great plan of selling my mobile home, moving into the rv and hanging out in Spokane while I worked on selling my Jeep. That didn't happen. Work, as usual, had other plans. lol The day I brought the rv home, a manager called asking if I could go to Oregon for a project. Why yes, that actually was a possibility! So, a little over 3 weeks ago, I handed over the keys to my mobile home (good riddance!), pared down my belongings to what I thought I couldn't live without (I need less than I thought, it turns out), packed the rest into storage, put my Jeep in storage and headed south in the rv.

Reilly rode very well in the rv. I put his bed between the front seats and he slept through most of the trip.

Still in Washington here, but Oregon is right across the river!

Dinner time in the rv. =^..^=

It's been a blast! I'm so glad things worked out they way they did, even if they did create a detour in my plan. I pulled myself off the road a year ago when I moved back to Spokane so adjusting to going to an office again every day was certainly a big adjustment. Ugh! The alarm clock is not my friend. lol But adjust, I did. And it was certainly worth the adjustment. There ended up being only five of us here including a lead who was here to train us on inpatient coding. It was such an amazing group. We all worked the same hospital the first week and I've never laughed so much at a job ever! The 2nd week, we split up to do reviews at smaller hospitals, but since we all had internet access, we all kept in touch throughout the day. Yes, this was an unusual group! It turned out to be only 2 and a half weeks of work and now everyone has flown home, leaving me alone here in Oregon. I can honestly say I've never been so sad to see a project come to an end.

We were all staying about an hour from the coast and took day trips out both weekends. If you're ever near Corvallis, OR, be sure to check out Depoe Bay. It's a beautiful drive from Corvallis and a lovely little town. We hit the beach and walked through town, checking out plenty of the little shops along the way. A couple of the others took a whale-watching boat ride. I stayed on dry land with the rest of the group since I had the munchkin pup with me. Yes, Reilly got to see the ocean! He had a ball on the beach checking out the driftwood and piles of kelp washed up on shore. He's not a fan of getting wet so he stayed out of the water, but he came home a tired out pup. =)

 

It's been a busy few weeks between work, fun and more work. I managed to put in some overtime along with having a ton of fun. The rv has been an adjustment too, of course... for all of us. I learned not to crank the a/c all day (it freezes over!) and the critters worked out an issue the first day I was gone all day (the cats won, evidenced by the bloody spot on Reilly's muzzle). Leaving the a/c on low and playing a radio helped, but Reilly is definitely happier now that I'm back working remotely again. He has a blanket on the seat next to me to curl up in and of course he insists on lots of breaks throughout the day to go sniff among the oak trees just outside our door. Corvallis is a beautiful place and the people seem very nice. While not as busy as Portland, there are still plenty of things to do as long as you're not expecting a big city. Along with our trips to the coast, we also went blueberry picking! And I discovered I'm less into the sweeter berries and prefer the ones with a bit more kick - Liberties rock! I haven't yet made it to the alpaca farm a few miles away or any of the local yarn shops. I brought yarn with me, but have been too busy to even pull it out. lol Now that things have slowed down, I expect I'll be starting a new project soon.

With everyone gone, I finally had some time this weekend to really clean and start organizing things better in my rig. It's so much better now that it's not so cluttered. My first rv adventure has not been entirely without issues. I did discover (with some help from the park host) that my black water tank has TWO valves that must be opened in order to be drained - something the tech at the dealership didn't know apparently. And I have a cracked battery cable connection that needs to be fixed. Thankfully I discovered that when I had to move this weekend to make room for the football fans. Started up fine... then dead when I tried to start it again. The neighbor found the problem and temporarily fixed it with some tin foil. Really glad that didn't happen on the road somewhere. I do have roadside assistance, but really, this was a much better way to find out.=)

So how is rv life? I love it so far! It was a pleasant change having my own space while working on the road. The others may have had more space, but I had a full kitchen and my furry kids. =) I love the flexibility this set of wheels brings me. I haven't yet decided where I'm headed next. So many possibilities... =)

The countdown has begun...

Boy, am I glad I've gotten rid of so much stuff over the past 9 mos or so! Packing/moving is so tiring, but definitely less so with less stuff to move! Yesterday, I started hauling stuff to storage:

This is my storage unit (5x10... well, almost) after three trips with my Jeep. =) Still room on those shelves for the stuff I'm still working on here. The third trip was basically the chair and those two wire shelves. I actually made one more trip with my rocking chair and a few other oddly shaped items. It's looking like it'll be a perfect fit with the addition of my washer and dryer, antique trunk and the mattress that's currently in the rv. The storage space always looks so small until you start loading things in and realize just how much fits in there if you pack well! This morning, I loaded the Jeep with the two plastic dressers from my closet and two suitcases with clothes I'm just not ready to part with, but that didn't make the extreme cut to going in the rv closet/cabinets. Some are sentimental - yes, I still have my band jacket from high school. Others I really like but don't want to squeeze into the rv - that lovely chocolate brown wool pea coat! I've also packed a small suitcase with winter items, but that will be going in one of the lower storage compartments in the rv for when the temps dip. Amazing how little you really need even when planning for office wear and casual items.

Yes, I said office wear. Now that I'll be mobile, I can actually start working offices again... which nicely coincides with my employer's need for someone in Oregon. On the downside, that means I need office-appropriate clothes, will have to be gone all day working rather than working from "home" and I won't get to choose where I go. On the up side, I make more money when working offices than I do when I work remotely, they'll be paying for my rv parking whenever I'm working somewhere for them and I'll get per diem. They'll also provide me with a rental car so I won't have to tow anything (and they cover gas for that car). Big bonus there! I haven't yet sold my Jeep thanks to someone at the licensing branch messing up my title. grr I've pretty much come to the conclusion though that I'll be putting it in storage while I head to Oregon for work since I really do need transportation this week, getting the last things into storage and getting things settled to leave. When I finish in OR, I can drive the rv to wherever I plan to hang out for the winter and then fly back and retrieve my Jeep when I can. That way I'll be able to take a bit more time selling it and hopefully get a decent amount for it. I still plan to take it to a dealer though and see what they'd give me. Might be worth getting rid of it quickly and avoiding that hassle. We'll see.