Monday, January 15, 2024

T stands for This and That

  Hi everyone. It is time for another week of T over at  Bleubeard's and Elizabeth's blog .  I hope everyone has had a nice week since we last met.

Last week was pretty quiet for me since I was dealing with covid. As some of you might have read, the worst of it was just how tired I was, along with too many red itchy hive welts on my skin (which luckily have gone away). The good news is I'm feeling like myself again. 😀 My husband also had covid (I think I caught it from him before he even knew he had it). That meant he worked from home for the last 2 weeks. He's also back on his feet and back to the office this week. ( 😀 again)  I feel like the first half of January just kind of slipped by in a blur, and here it is already the 15/16th of the month. 

One thing I did manage to do last week (and which should have only taken a day or 2 but took me 5+) was  a bit of art space cleaning.  I wish I had taken a photo of my before desk, which I couldn't use to make any art on as it was sooooo messy and had a mountain of things on it.


Here's my drink which is my ticket to T this week, along with my desktop. I don't know how long since it has been this clean, and it will probably not be this clean again in 2024.😏  I've since been making some art, and it is already not this clean again.  But it is definitely still cleaner than before I picked it up.

The little mini-tool chest on my desk was something my husband gave me for Christmas. The funniest part of that story was that my son-in-law, when he saw it, really wanted one for his pens, pencils etc. for his work desk. Who'd have thought? If we had known he would like one, we would have gotten him one for Christmas also. Of course, by the time Christmas came these little chests (which were something from Lowe's- a big box store  hardware chain) were sold out everywhere. After the holiday we were all on the hunt for them at various  stores, and finally  my son-in-law found one in Nashua (NH). He was told the only reason they had them is that somehow the pallet had never been put out on the shopping floor. Who'd have guessed these little boxes would have been so popular?

Anyhow, now everyone in the  whole family has one. My daughter and my husband decided they needed one also, so when my son-in-law got his, he was smart and picked them up for the others too. 👍

I mentioned last week that I ordered some new yarn to knit another sweater. It arrived this past Friday,  and here it is in all its glory.


You'll be seeing my latest progression at some point. 

Speaking of sweaters, I finally got my other one blocked, so it is now ready to wear. This past weekend I had my husband take some photos of me in it. I'll never make a good model, but I think this photo shows the sweater. 

My husband is not really a photographer either, and he's a foot taller than me, so how I thought he'd take the photo isn't what he did. But no problem, you can still see my sweater. 



I made the sweater on the bigger side, since if I want to wear it outside I might have some layers underneath it.  To do that I used the larger size on the pattern, and I didn't knit it quite to the length the pattern called for because I didn't want it hanging to my knees. I also played around with yoke design, using the basic design but changing up colors and also adding things to the pattern.

That's it for me this week. I hope everyone has a great T day and week ahead.













23 comments:

hels said...

I am in hot and humid weather at the moment, but your new jumper still looks very comfortable and attractive to my eyes :)

Mae Travels said...

Your sweater really is beautiful.
best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com

DVArtist said...

Ohhhh Erika I am so glad to hear that both you and DH are feeeling better. I really like your art space. It always feels good to get art space organized. Hey, I want one of those mini tool chests too. LOL What a great find and nice that your SIL got some for the family. Lowe's, Home Depot, and Jerry's are all 75 to 100 miles away from me so I don't get them often. I was hoping you were going to show your yarn. It is so pretty. where CO. did you order it from? You have me wanting to knit. I normally crochet. LOL OMGosh your sweater and you are just beautiful. You are so accomplished at knitting. OK, now I need to got get my knitting needles and some yarn. Have a great evening.

Valerie-Jael said...

Hi Erika, I love your new sweater, it looks great, well done. Your clean desk has inspired me to (perhaps) clean my table, too. We shall see! Have a great week, take care, hugs, Valerie
And happy T day!

Tom said...

...on this cold day, that sweater looks welcoming!

Angie's Recipes said...

You look GOOD in that sweater. I love it.

Iris Flavia said...

Oh, boy, I must clear my table. LOL! I did and kabooom... messy again!
Glad to hear the darn covid thing is the past now and yay for your hubby being back in the office (Ingo drives me nuts when he´s home and today he is home as he sees our dentist!).
The sweater and you look great!
Yay for more (I´m wearing knitted socks from Ingo´s Granma - she got so creative in her late years!). Have a great T-Day, hugs!

Anonymous said...

You look great in your sweater, nice work -Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

So glad to read you both are now feeling like yourselves again. That's great news.

I also should have taken a "before" shot of my craft room. It took me nearly two hours to put all the gifts I got for Christmas away. It should have taken about 30 minutes, so I can relate. That's a cute little tool box. I was also intrigued by the rotating tool and paint container on your desk.

Your sweater turned out great. And you make a beautiful model, too. That is lovely new yarn you got. I'm sure we will enjoy watching as you work on it each week.

Thanks for sharing your clean desk, your completed sweater, your new yarn, and your diet Coke with us for T this Tuesday.

I saw what you wrote to Nicole. Right now, it is -4 F with a wind chill of -16. It is quite warm where you are.

David M. Gascoigne, said...

Those little tool boxes seem very practical. Maybe on a subsequent post you can open it up and show us what’s inside. I might keep my eye open for one. What are the dimensions? Your sweater looks very spiffy and it’s a wise decision to leave room for lots of layers underneath. Finally, we have winter weather here and a sweater like that would receive good use. All the best - David

Let's Art Journal said...

Glad to hear you are both fully recovered and getting back to normal 😊. Your craft space puts mine to shame being so tidy. I did start to tidy everything but them found something and started creating a page ...lol! Your jumper is gorgeous, I love the colours and pattern, and it looks so warm and cosy - perfect ❤️. Wishing you a very Happy T Tuesday! Hugs, Jo x

CJ Kennedy said...

You've inspired me to clean the studio. Love the story of everyone wanting the little tool chest. Glad the others were able to score one. Your sweater is gorgeous and you model it very well. I like the blue color of the next sweater you're making. Glad you're feeling 100% Just in time to shovel the snow! Stay warm and Happy T Day

Divers and Sundry said...

I'm glad you've both recovered :) What a great sweater! I love that design. I prefer my clothes to be comfortable, which for me means more loosely fitted. Happy T Tuesday!

Jeanie said...

That sweater is just the best. Georgeous colors and it looks great on you. I like your new yarn, too. And that box is pretty cool -- I can see why it was such a hit!

I'm so glad to hear the plague has finally left your house! Good news indeed!

*Vicki* said...

It's always great to come into a nice clean workspace! I'm sure that felt good to get done! So glad to hear that you're feeling better, and that sweater is gorgeous! It looks so warm and cozy which is much needed right now!! Have a great day!

pearshapedcrafting said...

Your sweater looks fantastic! So pleased to know that you and hubby are feeling better! Well done for the desk tidying - I'm going to have to tdo mine as I really have run out of space! Happy T Day, hugs, Chrisx

ashok said...

Looking smart in that sweater !

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Glad to read you are feeling better, Erika, and you are right about having such a neat desk, for now😉I shared the saga of the mini toolbox with my husband and how more were found here in Nashua, NH, and he asked if it was at Lowes. Nice job on the sweater, the colors look great, and oversize is always better and usually more comfortable.

Empire of the Cat said...

So glad you are feeling better. I LOVE your jumper, it looks really great and I bet it's super warm too. Also love the new yarn! Your desk sounds like mine currently is. I started moving things around before new year and then stopped to do some work in the kitchen, cleaning out the cupboards, but I haven't finished that so both rooms are in chaos and I can't see my desktop. Miss Lily is not impressed as her blanket is also covered and she can't sit on it! I'm glad Pete and his sister were rescued, I don't understand people who dump animals. Have a great day, Happy T Day! Elle xx

Halle said...

Glad to hear you are feeling better. My husband has a tiny Snap-on tool chest like the one you have. I'm in love with your sweater. Oversized is great for layering!

Lisca said...

Good to know you are feeling better. I'm struggling at the moment, my back hurts and I'm feeling so tired. Reading your post, I'm wondering if I have Covid too.
Your sweater is gorgeous. I just love your 'ta-da' photo. The colours of the new sweater are very beautiful. I once knitted a Norwegian sweater (not round knit) in those colours. I wore it for many years as the wool was 'greasy' and very suitable for outdoor use in the damp British climate.
I had to smile at the story of the mini toolbox. I have never seen one like it, but it looks quite useful.
Happy (belated) T-Day,
Lisca

Lowcarb team member said...

So pleased you are feeling better ...
Love your new sweater, it looks great, and so do you :)

All the best Jan

Aimeslee Winans said...

Excellent knitting job and good photos of you modeling it. It looks fab!
Had to chuckle at the little drawers being so popular. They sell similar on Amazon, but I'm glad everyone got what they wanted finally. Sounds like a treasure hunt, tho, lol. And nice work cleaning off your desk. I have to constantly do it. The struggle is real! XOX