absolute jeanius

Yuk-Lui Birthday Give-away!

2011-04-28T09:32:00.000-07:00

sweet make=up giveaway at http://yuk-lui.blogspot.com/2011/03/giveaway-my-20th-b-i-r-t-h-d-y-giveaway.html
prizes include:

Urban Decay, The Black Palette:

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils 15 Year Anniversary Collection

Urban Decay Naked Palette

Also a few British sweets :)

So go to her blog, be a public followers and repost to be entered!

test

2010-11-13T19:23:00.001-08:00

Ravelry - a knit and crochet communitygreat free widgetsWidgetboxMore info

a little want...

2009-07-09T18:20:00.000-07:00

WANT:

So adorable and PRACTICLE!

Moving to wordpress

2009-04-29T11:17:00.001-07:00

I have decided to move to wordpress, as I think I'll be able to create the site I envision, at least until I spring for a real website ;)

You can find me at: http://absolutejeanius.wordpress.com

I'll leave my ravelry blog link up for a couple of weeks, to give the few of you who read me regularly time to change your RSS feeds. I am not deleting my blogger blog, just moving :)

Thanks for coming along for the ride!

Happy Birthday, Baby!

2009-04-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

.
My Peanut turns 3 today. I can't believe it's been that long, and how much we've all grown since then.

She loves to sing, and read. Drawing on her chalk board or paper is always a fun activity, with happy faces and trees featuring prominently lately.

She has become a little more opinionated about what clothing and shoes she wears (her 'princess' shoes and her 'cool' shoes being favorites), and is pretty adamant about not wanting her hair cut. When asked, she usually pulls it close to her head, sometimes like a chin strap, and tells us that no thank you, she likes it long. ;)

She wanted a princess cake for her party, which was the 11th. I managed to make a castle cake (despite having to bake the cakes a second time and being up until 4:30 am that morning) and we had good friends, good food and good fun.

Happy Birthday, baby, keep being amazing!

The Sucky, the Bad, the Sad...

2009-04-13T20:16:00.000-07:00

Just found out tonight that Jasons' boss is 'closing' the business and the guys are out of jobs as of June 30th.

Apparently his boss didn't want to meet the demands of the air freight company to get better, more reliable trucks for the drivers, so instead let the contract get sold off to the other contract company. The owner of that outfit is giving interviews to Jason and his coworkers next week. The good part is he is offering insurance, savings/retirement plans, and generally better benefits. The downside is that they will more than likely take a pay cut. That is something we can't afford to do, unless we sell our home, which would probably not sell for what we owe + closing costs anyhow. Also, he would still have his 45 mile commute. I am hoping he finds a job much closer to home.

I will probably let the etsy shop fade out as I won't be able to justify restocking when we might not even be able to stay in our home. I'm going to try not to stress about this, Jason will do enough of that on his own. I need to just be here for him.. and try to keep our spending to a minimum. Hopfully it won't come to me having to destash my knitting/spinning suplies to pay bills. God, how selfish of me!

:(

Etsy Treasury!

2009-03-29T18:11:00.000-07:00

What is an etsy Treasury??

The Treasury is a member-curated gallery of short-lived lists of 12 hand-picked items each (plus four alternates). It functions as a high-demand (and pretty!) promotional tool that many devoted Etsians fight to get.

One of my handdyed Falkland Top braids (Mango!) was handpicked to be apart of an etsy Treasury. First time, and such a pretty treasury! Thanks fluff4ewe for including me :)

Treasury West - Fluff N Stuff!

Last March Madness Update 2009

2009-03-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

My Malabrigo March Madness update!

Merino Worsted Projects:
Garter Stitch Mitts, in Peach Tree DONE

Foliage Hat, in Red Java DONE

Cherry Garcia cowl, in Brisa 2 1/2 repeats DONE

Silky Merino Project:
Darkside Cowl, in Indieceta on 2nd repeat

Chunky Projects:
Bella Mittens, in Brisa CAST ON!

Etsy Shop Update

2009-03-28T14:04:00.000-07:00

This is my biggest update... Lots of pretty hand dyed Falkland Top. This fiber is so soft and fluffy! I dyed up a braid in pretty purples, lavenders and pinks for me.. I can't wait to get to it!

This wool is soft enough to wear next to you skin, and will also felt great too! Falkland is very similar to Merino, with a staple length of 2.75-4.5 inches (70-90mm), and is a fiber count 56s (26 micron).

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade
jeanius80.etsy.com

March Madness 2009 Update

2009-03-12T14:11:00.000-07:00

My Malabrigo March Madness update!

Merino Worsted Projects:
Garter Stitch Mitts, in Peach Tree DONE

Foliage Hat, in Red Java

Cherry Garcia cowl, in Brisa 2 1/2 repeats done

Silky Merino Project:
Darkside Cowl, in Indieceta on 2nd repeat

Chunky Projects:
Bella Mittens, in Brisa

Some Updates!

2009-03-12T13:45:00.000-07:00

I have actually updated my etsy shop! <---click that link! I added six 4 ounce braids of Falkland top for spinning. 3 each in two different colorways: "Sweettart"

"Jawbreaker"

I really love how cheery these are! Each braid weighed out just over 4 ounces prior to dyeing (from 4.10-4.20 ounces) And Falkland is so soft and bouncy! Micron count is about 26 (almost as soft as merino).

Also (I know this is a late posting!) I went to the Madrona Fiber Arts in Tacoma last month and scored some gorgeous stuff.. A huge honkin' 8 ounce bump of superwash merino in "Wish You Were Here" from Crown Mountain Farm

a braid of handdyed Rambouillet from Rainy Days and Wooly Dogs (on etsy)

and a 8 ounce skein of natural silver alpaca!

I am thinking of spinning the rambouillet to match the gauge of the alpaca and knitting a vest for me with them..

Ravelry: Malabrigo March Madness, 2009

2009-03-02T11:51:00.001-08:00

There seems to be a group (sub forum) for just about anything on ravelry.com. Yarn brands are definitely a given, and one of my favourites is the Malabrigo Junkies. It is a wonderful group where you can get help finding the perfect pattern for your lone skein of Malabrigo yarn, whether it is Merino Worsted, Silky Merino, or beta testing Gusanito (I really want to get some of that stuff!).

Last March, the group moderators and owners decided it would be fun to see how far up the list of most popular yarns (ravelry keeps a top 10 list based on users projects) we could push Malabrigo Merino Worsted, by casting on projects starting March 1st. We are repeating the madness, only this year, it isn't limited to the Merino Worsted.

They have created KALs (knit alongs) for a bunch of patterns, plus a couple of KALs that are more open ended. So here are links to the ravelry project pages for the projects I plan on casting on (and hopefully off!) this month!

Merino Worsted Projects:
Garter Stitch Mitts, in Peach Tree 50% done

Foliage Hat, in Red Java

Silky Merino Project:
Darkside Cowl, in Indieceta

Chunky Projects:
Bella Mittens, in Brisa

Cherry Garcia cowl, also in Brisa

None of these should take more than a few days.. but I am also planing on spinning up a pretty rainbow 2 ply.. so hopefully I'll accomplish all of this!

I'll post a picture of all the projects and yarn as soon as the Chunky in Brisa arrives. :)

FiberNation: A dyeing tutorial

2009-02-26T19:13:00.000-08:00

So while doing some research on methods for dyeing spinning fiber (roving and top), I kept finding links to a dead site. (http://www.fibernation.com/inside_the_pot) I thought I would try the WayBack Machine to find the information. While the sites linking to FiberNation had good information, I figured it would be better to get it direct from the source. Since the site is long gone, I decided to re-post the information, and share the photos (don't worry, no bandwidth stealing here, I saved them on my own drive to re-post here).

Dyeing 101

[imagine a photo of two big balls of undyed wool]
Here is approximately 2 pounds of fantabulus soft wool top. The term 'top' refers to how the wool was prepared. With tops the fibers are combed parallel to each other. I could just as easily be dyeing roving (carded fiber) or yarn -my technique is essentially the same for all- but I will say a few words about dyeing yarn at the end of this little display. The tops have been soaked in water and vinegar. It's important to really soak the fiber, it should be saturated not just wet.

Next I coil the fiber in my crock pot. I pretend that I am making a coiled clay pot - just like I did in 7th grade art class!

This is a large crock pot that I use only for dyeing. I usually do my dyeing in the basement, away from anything that comes into contact with my family, but for the sake of nicer pictures, I am dyeing in our kitchen today.

Now I start squeezing dye onto the fiber.

Although I love the randomness of hand dyed fiber, I have found that there needs to be a basic structure to what I'm doing, so I apply the dye in a similar manner to each layer. Here I have decided to do stripes of blue, magenta and yellow.

Here are my dyes. These are liter squeeze bottles with fiber reactive dye that I mixed up. I get my dyes and other supplies (they have nice fabric!) from Dharma Trading Co. Wool can be dyed with acid or fiber reactive dyes. I use both types. Acid dyes can be used only on wools (fiber from animals) and silk while fiber reactive dyes work with cotton also. I use only primary colors (or a close relative) and black when mixing dyes. This simplifies buying dyes and lets me be creative. The black is used to shade (darken) a color, while adding more water tints (lightens) a color.

I just continue coiling the fiber and putting on dye, adding layer upon layer. While I really like the bright colors, I am actually planning on darker shades with this dye pot, so on the fourth layer I sprinkled black over everything!

More coiling...

As the pot fills up I am still following the basic pattern of placing on color. Three stripes of blue followed by magenta that overlaps into the blue, and then yellow that overlaps on both the magenta and blue. As I get toward the top I am using more blue and magenta for I am running low on yellow because I love yellow! Not so much for yellow on its own, but for what it does when it comes into contact with other colors. In my own little basement dyeing world when in doubt- add more yellow. We all know that yellow turns blue into green and red into orange, but when you are dyeing in this manner it also gives you many other wonderful in between colors.

I've reached the top and added alot of black to this final layer. Because I only put black on one other layer, I put alot on this one. The black will seep down into the other layers and give me the darker shades I'm looking for. I know this looks kind of scary, but just wait, it'll be okay.

I didn't worry about squeezing the soaking water out of the fiber before I began this process and so the pot is fairly full of liquid right now. If I had spun the water out before putting it in the pot- which I do sometimes, but I was washing clothes when I began this and didn't want to wait for the washer- I would now pour water and vinegar over the top (mix about 2 cups water with 1/2 cup of vinegar). I still need the vinegar though, it sets the dye, so I just poured the vinegar over the top.

Now I put the lid on, set the pot in the base, turned it to high and let it cook until it is simmering. This will take about 3 hours. Now you should know that I used a lot of dye here. I read about people who strive to have no dye left when the cooking is done, only clear water to pour off. This will not happen here, when it is done cooking there will be dye left in the water. Often when I dye a solid color I will strive for complete use of the dye, when I do color, such as these I don't worry about using all the dye. My goal is little or no undyed fiber at the end.

Here is the fiber, dyed, cooked for about three hours and then left overnight to cool down (I left the top on all night so it is still slightly warm). I will now take it to the laundry room, pour it into the empty washing machine and spin the water out of it. I will just spin it - no water. After it has spun I will remove it and fill the washer with water that is close to the same temperature as the fiber, and put the fiber back in to soak. I will add about a cup of vinegar and mix the whole concoction around with my hand. Next I will put it through another spin to remove most of the water.

A note on wool, water, heat and agitation. Unless you are working with superwash wool (or wool from a breed that you know doesn't felt) you do not want to agitate the wool when it is in hot water or subject wool that is still hot to cold water. So as you are working with the wool at this stage, do not let your washing machine do anything other than spin. My washing machine sprays the contents of the washer with water during the beginning of the spin cycle, since this can be a very bad thing if the fiber is fresh out of a hot pot, I set the dial part way into the spin cycle, past when it would spray and I don't go far away. This way if I misjudged the correct starting point and it does start to spray I can stop it right away.

I'm not worried about completely rinsing all the dye from the fiber at this point. This is because I am afraid of felting the fiber slightly, which would slow down my spinning time. My intent at this point is to get most of the dye out, but I'm not looking for the 'water to run clear', as all the books say when rinsing after dyeing. That will take place once the fiber has been spun and I have a finished yarn.

The fiber is now drying (its on top of one of our heating vents). As you can see it is no longer tie dye tee shirt bright. Instead it is a gorgeous mix of reds and purples with occasional hints of green and yellow.

Ask me questions if you have any as I'm sure I have neglected to mention something or need to be more specific about something else and of course check back soon as I continue the process toward the final product - some very lovely, unique, hand spun yarn!

finished yarn:

Before spinning the dyed fiber I like to divide it so that the colors are distributed more evenly throughout the yarn. I pull the tops apart in sections about 16 inches long and then divide each one of these sections into 5 or six thinner strips. This is also also serves to pre-draft the fiber. If I didn't spend the time to divide the fiber this way the colors would be much more concentrated. I prefer to have the colors spread out through the yarn so I spend the time to divide the fiber.

Here is the yarn spun on my spinning wheel. It is approximately an Aran weight.

Also, East Kentucky Fibers recently posted a dyeing how to. Something must be in the air!

I have no clue who fibernation was operated by, but if the prior establishment prefers, please contact me, and I will take down this blog post!

Ebay...

2009-02-25T17:11:00.001-08:00

I am selling a wedding dress for my sister... know anyone interested?
link:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/b6bn63
It's brand new, with tags and in all the original packaging, I am even mailing out in the original box. :o) Help me recover some space in my closet!

Road Trip...

2009-02-23T14:42:00.001-08:00

I think I've mentioned before about my maternal-grandmother being sick. Apparently she had a heart attack in the last couple days, and (though she signed a DNR) they were able to save her. They aren't too optimistic for her surviving much longer.

I am really heartbroken that I haven't seen her in almost 2 years. I totally thought she was going to make a full recovery (which she could have, if any of her doctors had bothered to treat her depression ... grrrrrrrr. Don't get me started on that!). However, after my moms last visit, in this past fall, my grandma looked terrible. She had basically become immobile, and had swelling all over (she actually looked bloated all over :(.

So Jason is looking at taking the next few days off and the 3 of us going down to see her one last time. He really wants to fly, but it will be really expensive, with 3 plane tickets, a car rental and probably a cheap motel stay as well. I am pushing him to just drive our van, then the only additional cost would be a hotel stay. He HATES putting so many miles on our vehicle. It has already done two road trips to central California, and two to Couer d'Alene. To me, I don't care. We don't plan on trading it in or selling it, it has 2 more years of payments left, and I intend to drive it until it falls apart ;) What is a few more miles anyhow? Specially if it will save us the cost of 3 plane tickets and a week long car rental (it pisses me off that it is cheaper to rent by the week than just a few days. I get why, but it sucks).

So, if you were expecting to see us this week, fret not, we are ok, just probably in California.

Also, Lunarey, THANKS for the Xbox! I don't think Jason or my dad have done anything other than play it all weekend ;o) Jason even went to Gamestop and traded in some of his PS2 games for more Xbox games and a 4th controler ... Does this count as a hobby for him?

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Ink

2009-02-16T16:58:00.000-08:00

So, after months of waiting, I finally got my left wrist tattoo'd. The original idea was to have the four cartoon animals from ravelry's 'daily dose of fiber' shirt as a bracelet. However, it would have either been too small and lose detail, or have to be done much higher on my wrist than I wanted. So I compromised, and got the sheep and the llama, along with a trinity symbol on the inside of my wrist. I am planning on having something added at a later date, to unify the images a little more (maybe grass for the animals to stand in and some flowers??) Who knows? It looks great, and I cannot wait to get more!

Moonspinners Guild

2009-02-10T21:49:00.000-08:00

This post is to help get the word out about the Guild I am a member of..

Moonspinners is a guild for those interested in all types of fiber crafts with emphasis on spinning, weaving, dyeing and knitting.

*Programs exploring some aspect of fiber crafts are held at each regular meeting (The second Tuesday of the month). The guild maintains a library of books and magazines on a wide range of fiber subjects for member use. Carding and weaving equipment are available for guild educational/challenge projects and for individual member use.

*The Moonspinners guild gives numerous demonstrations throughout the year to educate the public, recruit new members, and generally promote interest in fiber crafts.

*Membership is encouraged (dues are just $15/year) and help provide funds for programs. However, membership is not mandatory to attend guild meetings.

Interested? Come check us out. We meet at the United Methodist Church of Sumner, 901 Wood Ave. Sumner, WA. Second Tuesday of each month, 7:00 pm to 9:00 PM.

LSG Traveling Scarves

2009-02-07T09:56:00.000-08:00

This February is the one year anniversary of Lazy, Stupid and Godless group on ravelry.com. Don't let the group name fool you! Sure, some of us are lazy (I'd include myself in that category ;) and there might be a few who are stupid (not likely) and of course there are some who are Godless (not me). Why the odd name? Because we are also a group of ravelry members who love to be grownups. We cuss, and tease each other with epitaphs like 'twatweasle', support each other when we need a shoulder to lean on or an ear to bitch in.
From the group overview page:

This group heartily gives thanks to those who asked‘Is Swearing Allowed on
Ravelry?’ In this group you are allowed to talk about any kind of ‘bad’ behavior
you want, as long as you are usually funny.

Treat this group like a long weekend in Vegas, complete with hookers,
craps, and whole bottles of tequila. In other words, what happens in lsg, stays
in lsg.

To celebrate the one year of awesomeness that is lsg, some of us have decided to make traveling scarves. How it works, is that each person starts a scarf then mails it on to the next person, until each person in the group has knitted a 5 inch section (each group has less than 10 members- I think) and it gets back to whomever started the scarf. So not only will I have a finished scarf (actually two, I am knitting on a handspun group and a 'normal/scents ok' group) but it will have been knitted on by a bunch of awesome people :0 I'll have two completely original scarves to keep me warm next fall and winter ..
Here are my two sections I started:

malabrigo worsted Merino yarn in "Peach Tree"

knit on size 7us, cast on 37

Scrunchable Scarf pattern

handspun Merino, "Verdant"

knit on size 9us, cast on 36

Morning Surf scarf pattern

Just a quickie!

2009-02-04T20:49:00.000-08:00

My baby sister is having a wedding ceremony and reception in April. She asked me to help with the flowers, and I am. I LOOOOOVED planning my own wedding, so much so that I was very seriously considering becoming a wedding planner. This 'project' is bringing back those thoughts ;)

I decided to blog it, not only to record the progress, but to allow her to see the ideas and help as well. She is currently in South Carolina, finishing army training. Wish us luck, that this back and forth long distance planning doesn't make us crazy in the end!

Come along for the ride!

Personal Transformation: planning a wedding long distance

OMG!!1! Bible Study

2009-02-03T16:43:00.000-08:00

So, I've decided to attend the weekly bible study at my church. I don't own a bible (Not totally true, but mine is stored in a book case that is unreachable at the moment) so my BIL lent me his (also not totally true, my sister lent it to me).

Anyhow, we are studying the Book of Esther. It's an interesting story about King Xerxes, who gets mad at his queen because she doesn't want to stand around and look pretty for him at a party. His council says he has to do something about it or else all the wives EVERYWHERE might become disobediant so he replaces her by having, basically, a beauty pageant. Esther wins, after 12 months of beauty grooming, and shhh!, Esther is also an orphan raised by her uncle, and a Jew. Uncle is constantly telling Esther she must keep it a secret that she is a Jew.

Title: ' La Toilette d'Esther'

Painter: Theodore Chasseriau

Year: 1841

Esthers uncle hangs around the palace, pissing off the guards, and Haman, Xerxes Prime Minister. Her uncle pissed off the bad guy because he foiled a nasty plot. The Haman wants to not only kill the uncle, but all Jews. They even pick a date (March 7, in case you were wondering). I think they sent out fliers announcing how they planned on killing all women, children and men that were Jew, and snatching their properties and goods.

OH NOES!!1! Esther iz ah JEW TOO!

So Esther hatches a plan to win favor with Xerxes, and he promises her anything, even half his kingdom! She also reminds him of how her uncle saved his ass, so Xerxes gives him some fancy clothes, a royal horse, and makes Haman parade him around the town, shouting how wonderful he is and favored by Xerxes.

Haman plots with his wife and friends to kill the uncle, by impaling him on a 75 foot pole. Niiiice. Instead, he ends up getting impaled, because Esther reveals to Xerxes about the plot against her uncle and Xerxes. This wins even more favor with Xerxes for Esther, so she gets him to let her uncle write up a kingly decree, saying whatever he wants. The uncle writes up a basic reversal for March 7, and send it out, spreading the word, from India to Ethiopia.

March 7 rolls around, and the Jews kill a bunch of the bad guys buddies, who went through with the original plot against the Jews. The Jews totally kick ass, and have a party all day on the 8th (except one city, who took two days to kick ass, so they partied on the 9th.) This is now the Jewish holiday/celebration called Purnim.

The end.

Anyhow, bible study isn't quite what I was expecting. I was expecting us to sit in a group/groups and read the bible, and discuss it. Apparently, instead, we are sitting in groups, listening and watching some well known bible study writer/speaker and filling in blanks. Perhaps we will have some actuall discussion this week (today). Who knows. At least I get to eat some cookies and Peanut gets to play with some kids other than her cousins.

February Goal

2009-02-02T15:53:00.000-08:00

So, the goals I want to concentrate on first will be:

1. Have a family budget.
2. Eat better! Less junk, more fruits & veggies.

To accomplish the first goal, I need to sit down with the Mr. and write out all of our current reoccurring bills, as well as what he spends weekly on gas and such. We also need to set out a food budget and after all that, see if we have some left for fun money.

The second will take A LOT of effort om my part. We share a home with my parents, and so no matter what I do as far as food we buy, I still have to contend with anything my parents buy. We share food, nothing gets designated to whomever buys it. I have issues with eating stuff because I like the way it tastes. I need to start by making breakfast everyday. Oatmeal and fruit, or eggs with wholewheat toast. Healthy snacks for us, yogurt, fruit.. Lunch can be sandwiches, salad, soups with crackers. Maybe a later snack for Peanut if she is hungry before dinner has started. Dinner needs to contain way more veggies (and not constantly green beans or corn from cans), occasionally pasta, more brown rice less white rice, and healthy, lean protein.
Cookies need to be only homemade (since this lessens the amount of cookies available, I would have to make them if I want them ;). Ice cream needs to be no more than once a week. Candy, only if we go to the movies (this is a super rare occasion). Fast food, no more than once a week, or twice if I choose a HEALTHY salad and grilled chicken or fruit with water. Other junk, like chips, only occasionally, perhaps once every two weeks?? Maybe depending on what else I have eaten that day..

This isn't going to be easy for me, specially if I have a hard time convincing the Mr. to go along with it.

Personal Challenges

2009-02-02T15:36:00.000-08:00

Savvymercury on ravelry posted about iCiNG's Transformation Challenge.
Now, I don't follow the iCiNG blog, but the idea is intriguing. Even though February has already started, I decided to jump in (since I have been needing to make some changes, but needed some push to get me started).

So I though I would set a list of challenges I want to accomplish this year, and try to at least get one new transformation set each month. Make the new change a new habit.

Goals:

1. Move! Go for a walk (weather permitting), maybe use a exercise video.
2. Eat better! Less junk, more fruits & veggies.
3. De-clutter our home. Start with our bedroom.
4. Knit and/or spin some everyday.
5. Get me and Peanut on a daily schedule regarding meals and some set learning time.
6. Read more books.
7. Have a family budget.

So the next post will be picking and expanding on a goal for this month. I'll try and pick at least one goal per month, and hopefully each new challenge will become a permanent habit.
.

HFCS

2009-01-27T13:31:00.000-08:00

article Here

Basically, Corn Refiners' Association, who make high fructose corn syrup- which can be found in almost every product, from bread to ice cream to hotdogs- have been making and using HFCS that was known to have mercury in it. What is worse, is that the FDA knew about it at least as early as 2005, but have done nothing about it.

Why does it matter?
This:

"Mercury is toxic in all its forms," said IATP's David Wallinga, M.D., and a co-author in both studies. "Given how much high fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of mercury never before considered. We are calling for immediate changes by industry and the FDA to help stop this avoidable mercury contamination of the food supply."

So please, please, READ your food labels. Stop buying products that contain HFCS. It isn't easy, and might be slightly more expensive at first. But is risking mercury poisoning in you, your children and families worth it? Not for me. Not even a little bit.

For Cynthia

2009-01-19T16:27:00.000-08:00

Note: Apparently, "Cynthia" isn't who she says she is, and her asking this info is more likely market research, as opposed to some poor college student doing an article. I'm not going to alter this post, as I don't think I've provided any info "Cynthia" couldn't find by 1) searching my blog, 2) searching the internet, or 3) freely joining ravelry.com herself and getting the info first hand.

Thanks for asking, I hope I can help...

Thing is, I am writing a piece on Ravelry for my college magazine. Topic is WHY Ravelry is such a huge success. I need opinions from fellow Ravelers like you to back up this claim I am making.

These are the questions:

1) Why did you choose to join Ravelry?

2) How did you learn about Ravelry?

3) What does Ravelry give you that other sites don’t?

4) Absolutely anything else you’d like to share with me on this subject.

My quandary is this: I love the site and come here almost every week to look for knitting tips and ideas. (I haven’t joined yet, as I am too shy to talk of my own work…)

I want to understand why others do the same. Each person must have his or her own reason and I am very curious to understand this trend.

Once I write the piece, I intend to send it across to Bob the dog. Maybe, he will post it on the site to encourage newcomers or even use it for other promotion purposes.

Thank you in advance

Keep writing, keep sharing, keep creating
Warmest regards
Cynthia

Interesting questions! I'd be happy to help :)

1. I decided to join ravelry because the pattern and yarn database seemed like a wonderful tool as a knitter. I had not planned on becoming immersed in the forums, as I am a member of knittinghelp.com as well. However, I prefer the forums on ravelry for a couple of reasons. First, being the ability to directly reply to a person, and them being automatically alerted about your replies. Second, the agree/disagree/education/interesting/funny/love buttons on the bottom of every post enable a person to 'reply' without having to type "Oh ME TOO!" I also like the ease of linking to patterns, yarns and people when posting in the forums.

2. I first heard about ravelry on knittinghelp.com. The owners of that site have always been supportive and helpful, even of ravelry, when some might view them as a competitor. To me, they serve different functions. Ravelry is a database and personal notebook and happens to have a great forum attached :) KH is a site that is awesome for videos to learn techniques as well as a great place to get help when you need it.

3. For me, I have found ravelry to be a great way to keep track of my projects, my yarn and fiber stash, as well as have a chance to see what others have done with pattern and yarns. I've connected with a lot of really wonderful people and it's massive forums, with an outstanding array of specialised groups, makes it easy to find just about any info regarding knitting, crochet, spinning, weaving and just about anything you can think of. It has been a great way for me to interact with others, as well as advance my abilities in knitting and spinning. With out ravelry, I probably wouldn't have joined my local Spinning and Weaving Guild (Moonspinners) or been so fearless in my spinning and knitting.

4. I never thought a hobby could expand and become such a big part of my life. I have always been drawn to creative arts. I used to draw constantly, and paint. However, painting takes up space, and with dogs and a little kid, it just doesn't seem reasonable to have an easel set up with a canvas on it taking up so much space. Someday, when we have our own place again, I'll get back into it! I love the portability of knitting projects, the texture and color. I love spinning for the same reasons. The incredible potential in each skein, roving and batt.

Overall, I think ravelry is such a huge success because of the way it allows its users to search projects, yarns, and forums. It provides SO MUCH information. The way Casey and Jess have set it up to be used in so many infinite ways. The way they are accessible and open to suggestions. The way a user can choose to participate in every facet, or none.

I do love ravelry. <3

Musings

2009-01-19T13:50:00.000-08:00

I've been putting off blogging for awhile. Probably because I just feel like there isn't anything interesting enough to blog about. Oh well.

I've been thinking about what to do with my etsy shop. My current thought is that I am going to see if my LYS would be interested in selling my stuff on consignment. I am also going to switch over to rovings and batts, and maybe expand to yarns again, if it goes well. I need to get the roving here and dyed up, then approach my LYSO, if nothing else, I'll be listing them on etsy. Stay tuned.

I've also been getting out of the house more often :) Knitting at the LYS on Fridays, Moonspiners guild every 2nd Tuesday, and recently, I've started taking Peanut with me to meetup at Rachels home for a spinning group (there are 4 of us). It is a LOT of fun to spin together, chat and let the kids play together! I even got the Mr. to come along this past Saturday. He admitted he had a good time, and Rachel asked if we'd be interested in joining them next time they have a poker night. :) MORE grown up time! WIN! I'll also be starting to go to a Tuesday night bible study with my sister at our chuch. Hopefully it won't be too crazy. I prefer my christianity simple (Love one another, golden rule type stuff, not 5 million rules).

Also, I am realizing what generous, wonderful people I've met and have in my life. Friends I have met through knit night (Hi Lee, Lana, Rachel, Kimberly ect. ;) and friends I've met through ravelry (Hi LSGers!) Some of these friends are people I get to meet up and hang out with IRL, and others are people I talk to on ravelry and have become a tight group. It's amazing to me how having such a simple hobby (knitting; and from that, spinning) has made my life so much richer and emotionally satisfying.

Now, fingers, and stuff, crossed that it works out doing consignment at my LYS!

A recently finished yarn:

handdyed, handcarded, handspun
2ply romney with angelina
180ish yards, 4 ounces

Snow Photos

2008-12-23T14:50:00.000-08:00

A mostly pictorial entry, Merry Christmas!

Day 1

Our 'snowman'

The neighbors GIANT snowman of AWESOME. It makes our snowman look more like theirs came over and poo'ed in our yard. ;)

Peanut, eating a bowl of snow. She LOVES to eat snow.

Day 2

Her first snow angel (it's there, just kind of hard to see)

Our birdbath. It looks more like a big cake stand...

Peanut, throwing snow.

Our sad snowman. He looks like a lump now. She was giving him a hug.

And Peanut, checking out the gifts under the tree.

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happy holidays?

2008-12-15T12:12:00.000-08:00

I was planning on writing a great, end of the year/ Happy Holidays post. However, I am not in a good mood, and this holiday season has hit us hard. Both financially and emotionally.

My dad is sick. He'll be ok, but he is in pain, and probably will be until the end of the month.
Our house is freezing. We have old (most not working) baseboard heaters. Only a few are still working, but they are woefully in-efficient. We also have a wood stove, but not enough wood. It also only heats up the back living room and my parents room, even if we have a fan blowing heat to the front of the house. So here I sit, with wool slippers, jeans, a sweater and a fleece blanket, on the couch, still freezing.
My grandma is in the hospital. She has COPD, diabetes, pneumonia, has been given a breathing tube down her throat, and (I am not sure on the number of) large blood transfusion (4 pints). My mom had went to visit recently, and shared photos. This was before the hospitalization. She looked terrible, bloated, not mobile AT ALL. Fast forward to (?) Friday. My asshole uncles - who all still live at home, but do nothing to help their mother- get into a fight, which stresses my grandma enough that she has chest pains and asks to go to the hospital. It was all down hill from there. I don't think she has much longer to live. Part of it has been her COPD, making it difficult for her to be active in the begining (almost a year ago), but mostly her untreated depression. She hasn't WANTED to be active or healthy. Now I just wish I had a car, so I could drive my mom to see her and visit one last time. And I am angry at my uncles for being so fucking selfish that they couldn't help their own mother, but instead harass my two aunts who have been taking care of her. They also have decided it was more important to spend any money they do have on booze, rather than food, and get into fights like teenagers (they are all in there late 40s, early 50s). FUCK. I just want to see her one last time, kiss her, and tell her I love her again. It doesn't help that I can't get any accurate info on her condition because my aunts (who care, but aren't the best at details) can't pass on info to my mom, who even if they did, would still probably not pass on exact info either. Last night, it was "She is going to die, probably a matter of hours", today, who knows? I love her, but just want her to pass on peacefully. Then she won't be in any pain anymore, or depressed, and my uncles will then have to deal with finding and affording a place to stay as well as food (all which my grandma currently provides). Personally, I think all but one will end up homeless or in a shelter.
As for gift giving. well. I love Christmas. My family has never celegrated it religiously, always secularly. For us, it is a time for gift giving and good food. I don't even know what we are going to get our daughter for christmas. The adults in my immediate family (sisters, the spouses, parents and one uncle- dads brother, not the previously mentioned uncles) all draw a name for a 'secret' santa gift giving. Jasons family gets together Christmas Eve, and eat, do a gift game (I have no clue what it is called) for the adults. Kids get to open some gifts, and everyone then gets to have christmas morning at home, with no running around. :) It's all fun, but being broke makes it harder to find gifts I WANT to give. I was able to get some pretty fiber batts for giving to a few friends, and spun up some for two other friends. I just really want the holidays to be over.

An ongoing stressor for me has been living with my parents. They are not bad roomies. Quite the opposite. The problem has to do with perspectives. My mom does the majority of the house work (not by design). This happens because she and I have very different priorities. I would rather be spending time with my daughter, knitting, spinning, or reading than doing housework. My mom though, has no hobbies. So it is usually she who can't let the dishes sit, or mop and sweep constantly (it never looks like it was done, since the dogs all run in and out as they please, leaving paw prints and doggie hair every where). She also gets passive-agressive about messy toys, or my fibers, yarns or projects sitting out. Since she doesn't have any hobbies, I don't think she understands why it is out, and not all crammed into closets or always out of sight.
I keep wanting to sell our house, and move into an apartment close to Jasons work. I keep wanting to say "fuck it" about waiting for the house to gain some equity before we sell. I just want out. I didn't like the house when we bought it ( mostly to save my dad from forclosure ) and it is not ideal, has shitty heating, poor layout, and I just don't like living with other people. But also, giving up homeownership, and the security and future financial needs (college for Peanut) is scarey. I did not grow up in a family who had that sort of financial responsibilty. The home my grandma has lived in for 40 years? A rental. At the end of her life, she has nothing to show for it but photos and momentos. No security for her needed care or as a legacy to any of her heirs. I DON'T want that for us.

Well. Hasn't this been a chipper post? I did start taking St. Johns Wort, to help even out my moods, maybe I won't feel so overwhelmed in a week or two when my body has adjusted. All I know, is I want to stop crying and being so pissed all the time.

Pennies for Bella

2008-11-19T10:58:00.000-08:00

Pennies for Bella.
Please read this page here.

This little girl needs to get a abone marrow transplant (BMT) or stem cell transplant using umbilical cord blood. The pennies for Bella site was set up by their church, to help raise funds to help her family pay for the procedure and related expenditures.

I've donated, and am adding a donation widget on the side panel of my blog. Please donate if you can, through this blog or through the penniesforbella.org site (both widgets send donations to the same place, I get nothing if you donate through my blog)

Thanks!
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ADORABLE!

2008-10-31T14:08:00.001-07:00

I signed up for an ornament swap. But not just any swap! It's LSG! and Tacky! Go me!

Though i decided to make a 'tacky' ornament instead of buying anything (cheaper for me). I decided to knit something, as I figured it's an ornament so it can't take too long to do.

And I found it.
It's simple, basic, and so fracking adorable!
(ravelry page, pattern link)
I've made two as trial ornaments, using up some handspun that was a navajo ply of leftover singles on a bobbin. BFL in Melon (from Miss Babs)

Since my handspun was not worsted weight, I cast on 20 instead of 16. For the very long hat, I simply decreased until I had just 3 stitches, then knit i-cord until I had used up almost all of the handspun. I love these. :)

Fair Photos

2008-10-28T13:57:00.000-07:00

Geez, I have been slacking here! I never posted any fair photos. Today I will rectify that :)

First up, this sweet photo. It was so adorable how this girl was snuggling with her cow:

A freshly shorn lamb!

Cow milking

Jacob Sheep

A Ze-Donk

Another cow, she posed for us!

A Camel

Piggies! So cute!

Look how big my little Peanut is getting! I think we'll do this every year we go :)

It rained pretty much the entire time we were there. We walked around, saw the animals and the Expo area (all the As-Seen on TV type stuff for sale). We had lunch too, Fair burgers and fries. I then went over to do the spinning demo at the Artist In Action. It was really neat (and a little nerve wrecking) to be 'on display'. The general public was really cool about watching, asking questions, and seeming interested. I just did some spindling with my CD spindle. It was great but after 3 and half hours, my shoulders were tired! DH and Peanut had wandered off (and came back a couple times with stuffed toys, YAY fair games!) to have some fun while I demo'ed. We then packed it up and headed out. Of course, as par for Washington weather, it cleared up JUST as we were walking to leave:

But we did have a great time, and were happy to get home and off our feet!

A simple Scarf

2008-10-14T22:20:00.001-07:00

Ruffles, ruffles every where! Perfect for the girly-girl in your life! Or you ;)

I knit this for my niece and she loves it...

Ruffle Scarf
by Jeanie Stave

Scarf is worked Length wise. You can substitute any bulky yarn, or knit with two strands of worsted at the same time. You want your stitches to be more loose than normal, to give your scarf a nice drape! If you are normally a tight knitter, go up a size, and if you are a loose kitter, you should be ok.

Skills needed: Knit, Purl, Yarn-overs (yo), casting on and binding off

materials:
Lion Brand Homespun Yarn (or other bulky weight yearn)
10.5 (6.5 mm) circular needle, 40 in (100 cm)

Directions:

Adult Size
Cast on 131 using Long Tail method.
Row 1- Purl
Row 2- Knit
Row 3- Purl
Row 4- Knit 1, *(yo, Knit 1)*
Row 5- Purl
Row 6- Knit
Row 7- Purl
Row 8- Knit 1, *(yo, Knit 1)*
Row 9- Purl
Row 10- Knit
Row 11- Purl
Row 12- Bind off loosely

Child Size
Cast on 101 using Long Tail method.
Row 1- Purl
Row 2- Knit
Row 3- Purl
Row 4- Knit 1, *(yo, Knit 1)*
Row 5- Purl
Row 6- Knit
Row 7- Purl
Row 8- Knit 1, *(yo, Knit 1)*
Row 9- Purl
Row 10- Knit
Row 11- Purl
Row 12- Bind off loosely

(c) 2008, Jeanie Stave.
Permission to knit as many as you like, but please do not sell any scarves made from this pattern. Making copies is ok!

The Fair!

2008-09-20T09:59:00.001-07:00

I am excited! Today we are going to the fair (http://www.thefair.com). But not only are we going, but I am going to be a part of the Artists in Action (near the Red Gate)! I am going to be part of the Moonspinners Guild demonstrating from 2-6 (they are there all day from 10-10). I am bringing my spinning wheel, my drop spindle and a couple small project to knit on! This should keep me well occupied with out any boredom for 4 hours!

We are going early to walk around and check out all the 4-H animals as well as the Expo area. DH and Peanut are also going to stick around and have fun on the kiddie rides and play games. It should work out pretty well:) I'm going to let DH decide after I am done if he wants to stay longer or if it ill be time to head home.

My only disappointment today? The rain. When we went to the spring fair, it rained (and was pretty gusty) and now today, it's raining! I am sending up a little request, that it be dry enough for Peanut and DH to enjoy the rides and games :)

Hope to see you there!

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(Not) Fishing Trip

2008-09-14T18:15:00.000-07:00

We went to Millersylvania State Park. Husband and Papa fished, hoping to catch some trout. They didn't have any luck. In the mean time, Nana, Peanut and I went for a walk.

Peanut didn't like the wooden boardwalk, so I carried her in our Ergo carrier.

She had fun later climbing over fallen logs and peering over the bridges to see if there was anything in the waters.

I love Washington... It's so scenic and green. I am going camping more often next year! Which means I need to find a tent! We had one, but DH and Papa threw it away because it had been chewed on by rats in the garage. :( There were some nice camp spots too, open with nice room but enough trees for a bit of privacy too.

After our walk, we hung out with the men-folk as they fished. Peanut was having fun. Her Papa added her name to the dock, and then she told him to write 'Papa' and 'Nana' and 'Romeo' (the dog). It was a lovely day. Overcast but not too cool. I highly recommend this park!

A little Catch Up (pic heavy)

2008-09-14T13:31:00.000-07:00

I have been a poor blogger lately. Lots opportunities and not taking them. Nice.
The house has been repainted from a dreary brown on brown combo to a nice shade of blue grey with a purplish navy blue trim. A huge improvement. Somehow, I got out of any work. Not sure how that happened. *shrugs*

I took Peanut to NW Trek last week. It was so much fun! We had lunch before going, since I wasn't sure if the food would be dodgy or not. We were able to watch a few ladies training a year old Red Tail Hawk...

They told us that he had been a rescue. The previous place had been careful to not imprint him, but after releasing him, they had to re-rescue him. He was eventually brought to NW Trek, and they are now training him to be a part of the learning programs there.

We then walked over and checked out the bears! We saw two black bears. One was busy napping (I wish I had been too, it was a loooong day) and the other was foraging for berries and probably bugs. They were very laid back...

We then visited the Brown (grizzly) Bears. There were two here also, and one was napping,

the other seemed to be chewing on something verrrrry stretchy and rubbery. Probably a piece of meat? It was kinda gross. Peanut said it was a noodle. OK!

We then queued up to ride the trolly through the free range enclosure. This was very cool! The only complaint I had was the driver didn't make nice stops to enable better photos. A lot of mine were blurred or completely missed, as I would not have enough time to properly focus and get a nice composition. Oh well, pass a tissue, right? ;)

We saw lots of different animals. I was going to post all of them, but I think instead, I share a few here, and you can see the rest over on flickr.

Here is a MOOSE! She is around a year old..

And an ELK! He was a part of the bachelor herd, and decided to 'show off' (or scare us?) He was tossing his head back an forth. There was about half a dozen or more males in this spot

We climbed a 2000 foot elevation, and had this beautiful view

We could see a water tower glinting about 5 miles away.

There was a spinners dream! Fiber! A herd of it...

Ok, actually they're buffalo (BISON!) We even got to see a small group right next to the trolly, a mom and her calf...

There was this spectacular tree grouping

And I learned about Madrona Trees. They only grow within 50 miles of the ocean, and shead their barks, The are also part of the Evergreen Family of trees and are found along the Western coast. Very cool.

We also had a little 'fishing' trip to Millersyvania State Park. I love this park. I had wanted to get married here, but realized the husbands side of the family would have baulked at the drive from Seattle area.. any how, to save you the long wait for even more pictures to load, I'll post a second entry... :)

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RE:" What to Knit?"

2008-09-03T09:18:00.000-07:00

So.. I think I am going to pick up Fitted Knits. There is a cute little shrug (the Two Tone Shrug- contrasting cuff and neckline ribbing) that might fit the bill. I just hope I have enough! And maybe if I knit fast enough (LOL) I can wear it to the family Thanksgiving.

If not, then I like the idea of mittens and a scarf. A 'My So Called Scarf' would be nice in the Peach Tree, then mittens in the Red Java with Peach Tree on the cuffs :) I think I'd make the mittens first, and maybe do the first bit of the scarf with the red java to have it as edging on both ends. My mind is racing! I love the planning stages of knitting! :D

What to Knit?

2008-09-02T11:24:00.000-07:00

Ok dear readers... I need some help!

I have these three skeins of Malabrigo Worsted (100% wool).

Peach Tree (2 skeins- 430 yards)

Red Java (1 skein-215 yards)

Do they go together? The colors in the photos are pretty dead on. Also, pattern suggestions? I have been scouring ravelrys' pattern search engine and haven't had any luck. *sigh*

I was thinking of knitting a shrug or short sleeved vest/tank using the red java as the ribbing.. and the peach tree as the body. Maybe something knit sideways and alternate for verticle stripes? Horizontal striping is out (looks baaaaad on me lol)

Thanks for any help!

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I do still knit!

2008-08-31T15:01:00.000-07:00

Ha. So I knit a vest for Peanut. But not just any vest...

I designed it all by myself! It was made for a design contest held by my LYS (Lambs Ear Yarns in Tacoma). I used Manos del Uruguay 100% wool (now called "wool clasica") in the color #29 (which looks like a nice blueish pine, but is called 'steel'). I love knitting with this yarn! I made it in two sizes, but it's pretty easy to upsize by adding stitches in multiples of 4. Apparently nobody else entered the contest (as of this morning) so it looks like I am winner by default, LOL.

Winner wins an instore gift certificate and thier pattern will be sold in the shop. Peanut had fun playing red light green light as I took pictures. I'll be bringing in the vest on Friday (I origionally brought it in yesterday, Aug. 30, but Roxi asked if I would mind taking it home to get some nice pictures, I obliged!) I am so excited that knit group is starting back up! I miss that group!

Green Light!

A Reading

2008-08-21T10:41:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been feeling very apathetic. Not wanting to spin, knit or write. I decided to do a little spinning yesterday (it felt great) and before bed decided to give myself a general reading.

I recently received the Los Scarabeo deck, after positively charging the deck and letting it acclimate for a few days, I chose this deck for the reading.

I lit a candle for concentration and grounded myself.

I chose to use the Scarab spread shared in the Lo Scarabeo booklet.

This spread channels the essential essence of the scarab, helping you clarify your direction, gain insight into your situation and decide on an appropriate course of action—whatever your challenge might be.

Here is my draw:

And my interpretation, with help from Aecletic:

1. "What I want"
3 of Swords-Clarity/Cutting Truth

2. "What I need"
X, The Wheel-(reversed)movement, change and evolution

3. "Need to Know"
Queen of Chalice/Cups- (reversed)work on having more empathy?

4. "working against me"
4 of Pentacles/Coins- (reversed)Greed working against me. I need to relax a little, be less worried about loss of what I have - it's not going anywhere. Focus, instead, on how to make the best of what I've got while I'm around to enjoy it.

5. "working for me"
2 of Staves/wands-choice about where I put my energy and passion is to be made, but if my instincts are right, the choice will be a right one. So, I am understanding to trust my instincts, it's working FOR me.

6. "need to abandon"
10 of Swords-(reversed) Need to let go of my fears of thing not going right not working out. I'll be ok.

7. "need to embrace"
IX, the Hermit-a card of connections and enlightenment. a desire to just "be alone". Need to embrace this time to retreat and concentrate.

8. "the Aggressors Path"
King of Swords-To take matters into my hands i need to use wisdom and be objective to find solutions to situations now and in the future.

9. "the Believers Path"
V, the Hierophant-Faith. If i choose the path of a Believer, have faith that my choices will be best and that the Divine will guide me and lead me the right way. "Either give up that which you fear to lose so it no longer holds any power over you, or consider what you will still have if your fear comes to pass"

Overall, I really like this spread. As I didn't present the cards with a specific question, rather a general concentration on me and what I needed to know at this point. I believe the cards are guiding me to trust my instincts, not be stressed and fearful of my choices or situation. To have more empathy and to enjoy what I do have. I also think that the cards are encouraging me to make time to focus on my Spiritual journey and to be more of a hermit ;).

If you read Tarot, suggestions and thoughts would be welcome. I am very new to readings!

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Tarot

2008-08-06T17:00:00.000-07:00

I have my first tarot deck. It's beautiful! The Goddess Tarot by Kris Waldherr.

It will take me a while to learn what all the cards mean (there are 78), but lucky for me, and anyone first learning, there is a booklet to explain the meaning of the cards.

I did a bunch of tarot readings yesterday. It was a great experience. My cousin was worried it was something to do with the devil (it's not). I explained that it is just like if you prayed for guidance on a particular topic, then opened your bible and read the scripture for help. The cards don't foretell the future, but act as a guide. They help clarify decisions or situations..

We had a good reading session (my mom and I). Only one reading was whack, and I attribute that to the fact that she wasn't serious or trusting that the cards would give her a reading on that topic. Every other question we posed was answered. In fact, when my sister got home, she re-asked (with out knowing what we asked earlier) two of the questions, and the cards gave the SAME answers. Cool, no? I can't wait for my knowledge to grow enough to not have to look up every card as I go.

There are four more decks I want (I know!):

1. Revelations (great how the images have a flipped image representing the reversed meanings)
2. Thoth (lots of imagery and symbols to help with deeper meanings- advanced to me)
3. Mermaids (pretty, like the Goddess deck, but MERMAIDS! whoot!)
4. Radiant Rider-Waite (traditional)

I bought my deck at Crescent Moon Gifts in Freighthouse Square in Tacoma. The woman working (I didn't get her name :( but she was nice and had pink hair- Peanut commented on it) was helpful and advised me on how to pick a deck for me. She said that the art work should appeal to me, and as a beginner she also recommended cards that had the card name clearly written on them to make it easier to read. I looked over the different tarot decks, and chose the Goddess deck. It has nice art work as well as clearly labeled arcana. She said the Thoth deck was her first deck, and at the time, she didn't know how difficult it would be. It is definantly on my to-get list ;)

a few more decks:
Chocolate
Gummy Bear
Haindl
Art Nouveau

And for fun, Peanut being a Pirate!

And to the comments on 10 Year.. I graduated from Lakewood HS in Lakewood CA, and I think the 20 year will be fun too!
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10 Years

2008-08-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

(technically 11 since this picture was taken the summer before my senior year)

I got my high school reunion invitation in the mail. The big party is in October, the last week of the month. It's $85 per person, and a cocktail attire event. Needless to say, we will almost assuredly not be attending because of cost. We would have to pay for two tickets, airfare for 3 (Peanut needs her own seat now, according to airlines), hotel room for 4-5 days, figure out child care for that night, buy clothes for both of us that are appropriate, and rent a car. So. Being that I would like to see my DH more than a few hours during the week, I will not be asking him to work a bunch of overtime so that this trip is possible, no matter how much I want to see my old friends.

It sucks. Also, I just found out the tattoo shop that started my mermaid tattoo, now has a $60 appointment fee. O_0 . And no one seems interested in my destash, so it looks like I won't be getting any of the fiber related tattoos started as well. Sad times here. Woe is me, and all that.

I wonder if it would be worth it to list on ebay or etsy? Thoughts?

A prom pic to end the post:

I'm in the sunglasses 8)

too much

2008-08-01T16:00:00.000-07:00

I realized (too late) that I stretched myself too much this month. I am going to barely be able to complete my swap obligations. And that makes me depressed. I like to be a great swap partner. But now? I feel like a just-enough one. I was going to hand dye some silk tussah for my HHHH partner, but I can't find it. So now I will be sending her some natural wools. Also, plying the coiled yarn is so very slow going for me, and I am not sure I will be able to get it all in one skein, which bums me out a bit.

I also realized, that I shouldn't agree to do things I might not get off my lazy ass and actually do.
I am referring to doing 'the hundred'. I started with a bang, I even wrote down the schedule to take with me on vacation. What happened you ask? I forgot the card at home, and had no internet while I was in Idaho. So, I have to start over. And I will. In conjunction with the hundred challenge, I am going to do the Couch to 5K challenge. I decided to use a podcast to help with the interval training. I am using the DJ Steve Boy podrunner set of podcasts here. I've downloaded the first 3 weeks and the intro and put them on my old mp3 player (a GPX) .

I don't think I will be updating much of my progress on either front. I think it stresses me out and makes me feel too pressured. This doesn't mean I won't be possibly be writing updates though. :)

Coeur d'Alene

2008-08-01T11:47:00.000-07:00

We had such a nice week in Coeur d'Alene last month.

My aunt lives just a few blocks from the park, as well as restaurants, an LYS, groceries and thrift shops. It was nice to be able to walk to get to anything we could have wanted or needed. Peanut loved playing at the park, and the beach was her favourite place. She would ask us to make her 'castles' in the sand, and then promptly brush them away with her hands, laughing. I wish we had taken pictures at the beach. :( Poor planning, and too busy having fun!

We did run into a couple who had brought their lizards for a walk in the park. they allowed kids to pet and feed them wild strawberries. Peanut loved it and was not scared at all. We watched them run around, and she followed the bigger one when he ran over to the strawberry plants.

My aunt had a tree planted (a Pin Oak) in memory of her recently passed wifey, Hope. It was a lovely tribute, with a couple of poems were read, and a few shared memories. Then we helped plant the tree, and the older kids helped water it when we were finished. It was placed in a great spot. It over looks the lake, and stands in front of a few evergreens. The pretty shade of green of the leaves really stands out. I am under the impression that a plaque will be placed as well. Hope would have loved this.

We spent one of the days at the Triple Play (3play.com) water park. We played for about 2 hours in the kiddie pool, DH went down all the slides and in the wave pool. Then we had fun playing games at the arcade after a healthy lunch of pepperoni pizza. ;) We scored almost 900 'tickets' and let Peanut pick out a bunch of toy prizes. She was looking a little tired, but insisted she wanted to play in the water more. So we did. Maybe another hour or so. It was a blast and she loved getting to see the dinosaurs. I was bit perturbed, as they wouldn't let us take her in the the wave pool, even though we put a swim diaper on her (totally unnecessary for us) and would not have let her gop for a second. The deepest part of the pool was about 4.5 ft deep. Sucky.

She did crash and nap for over 2 hours when we got back to my aunts house.

We liked it so much, that we are seriously thinking of selling the house and moving.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I picked up the book Pagan Spirituality. Good so far. I need to get a couple other books to help me on my journey.. Paganism, An Introduction and Drawing Down the Moon. I also need to get off my butt and see if there is a group that meets up close to me.

On another note as well, I can't find my 8 ounces of tussah silk fiber. :( I photographed it for my ravelry notebook, and can't remember where I stashed it. And plying coil yarns is slooooooow.

HHHH Swap Update

2008-07-12T22:30:00.000-07:00

I did some spinning today partner! I lucked out and noticed your favourite color happed to suit some fiber I had that was extra from a felt project. . .

Don't let that scare you! It's great fiber :) Ashland Bay Colonial wool to be exact, though I won't share the color, since if you found me out, I'd like it to be somewhat of a surprise :)

I barely fit the 110 grams on my bobbin, spun thick and thin. I am going to be making a coil yarn, and now am a bit worried that when coiled, the thicker parts won't fit into my orifice! My Babe wheels' orifice is probably 1/4 inch in diameter...

I fully intended to have DH film me with the camera spinning outside today for the swap 'contest'. I however got distracted by spinning and watching Peanut and DH throw water on each other. They were having a blast. I ended up putting my wheel away to watch and take some fun photos. I'll have to share them tomorrow. I think I'll have him film me creating the coil tomorrow to enter.. I'll dig up my ravelry shirt for some extra points!

More Love! and TDF update

2008-07-10T14:07:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned how awesome the women are in my knit group? They are. First, one lends me her handcards, and now, another bought me two books for my birthday! (they arrived today :) Big Girl Knits and More Big Girl Knits. I am excited about them, because they will enable me to alter generic patterns to fit my body shape best. That is so exciting! Especially for someone who was JUST complaining to her sister about how hard it is to find flattering clothes.

As for Tour de Fleece, here is where I am at:

Goals:
~~1. Spin up all of the targhee merino rolags, "Iceberg", into a 2 ply sport weight yarn.~~

2. Spin up the Miss Babs BFL, "Melon", into a 2 ply fingering weight.<--halfway!

~~3. Spin up approximately 120 yards of bulky weight targhee. Possibly single ply.~~

4. Spin up one art yarn from my cotswold (I have some koolaid dyed locks and some other breed locks to use as well as silver thread)

I am half way on the BFL! I halved the roving yesterday and started spinning the first single. I LOVE how it is coming along. I finished the first single today, and am stopping for now. My right shoulder is a little sore! That was a lot of spinning.

We have this huge, old cherry tree in the backyard. This tree looks as if it has hardly ever been pruned, and I would venture to guess that it is at least as old as the house (1978). The husband and dad have decided it needs to come down, which saddens me since I love the fruit it gives. Last year however, it hardly fruited, and what it did fruit, the birds and bugs got. So today, I realized, we could prop the ladder against the play-set, and cut the high branches down to get some great fruit.

I propped the ladder, and fully extended it. My mom then climbed up and used the branch trimmer to cut two branches down. After that, we sat on the porch and gathered the yummy cherries off the branches and ate a few too! I will miss the tree, but tomorrow, I'll be cutting a few more down ;)

Tour de Fleece, Day 4?

2008-07-08T18:52:00.000-07:00

So, I didn't post anything on days 2 and 3. My bad!

I was spinning and doing spinning related activities ;)

Goals:
~~1. Spin up all of the targhee merino rolags, "Iceberg", into a 2 ply sport weight yarn.~~

2. Spin up the Miss Babs BFL, "Melon", into a 2 ply fingering weight.

~~3. Spin up approximately 120 yards of bulky weight targhee. Possibly single ply.~~

4. Spin up one art yarn from my cotswold (I have some koolaid dyed locks and some other breed locks to use as well as silver thread)

I finished the targhee. Though, I don't have a proper WPI tool, but i am pretty sure it's closer to aran weight than bulky :\ It should still work for a hat for my dad, it just won't be as squishy as i had hoped! I also finished the Iceberg batts, and the blue jeans (it wasn't on the list, but whatever!)

Here are all three, I love them all lined up!

The targhee is 116 yards, and about 74 grams. It is a single ply yarn (my first!) I will be dyeing this into a "Camo" colorway for my dads' hat.

"Fancy Jeans" was spun from handcarded mill ends, spun into a single, then plied with a silver thread. 90 yards, about 37 grams. About sport weight.

"Iceberg". Spun from a targhee/mill end handcarded batts, approximately 50/50, with some ice blue angelina for sparkle! It is a 2 ply, 100 yards, 40 grams. About sport weight.

These were a lot of fun to spin up! I am looking forward to prepping the BFL.

In other news (still spinning related!), I received my swap-bot.com package. It is a big ass bunch of natural wool. I tried to weight it (my scale is tiny), I am *guessing* it is about 7-8 ounces. Looks like it is two types blended. Maybe shetland? Lots to play with though! Thanks!!

Peanut liked it too, she even sniffed it, and we decided it smelled like sheep :o)

destash!

2008-07-06T14:09:00.000-07:00

I've decided to destash some yarns to pay for a tattoo I really want! ;)

Check it out on ravelry! My destash page.

I figured since it’s going to be fiber related, why not have my stash pay for it? Here is my for sale stash

A few highlights:
Artyarns Regal Silk 4 skeins!
~~ColourMart Silk DK~~ ~~in Canary Yellow (i was going to overdye, but never got to it)~~
Phildar Licorne in Lavender!
SWTC Tofutsies!

I am open to offers, but not trades at this time unless it states that on the particular yarns page. Thanks for looking!

I accept Paypal. If you are not in the US, I will figure what postage will be, and we can decide together if it is worth it to you! :o)

100Pushups

2008-07-05T20:25:00.000-07:00

I did my test. I was surprised I could even do a pushup. I probably could have done 3. I did two. Level one for me! I'll follow his advice and do my 'training' Monday, Wednesday, Fridays.
So for me, week one consists of me working my way up to five. Seems very doable.

Also, I talked my sister Moe, and my DH, into joining me in this challenge. Moe did the initial test and did an amazing 22 push ups! Go Moe! DH needs to do his test (I'll add his total here too :)

Tour de Fleece, Day 1, part 2

2008-07-05T20:20:00.000-07:00

I spun and plied all of the 'Iceberg' today. One goal down!

~~1. Spin up all of the targhee merino rolags, "Iceberg", into a 2 ply sport weight yarn.~~

2. Spin up the Miss Babs BFL, "Melon", into a 2 ply fingering weight.

3. Spin up approximately 120 yards of bulky weight targhee. Possibly single ply.

4. Spin up one art yarn from my cotswold (I have some koolaid dyed locks and some other breed locks to use as well as silver thread)

Three goals to go! I think tomorrow I will start the targhee. It's already a pin drafted roving (it actually looks like a wool ribbon), so my test will be to not draft it, but give it just enough twist In order to get a bulky yarn.

I'll take and share photos of the yarn tomorrow, before I wash it to set the twist.

Tour de Fleece, Day 1, goals

2008-07-05T15:18:00.000-07:00

My goals (to be accomplished by July 27th!!!):

1. Spin up all of the targhee merino rolags, "Iceberg", into a 2 ply sport weight yarn.

2. Spin up the Miss Babs BFL, "Melon", into a 2 ply fingering weight.

3. Spin up approximately 120 yards of bulky weight targhee. Possibly single ply.

4. Spin up one art yarn from my cotswold (I have some koolaid dyed locks and some other breed locks to use as well as silver thread)

I will start with the "Iceberg" today, as soon as Peanut goes down for a nap!

100 Pushups and a Meltdown

2008-07-04T12:28:00.000-07:00

Found about onehundredpushups through my good friend luneray (checkout her blog! she is very witty!) I'll be doing my initial test today, while Peanut naps. This sounds easy enough, and I think I will actually keep up with it. No equipment, no membership dues.

Yesterday was disastrous. I wrangle Peanut into the bathroom to take a pre-nap potty. She complies. Then, when we went in the room, she refused to put her undies on. Full-on death roll, gnashing of teeth, wailing. All over having to put on undies and not. be. nekked.. She eventually climbed onto my lap, crying and telling me "I just being grumpy, mama. I just be sad." I rocked her and told her it was ok to be grumpy, and sad. But not ok to hit and kick. She eventually fell asleep while I rocked her. Nekked. So I guess she won that round.
After her nap, she still refused to get any clothes on. AT ALL. So i told her she had to stay in the room, because we don't get to be nekked outside of the room or the bathroom. She had awoke from her nap around 5pm. We did not exit the room until after 8. And I had to wrestle her into her clothing. Literally. It wasn't fun for either of us. I was SO tempted to jump up and start saying , "I win! I win!" (Wubbzy reference)* And after all the drama, she was fine. Back to my normal, happy, smart girl. I guess this is the terrible twos..And today? Perfectly normal. Got dressed, even put on a hat, and went to the store with her daddy.
What was sooo bad about the whole episode, is that I had planned on taking her with me to a local art center, where I could enjoy knitting, and she could play with other toddlers. It would have been a win-win. Maybe next week.

Hush-Hush Handspun Hootenanny Q's

2008-06-30T17:57:00.000-07:00

All about Me (at least as far as this swap is concerned ;)

1. How long have you been spinning? What skill level do you consider yourself?

I have been Spinning for about a year. I'd consider myself an advanced beginner, but not afraid to try new to me techniques! Still working on spinning a specific yarn weight (tend to spin DK)
2. What kinds of yarn do you create (singles/2-ply/3-ply/art yarn)?

I have done 2 ply, 3 ply, thread wrap, and Navajo plied. I am working on a cotswold Art Yarn! The bits I had to add in went M.I.A. and I just found them before I left town!

3. What do you spin with (spindle/wheel/both)?

I mostly use my Babe Fiber Garden wheel, and I have a CD spindle.

4. What are your favorite fibers to spin with? Anything you don't like?

I've spun SW merino, merino, cotswold, mill ends (probably SW merinos), SW corriedale (Hi Boogie!), silk hankies, targhee, and have some BFL screaming for me to spin it. I haven't spun any plant fibers, so I don't have any preference there. I don't think I am ready to spin anything with very short fiber staple (like cotton) as I often have to be able to stop quickly! I love wools and the silk hankies were a breeze to spin :)

5. Who are your favorite ~~crack dealers~~ fiber sources (etsy or otherwise)?

No favourites. I did make a sort of fiber wish list on the right hand side here. It's mostly to give any swappers a good idea of what sort of colorways I love. I really don't have any colors I don't like!

6. What kind of fiber do you want to try?

Bamboo, soy, any soft wools, or harder to find wools(Southdown Baby Doll, CVM ???) Blends would be neat, as all I have spun have been unblended wools.

7. Is there any techniques you would like to learn?

Core Spinning and beaded yarns. As it is, my Babe wheel has a small orifice, maybe 1/4 inch? so I can't really do anything bulky.

8. Do you dye fiber? If not, would you like to learn?

I have dyed fiber once, for a swap on swap-bot. That was kinda scary! I kept thinking it was going to fall apart. It was also a lot harder for me to control the out come than it is when I dye yarns. Though I keep thinking how inexpensive it is to get BFL from Crown Mountain Farms!

9. Do you have fiber prep tools (and like to use them) or would you prefer ready to spin fiber?

I would prefer ready to spin fiber. I (sadly) don't own any carders or combs.

10. What do you do with your handspun? What projects have you completed?

I plan to knit them! :) probably cowls, socks and hats. Smallish projects for now. I did spin some up that I plan on using for the yoke of a vest or sweater for my Peanut :)

11. Are you in need of any spinning gadgets (WPI Gauge, threading hook, etc)?

I don't have a WPI tool or a Niddy Noddy. Though I might make a Niddy Noddy out of PVC to match my wheel LOL

12. What colors "fall into your shopping basket"? Any colors you just can't stand?

Cool tones. But honestly, I love them all. I do wear a lot of blue and pink though (head scratch)

13. What is on your wheel/spindle right now?

some mystery mill ends. I borrowed some carders from a friend, and carded up some mill ends, angelina and targhee. It reminds me of icebergs (that cool, super pale teal, with sparkles!)

14. What other crafts/hobbies do you have?

I love reading. If I had a car (we have a van, but DH uses it for work) I'd be visiting the local Art Museums and parks way more often! I used to draw and paint, but have no space to do it right now. I sub it by taking photos :)

15. Other than crafts, what are you passionate about?

My daughter. And I tend to really dive into to topics that currently interest me. When I was pregnant, I read lots of books, learned all I could (Thinking Womans' Guide to Birth and a few others) And I still would love to become a doula or midwife, but can't afford the cost of the actual education. If we are blessed with another child, I am planning on a home birth. I am also passionate about breastfeeding.
We are planning on becoming self sustaining. We will be selling our home and moving eastward, and starting a small homestead with small crops, some livestock, and probably some fiber animals (sheep and bunnies :)

16. Do you have an online wishlist?

top right of this blog! :)

17. Is there anything that you collect?

yarn. lol. and trying to start a fiber collection ;)
Actually, whenever we travel to somewhere for the first time, I always get some weird souvenir. When we went to Portland, I picked up a can of Zoo Doo (we went to the Zoo, it's great); Hawaii I picked up this big tiki style mask. Mexico was a bit more tame, I brought home a beautiful sarong. I'll be on the look out when we go to Cour d' Alene in July. Any ideas? :D

18. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What magazine subscriptions do you have?

I have a sub to IK. I pick up other mags if the cover interest me, or if I have queued a pattern on Ravelry that I'd like to knit. I am probably going to sub Spin Off, but first I need to borrow some copies from my Guild to see if they interest me enough to put out that much money in one go. I have a book list on amazon.
As for yarns... I would love to try the ever infamous Wollmeise (though not sock weight. Probably DK or heavier. Otherwise it would probably just sit in my stash making me feel guilty LOL) Kidsilk Haze, 3 Irish Girls peregrin merino. I love handdyed. Worsted weights are great because I can use them as accents in sweaters using less costly yarns for the body :)

19. When is your birthday?

June 11, I just turned 28!

20. What book or movie character do you most resemble in personality?

Um, really not sure. I tend to be much more out going and 'badass' online. In person, I think I am friendly, but shy until I start to feel comfortable around you. My inner mama is all tattooed, and wild. Outside, I am just jeans, plain jane hair and almost never any make-up. I am trying to let the inner me be more free.

21. What is the climate like where you live around this time (need to know for careful shipments of anything meltable)?

It's hottt! Pack the chocolates in a zipped baggie ;)

22. Tell us one weird fact about yourself!

I don't shave my armpits. Is that weird enough?

Favorites
favorite painting/picture(link):

Le Grande Odalisque

Black Angels Kissing
Candy:

chocolate. Dark. interesting combinations are great too!

Food:

really great Pizza. And gyros with a greek salad.

Drink:

Amaretto, on ice. Root beer. Good, dark, german ale. Coffee with sugar and flavoured cream. MGD.

Movie(s):

Lots. Star Wars Series, Lord of The Rings, The 5th Element, The Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, Bridget Jones, Blazing Saddles, (original) Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, But I'm Not a Cheerleader, Pride and Prejudice, The Little Mermaid, Stand by Me

TV Show(s):

I do watch some regular shows. I am bad with names. The Fashion show with Heidi Klum, Top Chef, Survivor, Two and a Half Men, Heros,The Family Guy, Bones, House. I am sure there are more.

Book(s):

Too many to list. I like sci-fi, Stephen King (especially th Dark Tower Series), the Enders series, sci-fi fantasy, adult fairytales.

Guilty Pleasure(s):

Ravelry! Queueing. Blogging. Planning future tattoos.

I am jeanius80 on ravelry

butterfly (swallowtail)

2008-06-23T10:19:00.000-07:00

We had a butterfly hatch (is that the right term?) in our yard yesterday.

We watched it dry its wings and hang around a while.

We also got to watch it take off for it's first flight.

It's very pretty, does anyone know what kind of butterfly it is?

ETA- It's a swallowtail! Thanks!

love!

2008-06-19T19:07:00.000-07:00

So the last post i made I mentioned I needed cards to process the big bag of llama I have.. and not but a few hours after, one of the awesome ladies from my knit group, who is also a spinner, sent me a message. She had some, and would I like to borrow them?

So a few back and forth messages and one fast phone call, she dropped them off on her way by.

LOVE my knit group ladies!

Now I'll be able to spin and knit the yummy llama I have!

I sort of fumbled my way through two tiny batts. They are super soft and I blended in a little bit of copper and opal sparkley angelina fibers. I hope I can spin it up fine enough to knit a lace shawl :) I'll take pictures later and post!

ETA- Hand carded fiber!
The brown is llama and I added some copper and opal colored angelina fiber, but, dang, they are hard to capture in pictures!

The blue batts are a mix of superwash mill ends in a pale teal, a dark teal and some randomness of pale grey and white fibers. It totally reminds me of old, faded jeans!

Thanks Lana for lending me your carders!

Tour de Fleece (part 2)

2008-06-19T11:04:00.000-07:00

Tour de Fleece categories that I will be participating in:

Rookies (first years) <--- this is me

Climbers (conquer mountains, big personal challenges) <--- I want to spin up my Miss Babs BFL into a 2ply fingering. So far I have only been able to get as fine (overall) sport, but I usually spin at DK. My other personal challenge is to get my llama cleaned, carded or combed, and blended with some copper angelina. I really want to spin it into a 2 ply LACE weight yarn (soopa scary!)

Breakaway (Art yarns)<--- I have about 5 pounds of raw cots wold that is begging to become fun, curly yarn.

The only challenge I am not sure I will even get to is the llama. This is only because I don't own any combs or carders. And this llama is very fine, and I am pretty sure DH will not be happy if i buy a set of super fine hand cards. Anyone wanna loan me a set? LOL

Tour de Fleece

2008-06-18T14:51:00.000-07:00

So I am thinking of doing this (found out about it through ravelry in the Lime and Violet group).... I just need to figure out exactly what it is! I *think* it is just a novelty way to encourage spinners to spin more. If so, I am in! If not.. can someone clue me in? As of today, I am sorta kinda sure that I am in and a member of the LnV Team :)

Guidelines (NOT RULES):

Spin every day the Tour rides, if possible. Saturday July 5th through Sunday July 27th. Days of rest: Tuesday July 15th, Monday July 21st. (Just like the actual tour)
Spin something challenging Wednesday July 23rd. (The last hard climbing mountain stage in the Tour - the famous L’Alpe-d’Huez)
Take a button if you want one. Then we can use the button on our blogs in show of solidarity. Take it from here or grab a clean one from the flickr pool. Come join the flickr pool!
Wear yellow on Sunday July 27th to announce victory. Why not wear yellow on any day you feel particularly successful? (Yellow is the color of the race leader in the Tour - but here we are all ‘race leaders’)
Other colors if desired: Green (sprinter - think FAST), Polka-dot (climber - as in uphill), and white (rookie)

Ravelry Group
(Original 2007 blogger who started it here)

I'm bored...

2008-06-16T21:17:00.000-07:00

Here are some stuff that helped with the boredom! (Oh, and i have my swap-bot partner! Now I am just waiting to hear back if she is adverse to any fibers)

Look A Like (let the hilarity begin!):
me

Peanut

Jason

present

2008-06-12T12:06:00.000-07:00

Peanut brought me a flower :)

(It's posing with a Quickie Cowl, about 1/3 done in Knit Picks Decadence (discontinued yarn) in Tide)

Happy Happy Birthday!

2008-06-12T11:38:00.000-07:00

To me!

Yesterday was my birthday. I had this conversation (before getting out of bed) with Peanut:

Me: Good morning ...
Peanut: (opens her eyes) Good mornin mommy.
Me: Guess what?
Peanut: what?
Me: Today is my birthday
Peanut: It is? happy birthday!
Me: Yep! Mommy's 28!
Peanut: You is turning eight??
Me: (stifling a laugh) No, I'm turning 28!

DH made me a cake! All by his self. I have pictures as proof. And it turned out cute (and yes, he did put 28 candles and lit them all. It was a lot of smoke afterwards)! And I got some balloons :)

Also, my order from Crown Mountain Farms is on the way! (that was my birthday present from DH- I got to pick it out..)

Oh! and here are Peanuts Fishies.. (They are the 15 cent goldfish from the local pet shop...lol)

That's Groucho (he has a mustache), Ricky, and Lucy (see, she's a redhead ;) The one on the top is B.O.B. (big old blue) and the one on the bottom is some weird fish DH brought home. It still needs a name...

fiber

2008-06-07T21:11:00.000-07:00

I need more fiber in my diet. Trust me. But my DH doesn't always agree. BUT! my birthday is soon (the 11th) so I got to order my own birthday present. ;)

I ordered a big honkin' ball of SW merino from Crown Mountain Farms, in the colorway "She's Like a Rainbow" and a 4 ounce ball of natural white BFL. I can't wait! It was really hard to pick a color though.. I will definantly be buying more.

I am signed up for two fiber swaps happening this summer. First is a Fiber swap through swap-bot.com, and the other is Hush-Hush Handspun Hootenanny! I am so excited. The first swap takes place the end of this month, and it's just a straight fiber swap. The second (HHHH) I will spin 4 ounces of handspun yarn and also send 4 ounces of fiber! SO COOL! I really want to know whom I'll be swapping with so that I can go shopping and plan my ~~attack~~ packages. I LOVE doing swaps, it's so fun to create packages and gifts for others. I love birthdays and christmas. It's so much fun hunting for the perfect gift :)

I am also being a swap mom over on knittinghelp.com. It is another 'Surprise Theme' swap, and it should be fun! I love this swap, and if i wasn't doing two fiber swaps, I would probably participate in this one as well...

So if you are on KH, come over and join in the fun!

knitting meme

2008-06-06T10:30:00.000-07:00

1) Bold things you’ve done,
2) Green thing you are currently doing
3) Red out things you’ve abandoned or will never attempt
4) Italicize things you want to try

Afghan
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)- maybe if i ever learn two handed colorwork
Baby items
Bobbles
Button holes
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Cardigan
Charity knitting
Continental knitting
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm warmers
Darning
Designing knitted garments
Domino knitting (modular knitting)
Drop stitch patterns
Dyeing with plant colors (Just to try.. I love my acid dyes lol)
Dyeing yarn
Entrelac
Fair Isle knitting
Freeform knitting
Fulling/felting
Gloves
Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street) - TREE SWEATERS!
Hair accessories (Calorimetry and Dream Swatch)
Hat
Holiday related knitting- Maybe funny hats for kids or toys. Not Intarsia Sweaters with reindeer.
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cozies…)
I-cord
Intarsia
Jewelry- Wire knitted bracelets and cuff are so pretty!
Kitchener BO
Knitting a gift
Knitting and purling backwards
Knitting for a living
Knitting for pets- maybe a sweater for my moms dog as she is a big wussy.
Knitting for preemies
Knitting in public
Knitting items for a wedding
Knitting socks
Knitting to make money
Lace patterns
Long Tail CO
Machine knitting- would be nice for making "sock blanks" ala' Flat Feet
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Moebius band knitting
Norwegian knitting
Olympic knitting- I am a bad bad KAL'er and not so good at competitions. Still trying to figure out why i joined Summer of Socks!
Participating in a KAL
Pillows
Publishing a knitting book- hey, it could happen!
Purses/bags
Rug- Mariwai Bath mat and a round rug for my room eventually when I get some sweaters done first ;)
Scarf
Shawl- someday....
Short rows
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Slip stitch patterns
Slippers
Socks: toe-up
Socks: top-down
Steeks
Stockinette stitch
Stuffed toys
Swatching
Sweater
Teaching a child/adult to knit
Textured knitting
Thrummed knitting
Toy/doll clothing- awfully sure I won't do this.
Tubular CO
Twisted stitch patterns
Two end knitting
Writing a pattern- Currently writing one for a contest for my LYS and the SOX Hot Psot contest :)

Feel free to copy and paste if you haven't already! It was sort of fun to do.

Yarn P0rn

2008-06-03T09:06:00.001-07:00

Man, has it been a long time since I shared good yarn! Here is some handspun yarns (spun by me, you can see specs on my ravelry handspun stash page).

And some purchased and traded yarn p0rn
First, sme lovely, soft handspun, handdyed yarn in "Beet" from Foxyie:

Handdyed sock yarn from Miss Babs in "Watermelon" with a little heel/toe skein to match:

Koigu KPPPM, two skeins in a rainbow! From my LYS:

and the following yarns were traded for on ravelry (top to bottom) Artfibers Bitty Buns in color "6", two of them, Malabrigo in "Red Java", and handpaintedyarns.com merino lace (850 yards) in (I believe) "Cactus Flower".

advanced potty learning

2008-05-29T16:50:00.001-07:00

Apparently she's past the first stage, and now needs some reading material while she pottys. Next she'll be asking for me to keep some old Readers' Digest in there.

potty 'learning'

2008-05-25T20:16:00.000-07:00

Shortly after Peanuts 2nd birthday, we took her to the store to pick out her first pair of 'big girl' panties. We brought home two packages of training undies (they have extra padding in the pee zone just in case- very clever!) and two of regular panties. She picked out Elmo and Little Mermaid. We then put them away, but asked her at least once a day if she would like to try to use the potty (she calls it "taking a potty"). With out fail she would say, "I no want to take a potty mommy!" And when I brought the potty chair into the house, she started crying and told me "No Mommy! Put it back! Put it back in the closet!" (It was in the garage ;) I calmly told her Nope, its going in the bathroom, but that she didn't have to potty if she didn't want to. She made sure I closed the bathroom door though!

So since then, I have been asking her just once, when we would wake up, if she wanted to try to take a potty and wear big girl panties. She would always say no. Then last week she said yes! So we got up, tried, then put on the training undies. I also put the potty chair in her playroom, thinking she'd be more likely to sit on it and try it if it was in a room she really liked (It worked). Needless to say though, she didn't pull her trainers down, and peed through 3 pairs! Day two was much better, with just one miss, but she was actually on her way, so it wasn't a set back. The next few days have been accident free, even with an hour long trip to the local plant nursery (we bought two blueberry plants!)

She still wears either vinyl covers or a cloth diaper to bed for naps and at bedtime. Though this morning she woke up at just after 5 am, and said she had to take a potty! I flopped out of bed and followed her, helped her, and put a dry diaper back on her. I do prompt her through out the day (maybe once an hour?) to see if she needs to go, but for the most part she tells me. It's so awesome to see her learn and grow! For awhile there, I was sure I'd be changing diapers until she was much older!

I am a firm believer in letting the child 'guide' the parent. I think this lets the parent learn to recognize what level of development their child is at, as well as allow the child to feel confident in their experiences. This is why I refused to 'force' or 'train' her to potty when she clearly was not interested. I've seen a few kids get into trouble, be it spanking or time outs, for having accidents. It made me very sad! I am sure the kid involved didn't like the fact that they had an accident (would you??) and to further punish them, beyond making them help clean up the mess, seems to be over reacting. I am not sure how I feel about the whole EC (Elimination Communication) movement. This is where a parent will hold the child over a toilet and train them to potty there from a very early age (most from birth, I believe). This seems to be a bit much. I mean, the child won't be able to even get up and sit on ANY type of potty chair or toilet until they are walking. Would it not make more sense to help them recognize what you are doing and be aware when they need a diaper change? I am just imagining loosing a year or more of just being together and enjoying learning together getting lost because you are having to constantly be aware of your baby needing to pee and poop. And what happens when they are napping? I know my kid would pee a lot when she was sleeping. I would never want to have to wake her up to put her over the toilet! I guess I like the 'easy' convenience of using a diaper for a couple years, and having a well rested Peanut :o)

double weeping higan cherry

2008-05-20T10:33:00.000-07:00

at least, that's what I *think* this tree is... We have a every pretty tree in our front yard, and every spring it is a riot of blooms, all white and pale pink, very full, double blooms. I keep meaning to get a nice shot of the blooms when they are fresh, but here are a couple of shots of them about a week past prime (you can sort of see the browning at the petal edges)

The flowers hand upside down, and the tree itself is in sort of an umbrella shape (good pruning by a good gardener- not any of us lol) We love it so much that we want to plant another when we eventually move. If you know what this tree is, let me know if I am wrong! Happy Spring!

sheep, silly kid, and a guild!

2008-05-13T09:41:00.001-07:00

Just some randomness....

Cute sheep in speedos!

Peanut with her mustache!

Tonight I am attending my first ever Spinners and Weavers Guild. I am excited and nervous, but it should be fun! I am always uncomfortable attending group events where you're pretty much expected to chat and be friendly, until I get to know those around me. This aspect is actually what kept me from attending my knit group for about 6 months! Now, I am sad that it won't be meeting for 3 months this summer! ACK! What will I do?? So I will be bringing my Babe wheel with me, and my May SAL fiber (it's merino, handdyed by all things heather of the sweet sheep!)
Wish me some extra fearlessness!

Spring Garden! (and a medley of topics)

2008-05-04T20:44:00.000-07:00

We had a beautiful day today.. mom did some garden cleaning, DH cut the grass (yum!), and I cleaned a bit of raw llama.

I removed as much of the guard hairs as I could (they looked a lot like human hair- silky but too thick/coarse to use for anything but rug yarn). I washed it twice, but I think I will wash it one more time before it's ready to be carded. It is so super soft and beautiful!

A close up of the fiber; it is very crimped!

We also made a trip to Home Depot today. Dad wanted some topsoil for a tree in the front yard, as some of its roots are showing due to erosion. (I think the whole yard needs 5 more inches of soil, but, well, thats a truck load, and not happening this year!) I decided that it would be nice to start a small herb garden. We had a small one at our first home, and it was so nice to have fresh herbs (well, honestly, we just had Thyme. But it was pretty! And tasty and beautifully fragrant!). So we needed plants... and a pot, and soil. I decided to go with organic, as I am trying to make better choices when I can. We picked out "Barbecue" Rosemary - it has a sort of sweet spice to it, like bbq sauce would I suppose, "Hot n' Spicy" oregano-yes it is!, "Silver Posey" thyme, sweet basil, chives, and Italian oregano.

We chose some organic potting soil as well, and after Peanut had her nap, we all planted them. Oh! The pots they came in are compostable, so we didn't even need to remove them from the pots to plant. So no shock. Yay for easy gardening! Next year, we are going to expand to a big, grown up garden. Corn, tomatoes, carrots, radish, broccoli, peppers, strawberries and blueberries!

We started a compost pile in the yard, which will eventually be enclosed using 'recycled' wood pallets. So far, it's just a big pile of cut grass ;) It will be lovely rich soil come next spring!

a couple of Noggin songs that I love (and my Peanut loves too!)

First- Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town "I'm So Glad"

Second- Noggins' Moose A. Moose singing "Believe In Spring"

Airport Security

2008-04-25T09:59:00.000-07:00

I used to be a TSA Officer. For four years. I liked my job in that it was well paying, highly interesting and I got to work with the general public. I also didn't like my job because it was a long, hour commute (I rode the bus usually), there was no upward mobility within TSA, and I got fed up with it feeling like we were more about customer service then security. Also? Why does TSA let the airlines pressure them into changing security procedures to make the customers happy? Never mind.

So I wanted to try and answer a few questions I read a lot on message boards as well as talk about some security concerns with out getting myself in trouble :)

Fist off a few links for your edification:

TSA Homepage
TSA Prohibited List
TSA SimpliFLY Your Carry-ons

I wanted to quote a couple of knitting/crochet relevant notes:

PERMITTED IN CARRY-ON
Scissors - metal with pointed tips and blades shorter than four inches in length. (this is measured from the fulcrum or pivot point)
Knitting and Crochet Needles (no restrictions on length or material, DPNs, Straights, or Circulars)
Safety Razors - including disposable razors. (to me, as a former Officer, this could include those thread cutting pendants. I would suggest wearing as a necklace and not drawing attention to it)
"Remember that all shoes must be removed and placed in bins."

REMEMBER!!! You have the RIGHT to ask for a private screening at any point during the screening process. As soon as you put your items in for x-ray, you have CONSENTED to your property being searched. If you have body piercings and don't want to remove them, but they still need to be cleared, you can request a physical search of your person, which means they will do a 'pat-down'. This should be done with the palm over non-private areas, and with the BACK of the hand over sensitive areas, like the buttocks and breast area. Crotch screening is done solely along the thigh crease of the leg and along the zipper line (NEVER directly down the center for males or females) with the BACK of the hand. I *think* you could also show them your piercings if that is more comfortable for you to do, but it MUST be done in a private, closed off area.

Also, they do still require you to put your non-medically necessary liquids into a quart size zip-loc type bag. No more than 3 ounces per item and the bag needs to be able to close. After you have done this, you still need to REMOVE the quart bag from your carry-on and have it X-rayed separately. Why? This helps the x-ray operator by allowing them to concentrate on the x-ray image of your carry-ons instead of having to look for stray liquid items in the bag. It also helps prevent another officer from having to do a manual search of your bag to find that bottle of whatever you left in there. And it is much easier to do a quick glance at a clear bag to see the liquid instead of having to search your bag to see it. I know it seems over kill, but from an x-ray operator stand point, it is a relief to not have to call bag check after bag check because the general public thinks the rules don't apply to them.

As for jackets, coats and shoes, take them off. Use one of the bins provided to put your jackets and coats in. Don't empty your jacket pockets first, just leave the stuff in there. You should then place your shoes directly on the conveyor belt LAST. Make sure they are flat (like you are standing in them). Save the tall boots and spike heels in your carry-on or checked bags, Slip on shoes are easier and faster for you and everyone else involved. I know it sucks to have to stand around in your stocking feet, but please gather you things while you are waiting for your shoes and don't just stand there waiting for your shoes letting your things pile up and clogging the conveyor belt. This sucks and is a totally asshat move. I have been known to purposely not run the belt in order to prevent things from piling up and possible getting knocked off the belt. Also? be nice and re-stack your used bins! It only takes a second for you, and helps the Officers concentrate on what they need to be doing, not acting like Molly Maid and constantly cleaning up the belt.

If you are traveling with a laptop, gaming system (like a PS2), or some other large type electronic equipment, remove it from your bag. They only ask that you remove laptops, but from years of experience, the other items can often appear to be laptops (and will almost guaranty a re-x-ray of your bag and a secondary check of it as well). It also allows the Officer to actually SEE what is in your bag more clearly, thereby speeding up security in the long run.

Yes, stuff slips past the screening process for a few reasons. One obviously being the officers fault. They are under pressure to not only do a good job, but do it fast, do it politely and at the same time, concentrating on looking for BOMBS, GUNS, and KNIVES. That's stressful! Alot of people wonder how you can miss a gun on x-ray. First off, the x-ray images are 2 dimension, not 3D. It's like taking a photograph of your bag. If a prohibited item is situated on certain angles, it can appear to be nothing more than a small pile of coins (Honest. I have seen, during x-ray training, images of guns placed so that when they are x-rayed, they appear no bigger then a roll of coins at a slight angle. Unfortunately with the stress the Officers are under, and the constant pressure to "keep things moving" -by both the passenger and management- it is easy for a person to just assume the best and let it go with out further checking. Not good, but very plausible.) Same goes for knives and other prohibited items.

As for bombs. Well, I personally stopped a passenger who was attempting to do, what by all accounts seemed to be, a 'dry run' of bringing an IED through (Improvised Explosive Device). In case you were not aware, the x-ray system that is currently in use has a built in program that randomly places mock images of prohibited items transparently over actually images of carry-ons. This makes it look like it its in your bag. There is a 'test' button that when pressed lets you know if you found a test image or not. When this particular guys' practice IED came through, I immediately pressed the button, which also halts the conveyor belt. My heart raced when it told me there was no image. I halted the screening on my line and had all the passengers move away to a different line. I told the walk-thru Officer to close off our metal detector and called a Supervisor over. Everyone who saw the image was stunned. I seriously prayed that if something happened, my family would be able to cope with the outcome. This is very real. The bomb squad came, the item in question was carefully re-x-rayed at different angles, then gently tested and unpackaged. His passport was questioned, and he did not fly that day. He didn't seem surprised we stopped him, which also leads me to believe he was testing our system. Curiously he had a Germany Passport with a very decidedly not German name (I only glanced, but it seemed obviously Muslim or Middle Eastern). As for his 'carry-on', it was made to look innocent from the outward appearance, but as soon as you x-ray it, it look just like an IED. It was oddly packaged, being duck taped together just so, when a simple shopping bag would have been not only easier, but a lot less suspicious.

Do I think we are safer because of the measure taken? Sort of. I do also think that a lot of it is to keep the general public feeling safer (ever heard the word 'sheeple'?). A lot of the regulations stink. But when you know the why's, it makes more sense. For me, I believe all carry-ons should be prohibited, except for those medically necessary, along the same guidelines they use now for liquids. Your life won't end if you don't have your knitting, your Ipod, your laptop, or you 20 pounds of clothing. Perhaps a single, plastic bag (a la the grocery store type) per passenger? Then you could take emergency underwear, a book, your Ipod and perhaps some knitting? It would be easier to screen, lighter to carry, and be the best of both worlds (IMNSHO).

Ahh. I promise, back to knitting in the next post! ;)

trying to be organized ...

2008-04-24T13:05:00.000-07:00

leaves me frustrated. I totally lack the gene that makes someone want to organize (you know, color coded closets and always perfectly made bed- like Martha Stewart). I want to be more organized. Just imagine how much more time in the day I will save if I know exactly where X is, instead of the current method of "where did i leave it? I know I was wearing Y when I last had X..." Trust me, it would be HOURS!

In an attempt to be more productive, I am putting myself on a task schedule (at least, for starters, on the computer). This will entail one hour in the morning to check messages and emails, check any ravelry.com and knittinghelp.com forum threads that I am currently researching, and delete the eleventy-seven spam messages I get every frackin' day. Then I am aloud a second hour in the evening to update my blog and etsy shop (if needed) and then just browse on the forums (ravelry, knittinghelp, and cafemom..)

Think this will work? I am hoping by being a little more strict with my time it will actually give me more of a push to get my knitting projects done, my housework done, and eventually lead to me having a clean, organized and productive living space. Baby steps. Also? I signed up for the flylady.com yahoo group. I won't be starting with "Shine Your Sink!!1!!!!" but using it as a template.

Also... I am hoping to find a means to help with the family bills (since etsy isn't *sad sigh* ) and still maintain being at home with Peanut. Right now, this is my biggest priority (staying home) but I want to ease some of the financial burden from DH (not STASHING yarn and fiber will help too *blush*)

(*heehee*- last night I had a little dream that I was asked to dye-for pay- tons of yarn for my LYS. Wouldn't that be awesome? I wish we could afford for me to buy a huge order of wholesale blank yarn to sell in etsy. But at this time, it's just a pipe dream *very sad sigh*)

So, for you destashing fiber artists, how do you decide when it's time to destash something? I love all of my yarn, and most of it has a specific project in mind. It's hard for me to decide if I should sell some of my yarn or keep it. I do not plan on buying any more yarn until I have significantly decreased my current stash (barring buying yarn to knit DH Cobblestone. This is something that will happen as soon as I decide on the perfect yarn) and spun up my fiber stash, not counting the cotswold fleece as that I have no idea what I will do with it.

Thanks for stopping by, I know this posts isn't too thrilling ;)

SHEEP! (picture heavy)

2008-04-20T17:46:00.000-07:00

Todays posts is really just pictures. These are some of the sheep I saw at the Puyallup Spring Fair. We were also able to pet a lovely lamb named Charlie, but I was so distracted by his extreme cuteness, that I failed to get a photo! He was so sweet and soft. Peanut loved seeing all the sheep and wool. When we walked into the Shepherders Extravaganza, we were greeted by the sight of about a half dozen spinners! Peanut looked over and said "She's makin yarn Mommie!" There were a few commercial , smallish vendors here, but it was really about the small farm sheep. And I swear, Crown Mountain Farms is begging for me to order some Corridale Pencil Roving! They were at Madrona in February, and again here at the Spring Fair! I will order some, as I love spinning from pencil roving (so much easier to have practically no drafting!) And they have beautiful colors as well as a great deal on undyed roving :)

On to the sheep!Gotland Ewe

Merino (Not sure of breed) Ewe and Lamb

Jacob Ram

Romney Sheep

White Blue Faced Leicester Ram

Lincoln Ewe

Black Blue Faced Leicester Ram

A sheep being Sheared. She was very quiet and seemed unconcerned, even with a smallish crowd of people watching!

Five and a quarter POUND of Cotswold fleece. White, and the ewes' name is Rosie, six months of growth (Spring cut fleece). This was a gift from the DH! What a keeper!

Just beautiful curls. This sheep if from Muddy Meadow Farm

Spring Fair! (picture heavy)

2008-04-19T16:09:00.000-07:00

"It's bigger! It;s better! It's Spring Baby!"

So it's that time of year, the Puyallup Spring Fair! We went to the Animal Exhibits (LOTS of fun, and wonderful animals to see!) There are a lot of new baby animals to see, miniature ponies, pygmy goats, calves and adorable lambs!

Peanut also had fun in the Kid Zone. She played fun instruments:

Planted a pumpkin seed that we brought home to grow

Saw lots more animals in the Reptile Exhibit (she got to pet a snake and tortoise!)

We watched the Pig races. This was highly amusing. Did you know how they get the pigs to race around? They place an Oreo Cookie on a silver tray. The pigs then race around trying to get the cookie first. Our Pig (Peanut was chosen to be the 'official cheerleader' for pig #1 during the 2nd race) won her race, so Peanut won a snack package of Oreos and a little pig key chain ornament, that poops. Really. The last race was especially funny, as two clearly still nursing mama pigs decided to take a leisurely stroll around (someone forgot to tell them there was cookies to be had!)

And of course, we ate fair food. Cheeseburgers with lots of grilled walla walla onions, Peanut had a hotdog, we all shared cotton candy ( it was purple!) and a funnel cake with raspberry sauce. I would share (pictures) But we ate it all. :)

There was the ever neat chainsaw wood carver (as made known in the PEMCO commercial here) We watched him carve, then I snapped a picture of the cute bears
And this very cool Dragon and castle sculpture. Amazing talent!

Tune in again for a great sheep post (probably later tonight or tomorrow night) I snapped pictures of lots of breads, and one getting sheered!

Sale on etsy!

2008-04-16T10:57:00.000-07:00

I just reduced the prices! I am hoping to sell these stragglers off in order to get some new stuff dyed up (socks WHOOT!)! Come and get it ... I truly don't need more stash! lol

Etsy
Buy Handmade
jeanius80

Happy, Happy Birthday, To YOU! (picture heavy)

2008-04-15T12:39:00.000-07:00

So yesterday was Peanuts 2nd birthday. It was a fun filled weekend, and we were aided by beautiful weather both Friday and Saturday!

Her Papa Ray came over to stay for the weekend, arriving Thursday afternoon and leaving for home Sunday afternoon. It was a pleasant visit, and he seems to be in great shape, and doing well. He gave her favorite kind of birthday card, a singing one! (with money, which she promptly 'banked' when we went home.)

Her birthday party was held at a local Chuck E. Cheese. We went early, and I forgot it was spring break here, so our plan to avoid crowds by going during the week in the early afternoon was sort of thwarted. She had immense fun running around, playing in the toddler area, 'driving' the car, and throwing pingpong balls into the buckets (it was one of the games).

After a couple hours of playing, we had some lunch, pizza and parmesan bread. It was surprisingly good. The kids all played more games, then we sang happy birthday, blew out the candle and then she opened her presents. She really enjoyed it this time! And she seemed truly excited about each gift.

We then cleaned up, and headed to Grannys house, to play some more and just enjoy the wonderful weather. She found a pile of dried plant stalks, and decided to be a bird...

On Saturday, we all went to the park to again enjoy the nice weather. I love our park, it has nice easy paths, a decent lake beach, and a brand new play ground for kids. It also has lots of shaded areas to relax in, and ball fields too. It was very busy because of the lovely day, but even so, did not feel over crowded. We had a nice picnic lunch of chicken and fruit, as well as some chips and ice cold water. Peanut loved that we were having a picnic. She decided at one point that she was going to go alone to the play area:

She had fun sliding with her daddy, and swinging with her papa. It was a great day.

Happy 2nd Birthday Peanut! How fast time truly does fly, and lovely it is seeing you grow!

No Air

2008-04-10T12:32:00.000-07:00

I have listened to this song about a dozen times this morning. I love it.

Love the lyrics and Jordan Sparks is just beautiful!

just a few more left!

2008-04-10T11:19:00.000-07:00

I have just one more skein of sock yarn left! It's very pretty, the "Watermelon" colorway. I also have four skeins of DK, two each in "Stormy Lake" and "Dried Lavender". This stuff is so luscious! The merino gives it a halo, the alpaca and silk leaves a lovely drape and shine. It''s so soft, that, though it is handwash, I am tempted to make a pair of luxurious socks from the "Plum" colorway I dyed for myself (which I plan on knitting into lovely cuffs/gauntlets/wrist warmers).

not happy

2008-04-02T10:09:00.000-07:00

I love dyeing, and I love when people buy what I have dyed. (not because they bought it, but because that means they love it too, and then I get to see what other people do with my yarns)

I am sad though, because my DH doesn't understand. He doesn't get why I dye, but he's happy when I sell (he says that way I am least making money with yarn, instead of spending -sigh) However, he doesn't understand the need to buy more yarn to dye/sell. So, regardless of my previous post... I don't think I will be buying more blanks/base yarn to dye and sell.

So what is available in my etsy shop is it. I won't "officially" shut my shop down (as I hope one day to be able to dye and sell again...)

shop here

base yarns

2008-03-31T18:08:00.001-07:00

a lot of talk has be done on ravelry regarding base yarns that indie dyers use. I am sort of at an impasse here. I personally like my current yarn I dye. It isn't anything fancy, just bare from KP. Very soft, takes dye beautifully. Others dislike it because it's plied twist is a little loose, and since it is soft, it tends to wear a bit faster than other more tightly spun yarns.

I understand the desire for handknit socks to last and last. A few weeks ago, a knitter at the knit group I attend, brought her darning basket. She had at least 3 pairs of socks from a well-known dyer, and the wear was a tad surprising. Even she was a bit ticked, concerning one pair was recently cast off and hadn't seen an unusual amount of wear. So, i am writing to ask what makes a good base?

I love the KP bare, but might have the opportunity to pick up some Louet Gems and use it as my base. It has a tighter ply, and should knit up into a smooth sock. I just need to know! As i haven't personally knit up a lot with either yarn, i figured I would ask my readers (are there any out there??) and sort of garner a more general opinion. Thanks!!

ETA- I just had a thought too, what about Treadsoft (scroll down the page) as a base?

quickie yarn Specs (from the ravelry entries):

Bare (I like that this has nylon)

Yardage-462 yards (422 meters)

Unit weight-100 grams (3.53 ounces)

Gauge-7.0 - 8.0 = 1 inch

Nylon, Wool, Merino

Machine washable

Gems (fingering) (also, this could be made into 100 gram skeins if I buy it by the cone)
Yardage-185 yards (169 meters)
Unit weight-50 grams (1.76 ounces)
Gauge-6.0 - 7.0 = 1 inch
Merino, machine washable

Treadsoft
Yardage-490 yards (448 meters)
Unit weight-113 grams (3.99 ounces)
Gauge- 24.0 - 30.0 = 4 inches
Needle size- US 2 - 4 or 2.75 - 3.5mm
merino, machine washable

Hi, My Name is Jeanie,

2008-03-31T11:17:00.000-07:00

and i eat Spam.

I eat it cold. And I love it lightly fried in a non-stick pan. Is there a support group? Cause I am not an addict, so I don't need SEA (Spam Eaters Anonymous). I just like it for breakfast, or a easy lunch. here is how I prepare it.

1. Buy a can (or two) of Spam. I like the lower sodium stuff.

2. Open can and slide it onto a plate. I slice it, narrow side. Nice, easy.

4. Heat non-stick pan. Medium is good. Add Spam.

5. Fry lightly, then flip.

6. Eat. Repeat if serving more than 4.

Not real classy I am sure, but it is crazy tasty (tm) !

Needle Storage!

2008-03-31T10:38:00.000-07:00

So, I ordered the knitpicks Options Interchangeable Knitting needle set. IF you don't know about these, go look, I'll wait.

See how cool they are? And the Harmony Set are very pretty ... maybe i can get a set for Christmas?

The thing I don't like, is that the case they sent (no longer sending the pretty binder...). One is worth the $19.99, and one, well, isn't. Can you guess which is which? ;)

So inspired by a couple of posts on ravelry, and this blog, i decided on my latest trip to wally world to pick up a worm wallet.
About $6, and lots of pockets.

It may not be girly, or handsewn. And I don't think the manufacturer would have thought it would ever be used for this sort of storage.

As for how i am using it, the mesh pocket is holding all the end caps and screw keys (in the tiny zip bags still) as well as a needle gauger, pair of scissors and plastic hair bands (I use them for markers- cheap and colorful!) I left the needles on the cardboard holder, until I get around to buying or making pretty needle size signs for the pockets. I just bent the cardboard in half and it fits perfect in the pockets. The cables are stored by length. It works great :)

Multiple-post day!

2008-03-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

I posted this on ravelry too....

I am writing a pattern for a childrens' felted hat. The problem i am having is I don't crochet. I need the help of a crocheter who can write out instructions. The hat itself will be knit, but some .. attachments should be crocheted. I'd also love the co-author to create said pieces, as i SUCK at crocheting. Anyone want to help? I was planning on making the pattern free; with both persons named as authors (Me and.. you? ;) This can be up for discussion. Please email me here if you are interested in helping/co-authoring! THANKS A MILLION!!

Paying it Forward!

2008-03-29T11:22:00.000-07:00

I received my gift form Julie (THANKS! I forgot to take a picture....opps!) She sent me a hand crocheted trivet. It's pretty blues and corals. Even the kiddo loves it (though she thinks it was a blanket for her doll).

I have finished my 3 gifts and am mailing them out soon! Thanks for being so patient. It was harder than I thought to think of a gift to send that I would be proud of sending but wouldn't kill me to get done. I love what I am sending so much that I have another four around the house for me and plan on making lots more (I will post pics after my 3 angels get them; I don't want to spoil the surprise)!

Thanks for not reporting me to the PIF cops for being late! *blush*

spring?

2008-03-27T09:57:00.000-07:00

So the official first day of Spring was March 20. Some one forgot to tell the weather around here. This was yesterday:

And no, those are not flowers, that is snow.

The front yard:

The kid:

The family:

I love snow. Why didn't it snow this much all winter? And when can I expect to be warm again? I thought we are experiencing global warming, but it's truly hard to believe when in the past nine years i have lived here, winters seem to be longer, and colder. (No scientific 'proof' just my personal opinion)(Read the 'skeptical optimist'- very interesting)

Thank goodness for warm, woolie handknits!

a thoughtful prayer

2008-03-18T15:42:00.000-07:00

my mom likes to forward just about every email she gets from her friends. She has even told me that most of them she doesn't read all the way through because they are 'too long'. ahem. Also, did i mention that i am usually within earshot -even the same room- as her when she forwards these emails? but i digress.

well, today, it was short and sweet (or not so sweet). I thought i would share. It's quite lovely ;)

I know!

2008-03-18T10:16:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of pictures.. my camera made a run for it in the car somewhere on the trip back from Idaho. (No pictures from the trip, except of my aunt and mom with BAAAD highlights. ugh indeed.) ahem. I still need to search the van for it. when i do find it, pictures for everyone! YAY!

updates on the home front:
I still hate housework. truly and deeply.
I dyed my hair. It was *supposed* to be a rich auburn (after using the clairol.com try-it-on studio). Instead, my roots are a medium auburn and the rest is a dark auburn brown. I plan on getting a box of the loreal colour rays in red and 'handpainting' highlights. I have always wanted bad-ass hair, but never did it for personal fears that i will not be able to pull it off. Considering that i am very much a jeans and t or sweater girl, i feel like it will look too contrived since i don't dress the 'part', KWIM?? Same reason i feel out of place at a tattoo shop, even though i love tattoos and am in desperate need of getting my back finished. *it's about a 4-5 hour job, and i only have 1 hour of work done- outlines a a touch of shading..so saaaad :(

Updates on knitting:
I finished the birthday dress for DD. It's lovely and soft (crystal palace bunny hop yarn). It is also way to big. I got to the waist, did the two rounds of decrease, then you are supposed to do an increase round, and then another decrease round. i thought it looked to big. she REFUSED to try it in, so I rechecked my gauge on the skirt on about 6 places. Spot on 5 SPI. So when i finished the back and straps, i weaved in and trimmed all the ends. Very proud of my work, i tricked her into trying it on by telling her it was jammies. I could cry. The armscythes are HUGE and the top is so baggy. I am going to measure her, then figure out how many stitches i need to decrease the top by. I am also going to increase the number of rounds i do before casting off for the armscythes. They look like those muscle T’s from the 80’s. sigh I was so looking forward to her wearing this. it is adorable if she had gorilla arms and a wide chest.

Knitting DH a hat, The Boy Hat by Elizabeth Heath-Heckman. I am using the left over suri alpaca/merino yarn from DD christmas sweater. The main body will be dark grey, and I am using the dark green to add some stripes. I am pretty sure I will run out of yarn if i made it all grey. Should be very warm, and man approved ;)

I also plan on knitting Kirkcaldy from Berroco, using either a skein of Peace Fleece Dk in Antarctica White, or some soft BFL yarn i bought on ebay. I'll probablt do the kirkcaldy toe up, two at a time so I don't run out of yarn. That means they will most likely not be as high. I think I'll use the Peace fleece and use the skein of Sakhalin Salmon (Peace Fleece) to do the toes and heels. They won't be as soft as the BFL, but should wash up nice and last alooooong time :)

stash organizing

2008-03-05T11:37:00.000-08:00

Well, I have been lamenting to my DH that i needed a shelf in the closet to organize my stash. I wanted the Expedit from Ikea. Along with some Lekman boxes to keep it looking neat. Cost would have been $294.92 (1 book shelf and 8 boxes). DH probably would have had an heart attack if i had bought it. So instead, we ventured to Home Depot on saturday in search of some organization. I wanted something simple, but effective. I was looking for the bracket attachment and shelves that rest on them .. but it was adding up to be too expensive. then, we found the closet organizing sets...I really wanted the lovely wood shelves, with pretty doors and sturdy shelves. Instead, we bought the ClosetMaid organizer. $26.42. WAY cheaper, and it fit perfectly! I might go back and get a hanging basket to add, it would be great for all the random, left over balls I am accumulating!

So, for 1/10th of the cost, my closet looks better and I can SEE what I have. Much better! (Even though i still want to go to Ikea ;)

Here is my semi-organized stash (there are still random projects scattered around as well as some cones of wool hiding in the garage ;) I know, it's a mess even after organizing. *sigh*

spinning is dangerous

2008-02-15T16:50:00.000-08:00

Since i knitted so furiously this last weekend, my right thumb has been sore, so i decided to spin instead :)
First, I (finally) plied the tan/khaki superwash. I now have a nice skein of 2 ply, probably enough for fingerless mitts or a hat! a full bobbin (so 4 ounces aran/heavy worsted)

Then I decided to finish spinning the lovely alpaca/superwash merino i received as a sample from my LYS, Lambs Ear in Tacoma. This stuff drafted beautifully, has a lovely heathered color and did i mention it has alpaca? *heaven* about 20 yards

Lastly, I decided to dig out my silk hankies i dyed last year (using food color pastes). It was fun poking holes and stretching it out. Took almost no effort on my part. about 105 yards, 18-20 grams

Except, later I noticed the damage on my fingers! Yikes. Tiny blisters on my right pointer, bruising on my left thumb, and a superficial slice along my left pointer. WOW. But it is puuuurdy stuff ;)

ravelry Hat Attack

2008-02-15T16:24:00.000-08:00

I was killed.
I knitted furiously over the weekend, finished the very lovely cabled Binary Hat(ravelry link). I used my Denise size 7s, and handdyed Lambs pride. I mailed my hat sunday (really monday)
and sadly, i received my hat wednesday. So now i am dead, but i have a lovely hat to show for it!

Human milk for human babies

2008-02-13T09:49:00.000-08:00

Human breast milk contains stem cells.

Amazing. I will never use formula unless I CANNOT produce milk. I feel sorry for mama's who believe formula is just as good as human milk. I am not putting down mama's who have to use formula; it's the ones who choose to use formula because it's 'more convenient' for them. I know what it's like to pump milk at work twice a day. Not fun, and not relaxing. But it was what was absolutely BEST for my baby, and even now, at 22 month's old, it is still what is best for my child. Are there days where I am completely 'touched out'? You bet! But i do it because it is the perfect nutrition for her. Nothing compares. And i know that in the event that my body can't produce milk when a child of mine needs it, that there are human milk banks. I will try my hardest to make sure that my children will always have what is best for them, even if it makes me tired, makes me feel 'touched out', or if it means i get a little bit less sleep than I would prefer.

some more information links:

FDA Breast feeding info

American Academy of Pediatrics

WomensHeath.gov

Oregon Health and Science University

interesting articles:

CNN on Sharing Breast Milk

Eco Mall, excerpted from Mothers Magazine

Babycenter.com articles search

having no insurance sucks

2008-01-30T14:39:00.000-08:00

it really does. ***warning lots of complaining ahead***

i want to try to have baby #2, but i need to have my iud removed first. No insurance means money up front and a longer wait for an appointment.

i am also fairly certain i suffer from some sort of depression. never been diagnosed since, again, i have no insurance. lately i have been very blase' about finishing any knitting. i have casted on about a million projects, but having a 22 month old makes it hard to get good knitting in, specially when i often don't have the right needle size, or space to knit in period. Living with my parents has it pluses (dad is a great cook, mom does the majority of the cleaning- honestly she doesn't seem to mind, and the fact that we have totally different views on what is a 'mess', she usually feels compelled to clean up a lot sooner than i do) but it also has draw backs (because she feels compelled to clean, it is unthinkable that i have a constant space in which to knit/craft (because the yarn & paraphernalia is c-l-u-t-t-e-r!!!! and she doesn't have any hobbies so doesn't get that it SUCKS to have to shove everything away mid project because, to her, it's cluttering the desk/table/shelf), or that i cannot keep crappy food out of the house). it also sucks that i don't have a car of my own anymore, so i feel stuck, which is very difficult to deal with when i want to be far, far away from the house. did i mention that my mom can be VERY passive aggressive? and will never just be straight forward and ask when she wants help or listen to other opinions when she thinks she knows better (like potty training, or pretty much anything parenting).

I am also at a loss as to what to do with myself in the long term sense. i frequently get great ideas of things i could do from home, or in a small shop but i lack the knowledge of how to go about getting loans or starting up a business. not having reliable, constant transportation is a major setback here too. and as for knitting online communities (or parenting ones) i haven't felt like participating. i really wish i could crawl into a craft room and hide away for weeks. i have to force myself to go to knit night once a week just to be with people i am not related to.

and back to the 2nd baby. DHs sister is pregnant (for the sixth time. 4 are in foster care, the 5th was aborted) and has told DH she'll be aborting this one too. I am having so many issues with this from many different thoughts. First of all, she is using abortions as birth control. second, i told dh i would be more than happy to adopt the baby if she would let us. i truly think if she knew this, she wouldn't have the abortion. but i know that dh won't tell her, because i think it makes him uncomfortable, so for a week now i have been crying and feeling more depressed because all i can think about is this innocent baby being aborted because my DH feels uncomfortable talking to his sister about it. and it brings me back to the dreaded feeling that i won't be able to get pregnant again because we can't afford for me to see a endocrinologist specialist to get another prescription for parlodel so that my prolactin levels will lower enough for me to have a normal menstrual cycle. with out the parlodel, my levels are so high that my body won't release an egg or stop lactating (when i was first diagnosed as having a pituitary tumor, we had insurance; my prolactin level was in the high 90's. normal is between 3-22).

and i checked the WA state website for government assistance. because of living with my parents, we have to account for their income as well, so with just 5 of us living here, we are over qualified except for child health care assistance (which we would still have to pay part of, so not sure how helpful that really is *eyeroll*). and why don't we have insurance? because my dhs boss decided a few years ago to commit insurance fraud and add his parents(they didn't live with him, or work for him). the insurance company found out, canceled coverage, and no company will give him health insurance now. We are praying and crossing our fingers that dh is able to get a job with Boeing. at least then we'll have some sort of insurance.

having no insurance sucks.

dressing

2008-01-07T20:27:00.000-08:00

i really felt the need to share this. it's quoted from the comments section on this video page from bravotv.com. It's a response to Nina Garcia, a fashion editor of Elle magazine, who "addresses a misconception about dressing when you're a bigger woman." In it, she uses Kate Moss (yes, the coke using supermodel) as an example. ummm ok.


I, too, am a Runway fan. I love seeing the creativity (or lack there of in some cases). As a knitter, i am faced with finding patterns that not only come in my size, but are flattering too. At 28 years old, i still have a hard time figuring out what looks good on me. I am a size 18. This is a struggle no matter where i shop, as Milla so eloquently wrote.

ps. if you are Milla, please let me know! I'd like to link to your blog or site (if you have one, and if you don't, you should!)

(January 4, 2008 01:25 AM)

I am an adept Project Runway viewer and faithful Elle magazine reader. I am also a medical professional, a fashion writer and a fashion designer. I am a recovering eating-disordered individual. And moreover I have been fat my entire life. I was a fat toddler. I was a fat child. I was a fat teen and I am a fat adult.

And I do not want to change A THING about myself. It does not matter how ashamed my mother, daughter, family, and profession(s) are of me, I am proud of who I am and what I look like. I am beautiful and I have nothing to cover and nothing to camouflage or hide. Every scar, every roll and every dimple is a mark of something, even the pain, ostracism, exclusion and derision I have endured because I have been never able to get thin enough to please the world. So I got done trying and realized that I was perfect, just the way I was. And since then I went on a journey of discovery and found out that 99% of the things that I have been forcefed my whole life to make me hate and fear my body,were lies to make money. That the pain I have endured and continue to endure ( yesterday my daughter told me that I would be the last example she would follow and that she is going on a diet because God forbid, she gets fat) is NOTHING but sheer unadulterated prejudice, the kind of hate directed towards people because of a physical characteristic not seen since Jim Crow.

Nina, how do you know of ANYTHING about being "larger"?

NO thin person knows anything about what looks best on or feels best to a larger person because they don't ever ask. They just tell us what we should look like and how we should feel and what we should do. But no one EVER asks.

Why is it that you say that thin people look good "almost anything" but "larger people should stick to simple things"? Because you want to direct your eyes at "larger people" as little as possible perhaps? Maybe because you think that "larger people" should have the good sense to call as little attention to themselves as humanly possible if they MUST breathe the same air as you?

Mi reyna... si no sabes de lo que hablas mejor callate la boca. Only a fat person knows what looks best on another fat person, because only a fat person knows what a fat person thinks and feels. And here is what we think and here is what we want. Listen and listen well: THE EXACT SAME STUFF THAT THIN PEOPLE WEAR. BUT OUR SIZE. HOW. BLOODY. HARD. IS. THAT.

We want to have to same exact options available to us as are available to the size 0's ( since now even size 2's have joined our ranks). We want women that look like us ( beautiful models in sizes 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 14, 18, 20 and 28 or whatever) gracing the pages of your magazine and all others like it and treated in the exact same way.

We want to be appreciated and loved and respected in the exact same way our thin counter parts are. Without judgement. Without diet advice. Without work-out routines and without health "threats" from so-called "obesity" experts. We want revolution.

We want the fashion industry to allows and grant us the right to feel as beautiful and sexy as we want to be. Because we already are and now we want to take the thin-enamoured, weight-loss obsessed, distortion goggles off the eyes of every human being on this planet and we would love it if you would assist us in that endeavour.

Because it's going to happen, if you like it or not. Because of a power that is stronger and mightier than Anna Wintour or you or Karl Lagerfeld or Domenico del Sole. It's going to happen and it is happening because of natural selection and evolution and natural size variance in the species. People are simply getting bigger. They have been getting bigger forever but it's happening faster and faster. We are taller and bigger that flappers and Rosie the Riveters and Bobby Soxers and Flower Children and Punks. I am 4 inches taller than my mother. And my daughter will break 6 feet. And that is the trend. And no diet is going to stop it.

There will always be smaller people and larger people just like there are Pomeranians and Mastiffs. But as long as the medical and fashion industry INSIST and PERSIST in trying to make Toy Poodles out of St. Bernards, you are going against the current. Not only is it futile, it's stupid and cruel and worthless although I am plenty aware it is highly profitable.

You can start change by hiring a fat fashion editor to write size freindly fashion advice and putting people in the magazine over a size 0. Seriously, the world will not come to an end, I promise. You probaly will gain thousands of readers.

What you might loose on the other hand is all the pharmaceutical and diet advertising in the magazine. Which could be easily made up if more designers who made clothes that fit your new readers bought up the advertising space.

Just saying, mami....

And next time si no sabes de que hablas, please abstain from opening your MAC lipglass coated boquita.

Love always,

Milla

other updates

2008-01-06T14:09:00.000-08:00

I've been fairly busy with the home front. we finally have dd's room in order. prior to the 'makeover', it was a mess. About 4 years ago i had painted the room a nice light teal. and for added interest, on one plain wall i painted a gingham check pattern in 24" squares using the same light teal, a dark teal and a peach. i also randomly placed 24" squares on the other 3 walls making it seem like they 'escaped' the gingham wall, and used the light teal as the main color. it was very cool. ;) trust me

to get it ready to be our dd's room, we scrapped the ceiling smooth (it was popcorn crap), and ripped the carpet out. Next we primed the walls and ceiling.

I then taped off the walls to create a top and bottm, and on the plain wall, i made a mural of hills with a stream. I lucked out and found wall stickers from the $1 store.

(see the old light teal color near the ceiling?)

after all the tape was removed, i added adorable wallpaper boarder (also found at the $1 store). i also scored some cordinating wall stickers to add near her window.

In between the painting and decorating, DH and BIL put in floating laminate floors (same as the rest of the house, they did a great job!

somewhere in all this, i managed to finish her drive-thru sweater, and knit her a christmas curly purly soaker, complete with needle felted hollyberries!

knitting update

2008-01-05T15:53:00.000-08:00

wow! it's been a month since my last post, so i thought i would break this up into a knitting post and an 'other' post.

recently finished projects include a lacy scarf for baby sister. I used the Nashua Handknits Creative Focus Brushed Alpaca in Rose that i received in a KH swap. Lovely, charming, warm, soft, divine stuff! i would live to knit a whole sweater in this stuff! Seriously!

I cast on 220, knit 4 rows. then knit2, *[yo, k1, k2tog]* to end or so. knit 4 rows, then repeat. I also added fringe with stone beads for added glamor. sis loves it and it knit up super quick! I have learned the need for blocking wires though, so when i finally finish a stole, i'll be making a trip to Home Depot to get some steel wires to use. it's got to be easier than using quilting pins.

I've also knitted my BIL a balaclava (no real pattern) using 2 balls of cascade 220 superwash wool. one in black and one in grey. He loves it and really needed it for work. he works at a paper mill and occasionally gets burns from the large, HOT drums that presses the paper (now he can keep his face pretty lol)

also, i have cast on and have in progress "bee stripe" (lorna's laces shepherd sock) socks for mom and some donegal tweed bare (from knitpicks.com) that i dyed in "I like Lello" for my niece. No progress pictures today. I'll try to add some tomorrow. Both are simple stockinette because i wanted the yarns to shine, and not be too fussy. I love how they both are turning out.

I have taught myself to crochet! Yay me! I am crocheting a giant granny square out of some lovely Plymouth Bella Colour (i think it's been discontinued...) yarn as a present or my DH's coworker (they had a baby boy). I wanted to learn primarily to crochet wool soakers for our dd, since it'll be thicker and more absorbent with out having to knit then felt one to get a similar results. I used the tutorial from crochet cabana.
She has great pictures and teaches you to learn how to understand a pattern as well.
here is the blanket after one ball of yarn (i am starting on #3 currently)

I knit dad a pair of fiber trends clogs as part of his Christmas gift (it also included a robe, pajama pants and dark chocolate!) They are a hit, and now mom wants a pair... I used Patons classic wool merino for them.

I too had a great knitting related Christmas! Dad got me a nifty swift (the table top one) it's so much nicer than the one i made this summer, and much easier to use. DH got me a set of Denise interchangeable. I really wanted the KnitPicks Options set, but i do like the Denise set 200% better than the Boye Needlemaster i bought off of ebay.I might get the Options as a birthday present, along with some of the new longer length traditional circs for magic loop sock knitting.

crappy mole

2007-12-05T18:22:00.000-08:00

i am a member of a couple of co-ops on yahoo. yarn ones so far. I have ordered a total of 8 or 9 times. a malabrigo buy (just a pattern), 2x from 100purewool (once a group order and then just for me), a peace fleece order, a yarn swift, a needles order, and a eucalan order. i also did a co-op buy fill (one lone skein) and an off-list toy buy.
i have received both purewool orders (yay!), and my eucalan and peace fleece order are on the way. the needles are sort of on the way. i had ordered 4 crochet hooks, 4 circs and a hook case. the company only sent my hooks and case. from what i glanced at, they left out most of the circs and some of the pricier bags from the group order. SUCKS BIG TIME. as i mostly just wanted the circs... guess its time i actually learn how to hook to make that nifty afghan in my ravelry queue?
also, the company that *was* going to be where we were getting our swift/winder/lucet buy from, canceled our orders because we are a *co-op* and not an actual store. GASP.

i am so very pissed about the swift.

i specifically passed up buying one from ebay sellers and from joann.com (with a 50% coupon) because of the co-op buy. now, i am waiting for a refund, AND still no swift. off to use my latest coupon from joann.com to buy a swift, that will get here. Note, though, that the cancellation of the swift buy was because a shitty ass person (mole) decided to alert the company that we were a co-op and not a shop. i hope Karma bites them in the ass. HARD.

so now i am waiting for my partial order of needles/hooks to get here and HOPE the co-op fill arrives safely, and that the toy purchase gets here in time for my daughter to get her very nifty wood blocks for Christmas. *sigh*

gonna sell yarn

2007-11-21T18:34:00.000-08:00

i have an etsy shop. I'll be selling yarn there still, but i think from now on, I'll be selling it direct through my blog, since i all ready have a 'merchant' paypal account. more research to come before i completely jump in this one. I'll be relisting my current yarns as soon as i get around to reskeining them (hopefully that will help them sell better). keep checking!

CDind & knitting

2007-11-19T14:12:00.000-08:00

we have started (about 2 weeks now) cloth diapering our dd! Its a different, but simple change. Instead of trashing every diaper, we dump the cloth in the 'wash' bucket, and dd's bum is a bit bulkier than before ;)

my only issue is this:
She gets what looks like bruising at the top of her thighs, where the prorap cover back wraps to close in the front. I would love to afford a softer cover, but we can't. We do have to change her a little more frequently, but i only do a load (or a bucket full) about every 3 days or so. And using a pre-fold with a flat as a doubler at night means no nighttime changes! I love how simple this has been.
My other issue is using wool soakers in place of the prorap. Why is this an issue? beacuse of compression leaks. which means when ever she sits on our lap or the couch (or anything) it gets wet. sucks, cause they are so cute and look adorable on her! Any suggestions??? am i not lanolizing them enough? or is this just a 'live with' issuse? Thanks.

On the knitting front:
I have started knitting a drive-thru cardigan ($5.50) for dd! It is so cute, and easy! I highly reccomend this pattern for any beginner. More advanced knitter could probably figure this one out if they have already knitted a bottom up sweater before. it really is that simple!

here is the latest pic of it:

I have since knitted a couple inches more on the sleeves, in the lighter green. I am so afraid i will run out! The yarn is Indiecita Suri Merino (an alpaca merino blend), a Plymouth Yarn brand that i purchased from fabulousyarns.com.

bad for bloggin'

2007-11-02T20:53:00.000-07:00

i'm just sayin'.

I love ravelry, and KH.

why are they baaaad? cause i spend my time updating my stash, my projects, and keeping up with swaps (for fun and for destashing), and then there are the forums and pattern browsing. *sigh*

it makes it awfully hard to update the blog as far as knitting goes. but here are a couple of recent Fo's:

the curly purly soaker. Plan on making lot's of these :) already started #2

dd in her halloween costume. she was a piglet (not the Piglet) I knit a 2x2 short cuff, then plain hat. I added craft felt ears, stitched into place. very cute. very warm, and she wore it all night! and she was cute sayin' "thank ewe", and "welcome" when she got candy. :)

I am on the look out for a nice simple coat pattern. I have about 2600 yds of a nice light mint DK weight yarn. I want a sort of feminine 'pea' coat. minus the long length, and not too fitted, as i'd like to wear more than a t-shirt under it. also, i don't want to felt or full a jacket. just a nice tight gauge.

and i have 4 skeins of louet riverstone chunky. i think i'd like a top, but i don't know if i have enough yarn to make one to fit ME. it may end up as another soaker, and some handdyed to sell in my etsy shop. I already dyed one skein for a soaker. It will be #3, the colorway name is 'Perfect Peri". I will take pictures tomorrow, as it's still drying ;)
I am hoping to actually sell stuff, but apparently i am crappy at self promotion, or sumpin'. I want to start a stole, with beads. problem? i need to sell at least one more yarn and then i can buy beads. *sigh*

little girl

2007-10-21T16:58:00.000-07:00

I'll admit that I have saved more of my dd's little clothes than one momma needs to. What do i do with it all? I am wondering if i could talk a quilter who knits, into some kind of swap. I could dye up some custom yarn in exchange for them quilting dd's beautiful, cute clothes into a keepsake quilt! I even have a few 100 2x2 cotton squares i could send. I would do it myself, except i want something beautiful when all is said and done. ;)

ETA- to answer the questions :) We plan on having at least one more! But I want to have a quilt made from each kids baby clothes. 'Cause I'm sappy like that sometimes ;)

who am i?

2007-10-17T16:21:00.000-07:00

hmmm... apparently i am a morning person ;)and a few other things i didn't know about myself that i learned today (not in kindergarten ;) )

You Are Sunrise

You enjoy living a slow, fulfilling life. You enjoy living every moment, no matter how ordinary.
You are a person of reflection and meditation. You start and end every day by looking inward.
Caring and giving, you enjoy making people happy. You're often cooking for friends or buying them gifts.
All in all, you know how to love life for what it is - not for how it should be.

What Time Of Day Are You?

You Are 67% Creative

You are beyond creative. You are a true artist - even if it's not in the conventional sense of the word.
You love creating for its own sake, and you find yourself quite inspired at times.

How Creative Are You?

Your Political Profile:

Overall: 55% Conservative, 45% Liberal

Social Issues: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal

Personal Responsibility: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

Fiscal Issues: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

Ethics: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Defense and Crime: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal

How Liberal Or Conservative Are You?

it's fall! and pumpkins!

2007-10-15T20:59:00.000-07:00

We went to the pumpkin patch on Saturday! It was a gorgeous day, warm enough to forgo the sweaters we wore (but never bothered to remove ;) ! It would have made taking photos easier if it had been a traditional Washington fall day. You know, over cast and cool :lol:

We stopped at dhs' grandmas, and went with his cousin and her two kids. It was lots of fun watching the kids run around finding the perfect pumpkins.
DH did most of the heavy lifting ;)

This was dd first choice....a little heavy for her!

how about this one?
Cousin 'Rew' helped dd pick out just the right size for her...

And I got 2 sugar pumpkins to make some pie from scratch!

Dh shucked 10 ears of yummy sweet corn. And apparently, it was too sweet to resist, because dd reached over when I wasn't looking and nibbled off some kernels, raw!
The kids thought the big bin full of corn husks and silk was pretty cool:

We wanted to run through the corn field maze too, but it would have been $31 for all of us, which would have doubled our cost for the trip, so we passed. We might go back though, it was so much fun the last time we did the maze!

I'll update this with photos tomorrow during dd's nap. They are all still loaded on the camera.

etsy update!

2007-09-28T22:01:00.000-07:00

I've dyed up 4 yarns today.... as soon as they are all dry, I'll take photos and list them.

Thanks Robyn for buying my first yarn!

**********ETA :

shop is updated! 4 yarns, in 3 different colorways, 2 different yarn bases, all smooshy soft!

green anaconda!

2007-09-28T21:53:00.000-07:00

my little girl l o v e s this video! just wanted to share it here, and make it easier to find with out having to search for it every night :)