Short-N-Crafty Sista

2009-08-17T20:41:00.001-04:00

New Post on New Blog

MFF

2009-08-03T14:48:00.001-04:00

New Blog Home:

I Craft Therefore I Am

Come over and let me know what you think.

2009-08-02T21:35:00.003-04:00

The Changes Keep On Coming...

I'm in the process of improving my tablet weaving skills. And having a grand old time doing it. So far everyone who has seen my first leash have been very complimentary towards it. Unfortunately, leash number two turned out to be a learning lesson. I love the saying I chose, but the initial lettering turned out to be too elaborate (in my opinion) to read. And I also learned that there are no short cuts with tablet weaving. It is essential to chart out your lettering before you begin. I should have known better, but I was in too be a rush to get started. Live and Learn!

I'm also seriously considering moving my blog. For quite a while I have not been happy with how Blogger uploads pictures. And with all the things I hope to be sharing soon, I need a much easier way to share my pics.

When and if I do move, I'll make sure to let you all know.

That's it for now. I'm dying to get back to my loom.

I hope to have pictures of leash #2 to share tomorrow.

2009-07-18T18:19:00.004-04:00

YOU'D THINK I'D BLOG MORE...

since I am currently unemployed. But I guess that's not going to be the case.

My parents are in town for a visit for twelve days. On my dad's birthday we went over to my grand dad's house. It still amazes me how great he looks, and how energetic he is! Can't you tell we're related?

I also finished Harley's first leash. And it looks great, if I do say so myself! I'm so proud of it. Now all I need is the hardware to finish it.

A week ago we had a sleepover at a friends, and it was so much fun. As always is the case when I'm with my friends I got almost nothing done. But who cares when you're hanging with the girls, right?

For some reason, Harley has started playing hide-n-seek a lot! I couldn't resist taking this picture to share. He is just so cute!

2009-06-30T08:03:00.003-04:00

WTF happened to June?

I woke up this morning, logged onto my computer, and realized June is almost over. WTF! It seems like just yesterday I had a job, and was looking forward to a nice summer. Now here I am, over one month unemployed. Not sure what my future will hold. And not even able to wrap my head around most decisions that I need to make. I'll get there, hopefully by August.

I've made major progress on the latest "Card/Tablet Woven Band" I was working on. I'm really proud of my advances. I've finally figured out the "two pack turning method". And it's much easier than the way I was doing it before. I'm hoping to be ready to make an actual leash by the weekend. I won't to practice/test a few more patterns I found on the net, and I also need to test several alphabets to find one I like.

I wanted to make a short video of myself weaving, but unfortunately I have yet to figure out where to potion the camera so I don't block the view of the process. I'll keep working at it and I'll post it when I'm done.

The 4th of July is coming up and I have no plans. I know my aunt will call and invite me over, she always does (and I love her for it). But I think I'm going to stay home and chill with my little Harley.

Speaking of Harley, I shouldn't really call him little. Our lack of exercise over the winter is showing in his fat body. It's so funny to know that he was the runt of his littler, and now he's the largest of all his brothers and sister. No matter to me though! He'll always be my little man.

Have a great safe holiday!

2009-06-26T15:13:00.003-04:00

I WENT TO THE ZOO...

and all I can say is, "I had a great time!!!"

My good friend S. got tickets for us through her work union, and we were grateful.
(A., her daughter E. and our friend S.)

I hadn't been to the zoo in almost 10 years, so I was definitely looking forward to seeing the changes that had been made since the last time I was there.

I didn't get as many pics as I would have liked, but here are some of my favorites.

I think my favorite part of the outing was seeing a polar bear walking over the under water tunnel while we were in it. It was so cool! The butterfly house and bird sanctuary housed some gorgeous colorful animals. And the some of the animals were much more active than I would have thought they would have been. It was one of the hottest days we've had so far this year. So needless to say, we got in early, enjoyed as much as we could, and left before it got too crowded. It was a great outing! Thanks "S." for inviting me!

I haven't been doing anything very productive lately. I guess I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I am un-employed. I am in the process of trying to narrow down what type of computer classes I want to take. And decide what school I want to go to. It has not been easy being un-employed, but thanks to the love and support from my family and friends it hasn't been as hard as it could have been.

I've been practicing my tablet band weaving quite a bit, but I still have yet to feel successful at it. I'll keep working on it until I figure it out. And I'll keep you posted.

2009-06-15T11:36:00.001-04:00

THOUGHT I'D SHARE...

Story on American Axle.

Check out the video in the upper left corner. It's funny but sad.

2009-06-15T07:40:00.005-04:00

LONG TIME TO SEE...

Seeing as I haven't updated this blog in almost two months, I'm not sure if anyone is still reading it. Either way I figured it's time to update it, and explain my absence.

I'll start by saying that as of June 1st I am officially unemployed. I won't go into any of the boring and depressing details. I'll just say that at the age of 40, I'm preparing to start my life all over again from scratch. Thank god for all my wonderful friends who have helped me deal with this, and also my fabulous family who have always been in my corner (no matter how much of an ASSHAT I may be or have been!)

Thanks to you all!!!

Now onto the much more fun things that have been going on the last few months.

I finally broke down and started weaving. Weaving is something I've wanted to do for as long as I can remember. But never thought I could afford it. So to my surprise, while on a fiber shopping trip to The Spinning Loft with my good friend Amy. I talked myself, with Amy's help, into purchasing a Schacht Cricket Rigid Heddle Loom. And boy am I glad I did.

My first few attempts were less than passable. So I won't even bother to share them here. But after a little bit more research, and several conversations with the fabulous weavers on "Ravelry", here is my first successfully woven scarf.

This was an excellent learning experience for me. One of the most important things I learned is; never try to weave with SWS wool yarn, at least not until you are a more proficient weaver. The yarn was way too sticky, and that made it very difficult to get and maintain a cleared shed.

My next two woven projects were inspired by the wonderful works of several weavers in the Rigid Heddle group on Ravelry.
I did two of these scarfs, one in black and gray (pictured here), and one in blue and white. I don't have any pictures of the blue and white one at the moment. I'm also proud to say that this scarf led to a friends obsession with rigid heddle weaving. And within a week or so she had her own loom and has become an excellent weaver. I love being an inspiration to my friends.

While doing research on rigid heddle weaving I came across this YouTube video: Dream Ribbon

Thanks "WormSpit" for the inspiration. Go and check out his work. (He is a fabulous weaver who produces gorgeous silk bands from raising the silk worms, to processing and dyeing the silk, to weaving the bands.)

After his and the few other videos I found, let's just say a new obsession began! I said; "I'm going to learn card/tablet weaving!" And I did.

I started out with basics: C-Clamps and an unused shelf as a board.

But quickly moved onto wanting to make my own copper loom. Which I did.

From that I was able to move onto my true reason for the obsession. I wanted to make Harley a personalized dog collar and leash. So I started practicing, and this was the result of my first practice band.

You may notice that a couple of the letters are duplicated. Don't be fooled by that. I do know my alphabet, sometimes. lol I just wanted to keep making the letters until I was satisfied with them. And I'm still not totally satisfied with how wide the "W" and "Y" come out. But I'll keep trying.

And here is a cute picture of Harley checking the band out while I was trying to take pictures. (Don't you just love that little knuckle head. I surely do!)

I quickly realized that the copper loom would not allow me to make bands long enough for a dog leash, so on a trip out to Herritage Spinning and Weaving in Lake Orion, (thanks Joan and Becca and all the other lovely ladies who made me feel so welcome), I purchased an Inkle Loom and started practicing. And I'm loving how it's working.

Who knows, maybe making bands will be a way to supplement my income in the near future. Stranger things have happened.

Now that I have updated you on what I've been up to, I'm off to get some things done. Or at least try to.

I'll try to update more regularly to let anyone who's interested know what I'm up to.

Bye for now!

2009-04-30T05:33:00.003-04:00

PROBABLY NOT THE BEST IDEA...

to blog right now. But I'm going to do it anyway.

Life has been slowly but surely beating me down the last few months. And though I've tried to put on a happy face and deal with it, I've reached the point where I need to break down so I can try to let it all go.

(forewarning: this is going to be an extreme pity post. stop reading now if you don't want to hear it. I completely understand!)

A very good friend is in the midst of a health crisis. And I've been thinking about her a lot lately. I hope to be able to be there for her in any and every way I possibly can.

I have also been sick more than I have been well this year. I've had cold, after cold, after cold. Some were worse than others. Several episodes laid me out completely for a couple of days. Unfortunately, more often than not, I had to suffer through these colds at work because I couldn't afford not to go to work and risk loosing my job. As has been the case with a lot of people I work with, which is probably why I kept getting sick in the first place.

Speaking of work: the news there has gone from bad to worse really fast. We started the year with my job being downsized and I got bumped to a new position. I was glad to be able to stay on day shift, but had a really hard time getting used to doing a more physical job. I did pretty good at getting used to it, and was even beginning to enjoy it, then BAM! The announcement that our whole plant is being shut down permanently, and our jobs are being shipped to Mexico and the companies other plant here in MI.

The really confusing, sucky thing about this to me is, my new job had been created to supplement the fact that our Mexico facility couldn't keep up with their production requirements. I wish someone could explain that mentality to me. If they couldn't keep up with the partial workload they had, why would you give them all the work. I'll tell you why, at least in my opinion, because you could pay them (Mexican work force) a third of what you pay us. Money is always the bottom line isn't it!

For years we produced and recorded record profits for our company, but that wasn't enough. They (company executives) wanted more, under the guise of what was constantly called being competitive in the "Global Market". So a year ago we went on strike for 89 days to try to maintain some form of fair wage and got shafted. Not only by our company, but also by our union representatives. And now they are doing it to us one last time. Our company has been fighting to re-open the contract they agreed to last year to get more concessions from us. And without the workers ever being able to speak on the issue, our union representatives decided to fight to the death. And the announcement of that death came two days ago. It is over and we are done! As of May 8th over 500 more workers will be out of work. Needless to say we lost everything!

I am much more fortunate than most of the people I work with. As a single woman with no children, my survival will be easier than most. It's going to be hard, but not impossible. This companies shifting it's business to Mexico is a major loss for the workers here, for the city the plant was located in (especially the businesses that relied on us as their customer base), for the state that already has documented the highest rate of un-employment in the US, and for the country as a whole.

I would never have thought that after fourteen years I would be over forty and out of work. But here I am. Some people think things may still change, but I'm not holding out any false hope. This has been our CEO's agenda for quite some time, and I don't think he is going to change it now that it's actually become a probability.

Since I'm sure I have bored/ranted/and whined long enough for most of you to tolerate. I'm going to shut up now, take some meds for my pounding headache, and go back to bed.

Pray for the future of us all! We are all going to need it!

2009-04-27T18:00:00.000-04:00

The Leyburn #1 is finally done. Here it is on the sock blocker my good friend Sara had mad for me. Yes that is Harley painted on it.

My friends ROCK!!!

And The Winner Is...

2009-03-24T18:20:00.001-04:00

Harley of course!

Pixar dancing mouse - I believe in miracles

2009-03-14T22:41:00.001-04:00

2009-03-03T16:07:00.007-05:00

FO'S AND FIBER AND YARN ACQUISITIONS

Since the last time I posted there has been loads of knitting and stash acquisition.

I'll start with a book purchase.

This book has some of the most gorgeous double knit coats I have ever seen. I will probably never make one, but I had to have this book.

I finished my second Baby Surprise Jacket. This one came out much closer to the designed size.

Because of the economy, I decided to cancel all of my sock club memberships. These are the last three I will be receiving. Yarn Pirate, Plucky Classics, and Three Irish Girls Knits.

Then there has been major fiber purchases. I shouldn't have purchased, but I couldn't resist.

(click on the image to see details)

2009-02-27T06:50:00.002-05:00

NON KNITTING POST

We finally got confirmation yesterday, I am laid off for two weeks. I know I shouldn't be happy about this fact, with the state of the economy and my industry especially, but I am glad. The stress level has been almost unbearable, and the break will do me good. I hope.

This lay-off also means another really important thing to me. More knitting time with my friends. When my schedule was changed to 10hrs/4days I had a really hard time finding the time and energy to get together with my friends. So I've got loads of catching up to do.

I was also told that the changes they were going to be making will start when we get back. I had been really worried about that too. I was afraid I was going to be bumped out of my current group and/or shift. Both would not have been good things. Luckily, not only do I get to stay on my shift, but I also get to stay in my group. Unfortunately not on my job, but I'll still be with the people I have been working with for over 10 years. The one down side was my best work friend did get bumped to second shift. And I will miss her terribly.

All this being said, I'm doing my best to stay positive about everything that is happening or will happen in the future. I keep telling myself, "AT LEAST I STILL HAVE A JOB!!!" No matter how much it drives me crazy most of the time.

There will hopefully be loads of posts during the next two weeks. So bye for now...

2009-02-15T18:58:00.003-05:00

IT'S FINALLY DONE...

When I first decided to make a Baby Surprise Jacket, thanks to the inspiration of a knitting friend. I had no idea it would take three attempts before I finally completed one. Or that it would end up being larger than I anticipated. Even though I think that's going to be a good thing.

Here she is, BSJ #2! I only hope my co-worker, whose daughter I made it for, likes it.

Sorry the pictures aren't better. It's definitely time for a new camera.

2009-02-08T17:51:00.004-05:00

PRODUCTIVE WEEKEND...

I'll start off this post sharing a couple of pictures from our annual "Knitting Bowl"! We had a great time as always. And luckily Frottez's husband "J" made us a great brownie for our event. If you're reading this J., sorry it took me so long to post about it. He actually made one to represent each team and we got this one!

Our great friend, and first time "Knitting Bowl" knitter, Sara, made this great vegan cake. And all I can say is it was excellent. And I raved about it all week.

Here are the early bird's, minus me (I'm taking the picture). Tina, Amy, Sara and our wonderful hostess Angela.

I spent this weekend photographing and posting the pics of my sock yarn stash. Which is ridiculously large by the way. And took two days to do. Saturday's post and Sunday's post.

After some searching for a new project I decided to knit "The Baby Surprise Jacket". There were a couple of false starts, but after a Friday afternoon SnB with Sara, and her expert advice on the project, I finally got it up and going.

Here's Harley sitting on it as I was trying to photograph it. At this point I had finally gotten to the increase rows. Which I thought I'd never get to.

I can't wait to see how this is going to turn out.

I hope everyone had a great weekend.

2009-02-07T11:03:00.008-05:00

DO I HAVE A PROBLEM, PART 2

I got up this morning and finished taking pictures and sorting my sock yarn stash.

There will be no need for a sock yarn purchase for many years to come, I'd say. And when I think of how many skeins I have gifted over the last few years. I suppose I should be ashamed of myself, but I'm not!

Hand Dyed Yarns by Indie Dyers

Hand Maiden

Koigu PPPM

Stork - Meant to be used for "Nanner Socks", but the yellow didn't work for me.

Cascade Sock - Not sure why I purchased 3 skeins of the Tan.

Hand Dyed by wonderful ladies at "Artisan Knitworks".

Schaeffer Anne

Regia Silk

On Your Toes

Berroco Comfort Sock

Presents over the years.

Duet Sock Yarn

Butterfly Sock

Alpaca Sock

Swap from Knitting Bowl "2008".

Knit Pick Essential Kettle Dyed

Arcuania

Neighborhood Fiber Co.. - Birthday present from Larj Marj, "2007".

Dream in Color Smooshy

Knit Picks Essential and Pallette

Panda Cotton - Meant for baby socks.

Panda Silk

Indie Dyer

2009-02-06T19:07:00.010-05:00

DO I HAVE A PROBLEM?

(picture heavy post)

For some strange reason I decided to go through my sock yarn and try to get an idea of what I have in my stash. Boy was that an insane undertaking.

So without further ado, here is about half of my sock yarn grouped by maker or dyer.

"Sunshine Yarns"

"Collinette Jitterbug"

"Lana Grossa and Trekking"

"Opal"

"Scout's Swag"

"Louet Gems"

"Socks That Rock - Raven Series"

"Socks That Rock"

"Socks That Rock -(middle colors are "Spirits Collection")

"Malibrigo Sock"

"Plucky Classics"

"Claudia Hand Paints"

(German dyer ???)

"Sockatta"

"Lorna Laces"

"Fleece Artist"

"Sock Yarnista"

"Nymph"

"Yarn Pirate"

"Storm Moon Knits"

"ToFuties"

"Noro Sock Yarn"

"Lisa Souza"

"Cherry Tree Hill"

"Wollmeise"

JUMPING ON THE BANDWAGON!

2009-02-04T14:56:00.001-05:00

I decided my new work sock should be the "Leyburn Socks" which seem to be very popular right now.
I've seen several very inspiring pairs on Plurk and decided to jump on the band wagon.

SECOND SOCK PROGRESS

2009-01-28T12:57:00.001-05:00

The short work week hindered my progress. I finally reached the heel, almost, today. No way I'll finish the second sock this week.

TWO SINGLES DONE!

2009-01-26T12:53:00.001-05:00

Pretty in Pink #1 is done. I was able to kitchner the toe before my actual work day began.
I must admit, at first I wasn't sure how I felt about it. Now that it is done I can't wait ti cast on the second sock. But since this was a lay-off project I need to finish the second of the UFO to FO at work sock.

FWD:Present from Auntie Sarah!

2009-01-22T09:13:00.001-05:00

Harley loves toy so much he has taken to sleeping with it.

2009-01-18T18:25:00.002-05:00

WEEK IN REVIEW

This week has had loads of ups and downs. It started Monday afternoon when I came home from work and found that I had no power. Four days, and a lot of praying later, my power was finally up and running Thursday morning. Luckily, there were no lingering side affects of the power outage.

My work UFO turned into a completely new project, thanks to Harley and a needle run. But I'm actually happier with the new sock, than I think I would have been with the previous one.

To say this was a cold week, would be a grave understatement of fact. Several evenings found our temps in the negative. And the wind chill pushed us into double digit negatives. Brrrrr!

Friday we got word that we will be off all next week. And when we return to work the company is trying the 10 hour a day 4 day work week. I hope they can get it right this time. I truly enjoyed having three day weekends. It allowed me much more free time to spend with my knitting friends. And I hope to be able to spend time with them again.

I hope everyone has a great week. I'm looking forward to the Inauguration on Tuesday, and loads of knitting and fiber time with friends.

Happy knitting, spinning, crocheting and crafting of all kinds.

2009-01-14T13:00:00.001-05:00

Making progress.

FROM UFO TO NEW PROJECT

2009-01-12T12:35:00.001-05:00

Thanks to my little guy this weeks work UFO has turned into a new project.

Somehow Harley managed to get himself tangled in my yarn, which he proceeded to drag around the house until he had pulled the sock off the needles and undone most of the knitting. Needless to say, trying to put the stitches back on the needle was not going to happen. So instead I just frogged what was left, rewound the yarn, and cast on a new sock.

All I can say is, Harley is lucky I love him so much.

2009-01-11T10:34:00.004-05:00

THE WEEK IN REVIEW!

As you may have noticed, I've been trying to post everyday. I also made a decision for 2009: My work knitting time is going to be dedicated to finishing the UFO's I've accumulated over the years, I hope.

The week began with "My Work Beret", made from my hand spun yarn and for my cousin.

This is the third beret I've made. All from my hand spun. I love the look of this pattern in hand spun yarn. Thanks to "Through The Loops" for sharing such a great pattern.

As my first official "UFO to FO at Work" project I pulled out my Uzume socks I started almost a year ago. I don't recall why these socks ended up in the UFO pile, and I am ashamed to say all I needed to do to finish them was one pattern repeat and the toe. Now that they're done, I can't wait to wear them.

My next work project is a basic 3 x 1 ribbed sock, made toe up. I have to cheat a bit and turn the heel at home. I don't think, with all the interruptions at work I don't think I could make a successful heel.

I spent Friday evening and Saturday spinning. The Louet Wool Top "Teddy Bear" fiber came out better than I thought it would. I ended up with about 176 yrds of light worsted weight yarn. (10 WPI) Now to decide what to make out of it. Some fingerless gloves for me, or a hat and scarf set for my sister.

I hope you are all having a great weekend! See you next week!

1st UFO TO FO Done!

2009-01-09T15:12:00.001-05:00

With 20 minutes to spare.

UFO to FO at Work! #1

2009-01-09T09:48:00.001-05:00

Going through my UFO's this morning I came across my pair of Uzume socks that were so close to being completed it was shameful that I had let them sit for so long. So I decided since I am dedicating my knitting time at work to UFO's that these socks would be a perfect kick off project.

I have to ask that you forgive the not so great pictures. But it's the best I can do with a camera phone and factory lighting.

I'm not sure if you can tell from the picture that all I have left to do is maybe one more repeat and the toe. I'm way too easily distracted. Which explains why the Only UFO's at work is such a great idea for me. I have too many projects that are close to completion just sitting in a bin. If I can stick to it UFO's to FO's at Work will only take a couple of months.

HAPPY NEW YEAR. TGIF! And have a great weekend all!

WORK BERET IS DONE!

2009-01-08T14:15:00.001-05:00

I finshed it with an hour left in my work day. Now I just have to figure ouy what to do with the almost half a ball I have left.

WORK BERET PROGRESS

2009-01-07T13:00:00.001-05:00

I'm almost ready to start the decreases. Looks like I will be able to finish the beret tomorrow.

2009-01-06T05:48:00.000-05:00

I couldn't resist!

WORK BERET

2009-01-05T14:21:00.000-05:00

I decided to cast on another beret to make while I am at work. I'm surprised how much I got done today.

2009-01-04T04:33:00.003-05:00

DO THEY KNOW ME AT ALL?

After the blind date I went on yesterday, I'd say my family has no idea who I am, or what I am looking for in a relationship. Nor do they bother to find out what kind of man they are setting me up with, or what he is looking for.

As you can probably tell, I had another unsuccessful blind date. At least this time the man was a perfect gentleman. Very nice, handsome, funny, and if I must admit - he smelled damn good too. This time the problem was my aunt's total lack of investigation before she set up the date. I was not even close to what this man was looking for. Which was actually a big disappointment for me.

Don't get me wrong. I am happy with who I am (if not completely-happy enough), what I do (being a blue collar worker is not a bad thing), what I have and have not accomplished (some people just aren't cut out for college), and where my life is going (actually have no idea, but will make it work out no matter what). But this nice professional man was looking for a professional, educated woman. Which I am not.

He was very nice during the dinner, and we even had a few drinks afterwards. But it was clear to both of us that there would not be a second date. Which actually disappointed me a bit. But he has a very clear idea of what he wants, and I'm not it.

I would rather to have not met him at all, than to have met him, liked him, and know that I'm not right for him and will probably never see him again. But oh well!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, "NO BLIND DATES, EVER!!!" Especially blind dates set up by my family, who have no idea how to set people up.

"B*TCH In The Kitchen"

2009-01-02T07:40:00.001-05:00

The first time I heard this joke it was part of an e-mail joke chain. I'm so happy to see that someone had the nerve to do a live version.

Enjoy!

S.

ROFLMAO!

2008-12-30T07:17:00.001-05:00

I was supposed to post this Sunday, just to bug my friends husband who reads my blog and I forgot. So here goes.

"J" this is just for you! Enjoy!!!

2008-12-28T06:51:00.002-05:00

CHRISTMAS TOYS FOR HARLEY

Harley got a few new toys from my friend Sara yesterday, and he has no desire to stop playing with them. Especially the royal blue furry.

Thanks Auntie Sara, from Harley.

P.S.

He even slept with it curled under his chin. If I went to move it he woke right up and moved it back.

2008-12-26T18:56:00.003-05:00

OH LA LA

I have been spinning like crazy, but unfortunately I had yet to have enough finished yarn to actually consider making anything with it. Until recently.

I ordered this yarn from a great etsy seller, Lime Green Jelly. Unfortunately, my camera does not do justice to the colors in this fiber. I'm not sure why, but I even love the green in it. Which is a huge surprise since I usually HATE green.

On Christmas morning I decided to cast on "The One Day Beret" by Kirsten Kapur for Through The Loops! I had been wanting to make a beret for a long time, and the colors in this yarn seemed a perfect fit for this beret. And to be able to finish it in one day suits my desire for instant gratification. I'm hoping to be able to wear it tomorrow.

2008-12-19T20:18:00.002-05:00

WHAT A DAY TODAY HAS BEEN

We got several inches of snow today. Luckily I'm officially off work until next year, so I didn't have to go out in it.

Since I was going to be at home, I decided to finally make something out of some of my hand-spun yarn.

It started as this:
4oz of Colonial Border Leicester Mohair from Copperpot Woolies in Cowboy Up colorway. Which I spun into this:

Sorry the pic does not do the colors justice.

To finally become this cute, but extremely warm, little basic hat.

Not too bad for my first project from my hand-spun, you think?

Have a great weekend everyone.

2008-12-13T09:36:00.004-05:00

I'M STILL HERE...

Over the last few weeks there have been many ups and downs in my life. Nothing I'm going to bore you with here. But I will say that thanks to my friends, my spinning wheel, the loads of fiber I've accumulated, and the knitting I do at work, I'm making it through what's left of this year.

To say spinning has become an obsession is a great understatement of what my life has become. Now to figure out what to do with the hand-spun I've created. Any suggestion would be appreciated.

There has also been knitting, but I don't have any pics yet. I'll try to get some taken to share before the weekend is over.

Now to get back to my spinning wheel.

Happy Holidays to all!

I THINK I FINALLY GOT IT!

2008-11-24T09:23:00.000-05:00

For over a month I've wanted to make a cowl. And for over a week I've been trying to find a pattern to make it using this gorgeous Manos Silk Blend that I bought for my birthday. I tried several patterns but none looked good in this colorway. Then thanks to my good friend Amy and her suggestion of the Luxury One Skein book I found a pattern that I love in this yarn.

I can't wait for this work day to be over so I can go home and play on my new, yet to be named wheel. I'm still trying to figure out what her name should be. Maybe after a few more hours spinning on her her personality will inspire me to name her.

If anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear them.

Back to work I go.

2008-11-23T10:52:00.005-05:00

THAT'S RIGHT - I ACTUALLY DID IT...

Yesterday on a full day outing with my good friend Amy I bought a spinning wheel. That's right folks...I bought a beautiful "Kromski Sonata" spinning wheel.

I have not yet been able to actually spin on it yet. I need a lot of practice. My hand to feet coordination is pretty sad right now. But it's so going to be a fun learning curve.

Now to think of a name for her.

2008-11-19T09:00:00.000-05:00

Another co worker with a love of cooky t-shirts.

2008-11-15T08:48:00.005-05:00

BIRTHDAY PARTY AND SPINNING FAILURE AND SUCCESS

Two weeks ago was my friends Beth's birthday. We didn't get to celebrate it until this past Sunday. We were set to have a mini celebration at one of my LYS's. But unfortunately, the birthday girl got sick and wasn't able to stay for her own party.

The Birthday Girl

Our friends Amy, Lynn, Wyllie, and Jenny.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to get as many pics as I would have liked. I hope for the time she was there she enjoyed what we put together for her.

I finally did something with two of the singles I had recently spun.

The turquoise is from the Rolags I purchased from "Rainy Days Wool Dogs". Which I found thanks to Alcariel and Miss Violet of Lime and Violet fame. And the copper was one of my first fiber purchases at my LYS EweNique Knits.

Unfortunately the copper single came out over-spun. Not sure what to do about that yet. I tried my hand at plying with the turquoise, and am so pleased with how it came out.

Not to bad if I do say so myself!

Later!!!

2008-11-09T06:14:00.006-05:00

CAN YOU SAY OBSESSED... (my story from desire to obsession)

(very picture heavy post)

As you may have noticed, I can/am!

From the moment I started knitting, shopping knitting stores, going to S&B's, reading blogs, surfing etsy and Ravelry, and just being in the world of knitting, I swore that the last thing I would do was spin my own yarn. BOY did I go back on that one!

I think it started for me Oct. 16th at knit night with my friends, N. and M.. N. was showing us a couple of projects she made from her hand spun. And the bug crawled up my leg. Then M. and N. started fondling some gorgeous fiber one of them (I don't remember which) had recently purchased, and the bug barred it's teeth. Then N. started spindle spinning some fiber, and the bug sunk his teeth into my flesh. Needless to say, "That's All She Wrote!" I was an almost instant convert.

The next day I went to one of my lys's that carries fiber and spindles and made my first purchase. That night I went home and stared at the cute spindle, having no idea where to begin. I started surfing through Youtube videos and found lots of helpful information. Unfortunately for me, I'm more of a one-on-one type of learner. So, at my next SnB I asked my good friend A. if she would show me the basics, (and being the great friend she is she put down what she was working on an showed me how to begin). At first I didn't think I liked it. My first few spins were lumpy and bumpy and not at all cute to look at, or even consider knitting. So to the back of my mind went the desire to spindle spin. For all of about several hours. After watching more videos, especially this one, and more fondling of the fiber and spindle, I picked it back up and tried again. The rest, shall we say, is history.

That is until I realized yesterday that I have seven spindles, (some purchased here, here, and here) and plastic bin full of fiber (some from here, here, here, and here), to name a few. I had to ask myself, "What the H*LL!" On my way to a local fiber store with a couple of friends, I resigned myself to the fact that I'm an Obsessive Compulsive Personality (and proud of it!)! When I get interested in something, I go head first - full throttle - ass out - no worries or cares! And this is the results of my latest obsession, several weeks of etsy shopping, and web surfing:

Well, that's my story, including pictures, and I'm sticking to it!

Have a great weekend everyone. I'm off to obsess a little bit more.

2008-11-03T16:23:00.006-05:00

THE WEEK FROM HELL ENDED ON A HIGH NOTE...

After a dead battery in a two month old car on Monday and my identity being stolen on Wednesday, and having to work full shifts on Friday and Saturday. My week from "Hell" ended on a high note. I got to go see "The Rocky Horror Picture Show"! I haven't seen a live showing of RHPS in over 10 years, and I had a fabulous time.

I've included a couple of pictures to give you an idea of the good time we had. The troupe that performed the show put on the same show in Ohio once a month, and I plan on making a few trips down there to see them again.

My friend "BelovedOne" and her friend A., as Magenta and Columbia. I also got a pic of them posing with the cast's "Dr. Frank-N-Furter", who was out-standing by the

way.

I'm not sure who this group was, but they were nice enough to pose for a picture for me. They had a great time, and made the show even more fun for me to watch.

Another shot of "Frank-N-Furter". He was rocking those costumes.

It was a great show, with great friends, and an excellent cast of characters, on and off the stage/screen.

There was a bit more drama at the end of the night, though. Shortly after I got home, I heard a commotion outside and went out to see what was going on. My neighbors garage had caught on fire and burned to the ground with two cars inside. Luckily no one was hurt. But we were outside for hours making sure everything was completely extinguished, and no one was in any danger. It made for a really long day, (3am to 3am).

This is what was waiting for me when I got home from work today. Three packages, that's right THREE packages. I was so excited I almost forgot to take Harley out for his potty break.

The box contains my Golding Spindles. Thanks to one of my friends on Plurk, for suggesting I check them out. Once I saw them I couldn't help myself, I immediately bought two of them. And even though I haven't actually spun with them yet. I am in love. How could I not be! Both are made from a purple wood. One has a 2" Whorl, the other has a 3" Whorl.

I also got more sock club yarn. And fiber, including more "BFL".

This is "Sweet Dreams" - BFL Wendleydale Colonial, from Copperpot Woolies. My pic does not do the colors justice. The blues and purples are gorgeous. And I can't wait to spin it up. I only hope I can do it justice.

These two came from "Handpaintedyarns.com". They were so inexpensive I wasn't sure that I would like them, but I love the colors, and they are both very soft to the touch. The reds is " Frutos del bosque romm" and the purple and yellow is "Flor del Lotto romm". Check out this site. You will be pleasantly surprised!

This months "Yarn Pirate" is probably my new favorite colorway. I just wish I could get a better picture of it.

And this is this months "Plucky Classics". Not as crazy about the colors. Too much green for my tastes.

I had a pretty good few mail days, wouldn't you say? Not a bad haul at all!

KNITTING ON THE ASSEMBLY LINE...

2008-11-01T07:42:00.001-04:00

I get lots of mini breaks at work. And this is what I usually do with them.

My knitting stays hidden, for the most part, in my bag which hangs from the machine next to me. But easily accessable for knitting a row or two. My co-workers get a kick out of it.

2008-10-28T18:31:00.003-04:00

JUST BECAUSE I WANTED IT.

That's right! It's a lighted spindle. I know, I know! There's never going to be a reason for me to spindle spin in the dark. But I didn't care. When I saw it here on etsy.com, I had to have it.

You have to admit, it's pretty cool. Even on my crappy camera.

I can't remember where I heard about this book. But I'm so glad I made the purchase. From just leafing through it. I'm excited! I think this is going to be a very inspiring book!

2008-10-28T03:51:00.001-04:00

WAKE UP!!! PLEASE EVERYBODY, "WAKE UP"!!!

2008-10-27T18:47:00.001-04:00

TOO CUTE FOR WORDS!

2008-10-26T07:02:00.002-04:00

AN UNPRODUCTIVE SATURDAY

And here's why:

It didn't seem to matter what I did or was doing. If I sat down Harley would crawl into my arms and fall right off to sleep. When I would move him, he'd settle into the new spot for about five minutes and then wander right back into my arms.

After about an hour of this I gave up, resigned myself to being a lap cozy, and let him sleep. He was really just too cute to not want to cuddle anyway.

POWERFUL WOMEN'S MOTTO

2008-10-22T05:59:00.000-04:00

Live your life in such a way that when you wake up in the morning and your feet hit the floor, Satan shudders and says, "Oh Shit...She's Awake!!!"

2008-10-21T09:30:00.000-04:00

My laptop is going to be in the shop for 7 to 10 days. I hope less.

I'll be back then.

2008-10-18T16:55:00.003-04:00

LOOK MA, I'M SPINNING!!!

And check out how much more consistent I got from day one (left), to day two (below).

I think I've figured out what going to work for me. I have a really hard time drafting as I spin. But drafting before I even start spinning seems to work well for me. I'm not sure if it's right, but it's working for me. And it's allowing me to be more consistent than I was at first.

Now, I'm going to wind off what I have done so far and start again. Hopefully with better, thinner, more consistent results.

I wasn't sure I was even going to like spinning, but I have to say, I THINK I MIGHT LIKE IT ALLOT!!!

I'm off to watch a few of the YouTube videos on spindle spinning. Hopefully they'll help me to understand the process, even more.

2008-10-17T16:38:00.003-04:00

AN FO FINALLY

I can't believe it! I finally have an FO to share.

Introducing Cashmere Wisp. Isn't she lovely? Unfortunately, there is nothing about her that screams my name. But she will make a great present for either my aunt or my mother.

It's going to take a lot of practice, and I'm not really sure if I like doing it yet. But I'm going to try to keep at it a little while longer.

Wish me luck!

S.

No one who knows me can believe it. But I actually thought about spinning, thanks to a couple of my knitting buddies N. and M.. And anyone who knows me knows, when something crosses my mind, it's usually not long before I act on it.

And so I went out, purchased a spindle and fiber. And with the personal help from my friend, A., I actually spun a small amount of yarn. It's not very good yarn, but I'm proud of what I made.

2008-10-17T07:27:00.004-04:00

I LOVE LITTLE JOHNNY JOKES

LITTLE JOHNNY STRIKES AGAIN

A teacher in New York asked her 6th grade class how many of them were McCain fans. Not really knowing what a McCain fan was, but wanting to be liked by the teacher, all the kids raised their hands except for Little Johnny. The teacher asked Little Johnny why he decided to be different...again.

Little Johnny said, 'Because I'm not a McCain fan.' The teacher said, 'Why aren't you a McCain fan?' Johnny said, 'Because I'm a Democrat.' The teacher asked why he's a Democrat. Little Johnny answered, 'Well, my Mom's a Democrat and my Dad's a Democrat, so I'm a Democrat.' The teacher asks, 'If your Mom was a moron and your Dad was an idiot, what would that make you?' With a big smile, Little Johnny replied, 'That would make me a McCain fan.'

I always liked Little Johnny.

2008-10-13T15:11:00.004-04:00

THE NEWEST TIME SUCK IN MY LIFE

For some reason, which I can't explain, I have fallen in love with the idea of acquiring dragon eggs. And this afternoon I discovered that I had adult dragons capable of being bred. and that's exactly what I did.

Believe me, with Ravelry, Plurk, TV, my local knitting group, and my friends and family the last thing I needed was something else to suck up my time. But I couldn't resist. And now I can't seem to stop myself from viewing, clicking and now breeding dragons.

These are the ones I have so far. Aren't they cute???

DRIVE BY POSTING

2008-10-09T06:50:00.001-04:00

I have not had much to share the last week and a half. Work still sucks! We have not done a full 40 hours in weeks. And middle management is starting to panic. Their jobs are in jeopardy now. Just like ours are.
I got a little sick last week. Luckily itdid not last long.
I did get to knit with my friends a couple of times. That's always a huge positive in my life. THANKS FRIENDS!

Now I'm looking forward to Halloween. Not sure what I want to dress up as this year. I'll have to think really hard on that.

2008-09-30T14:06:00.003-04:00

PURPLE IS SOOOO MY COLOR!!!

And I finally got a purple egg. Excited does not begin to describe it.

Please give the egg a click so we can watch it hatch and grow into a gorgeous dragon.

2008-09-29T16:48:00.004-04:00

THE SURPRISES KEEP COMING!!!

There was a knock at my door and this was waiting on my porch when I opened it.

I was puzzled. Because I couldn't remember ordering anything. Then I noticed that the return address was from Germany.

Ah Ha!! I had an order that had been made several weeks ago, that I had completely forgotten about. I couldn't even remember who had pointed me to this wonderful yarn dyer. And now here it is. And boy oh boy am I glad I ordered this yarn.

I have no idea what's in the water in Germany. But between "KnitBox" and "Wollmeise", I'd have to say the most vibrant yarns I've ever seen in person have come from German Dyers.

Wouldn't you agree?

And I have to say, my camera is no where near being a great camera. So these pics barely do justice to this fabulous yarn. And the brilliance and vibrancy of the colors.

First chance you get go and check out KnitBox.

Believe me it will be worth the trip. Just don't blame me if you actually buy something. That's all on you!

Will the yarny goodness ever end? I certainly hope not!

I also got copies of the pics that my friend S. took yesterday. She got a great pic of the cake. And luckily got not one pic of me crying. But she did get a great group shot. I think a few people were missing from the photo though. I'm not sure, there was so much going on, and I was so emotional. I'm not sure who all was there.

2008-09-29T14:58:00.003-04:00

I got eggs.

2008-09-29T08:37:00.006-04:00

I HAVE THE BEST FRIENDS EVER!

If there was ever any question about that, it was solidified yesterday. My friends are so much better than I deserve.

Yesterday, they took me to Threadbear in Lansing to take classes on sock knitting with none other than Cookie A.. That's right Cookie A., of the famed "Monkey", "Pomotomus" socks on Knitty.com and many others. As if knitting her would not have been awesome enough, she was kind enough to pose for pictures with us.

Here are S. and i posing with her.

I was able to take a picture of her at a calmer point in the day.

Here's a pic of my sock from the toe up with a gusset class. I loved this technique. Cookie is a genius.

I caught A. working on her sock. She was a little chilly that's why she had her hood up.

I was trying to take a picture of Amy and I with my camera. But I failed. And lastly, I caught M. deep into her sock knitting. I think we all learned allot, and had a very good time.

After class I went off to do some shopping. While without my knowledge the birthday surprises were being set up. I was under the impression that the classes were my present. Boy was I wrong. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me, so I don't have any pictures. I'm waiting for my friends to send me the pictures they took.

It started with a cute card signed by all the girls who were there. And then came one of the big surprises; a gift certificate to Threadbear. For much more than I'm worth, I might add. My friends are the greatest. Even though they made me cry. (Which I'm not at all happy about, and have vowed to make them pay for. lol) And then there was the cake. They had it specially made for me out of my favorite desert, "Tiramisu". I couldn't believe it. I love Tiramisu! It had a huge yarn ball on it with a sock and knitting needles. And boy oh boy was it good. afterwards we drove back towards home and had dinner at a diner style restaurant called Cheesebuger, Cheeseburger, and it was definitely the perfect ending to a wonderful day.

What a great day my friends set up for me. I can only imagine how much work it took to pull it all off. So if I didn't say it before, or didn't say it enough, I'll say it now and again, "I HAVE THE BEST FRIENDS IN THE WORLD! AND I TRULY DON'T DESERVE THEM!" But I am so glad I have them.

Love you guys so much! Thanks for making my birthday great, and my life better with you all in it.

2008-09-27T15:12:00.005-04:00

FINALLY A FO

I'm really starting to feel like an utter and complete knitting failure. I have not had a FO since this one! That's right my friends I have not finished a project since March of this year. That would not be bad if the projects I was working on were very difficult or time consuming, but that has not been the case. The problem is, I just haven't been able to stop casting on new projects. So to that end, I decided I would not allow myself to cast on another new project until I finished an existing UFO. Which was very hard to stick to considering all the yarn I have acquired over the last couple of months. But I'm so glad to say, "I did it!" I actually finished a UFO.

I present, my first FO in almost six months.

I cast on these Nanner socks for my sister back in June. And were put down after completion of the first sock, for no other reason than to cast on some new project that had caught my eye. It's really a shame too. The pattern was very easy to memorize, and produces a lacey pattern that I absolutely love. Thank You Miss Wendy, of Wendy Knits! You Rock!!! And so do your socks!

Once I picked the socks back up, it only took me about two or three days to finish them. I'm such an idiot sometimes. These could have been done months ago.

Pattern: Nanner Socks, by Wendy of Wendy Knits

Yarn: Socks That Rock lightweight, FOO FOO colorway (discontinued)

Needles: Knitpicks fixed circulars, size #1

As a reward for finishing an old UFO. And thanks to the combination of a Plurk by my good friend M. (aka BelovedOne), and the purchase of a gorgeous cashmere blend laceweight. I cast on the "Wisp" scarf from Knitty Summer 2007. And I'm in heaven. At least for the moment.

The yarn bowl was a purchase I made a few days ago, after reading about them on a friends blog. Unfortunately I can't remember who's blog it was. Thank you, Knit Witch. She has some gorgeous Yarn Bowls available. And her turn-around from order to my door was less than three days. I suggest you run out and get one first chance you get.

Now back to knitting. Have a great weekend! I'll have loads to blog about on Monday. Sunday is going to be a really big day.

2008-09-22T17:16:00.003-04:00

AND THE PRESENTS KEEP COMING!!!

This is some gorgeous lace weight, 100% Bamboo fiber. I ordered from Patternworks.

I ordered this skein from the Loopy Ewe, which is the only place I've seen it available. That's right folks, The infamous "Heritage" - Cascade Yarn's Hand Painted Sock Yarn. The colors I chose are fairly muted, but I love them and can't wait to knit it up. It's so soft and smooshy against the skin.

2008-09-21T11:21:00.007-04:00

BIRTHDAY S E X!!!

I know... but I couldn't resist the inference.

My birthday brought with it lots of stash enhancement. Locally and internet purchased. I love having an excuse to buy things I've been wanting, but would not have bought otherwise. So here's my Birthday SEX.

First is a book I've been eyeing for a long time. I had a bit of a hard time deciding to get this book. But I figured it was now or never, so I bought it.
I can't even find the link to these books anymore.

Then there was all the yarn. I know some of my color choices will have my friends thinking WTF! I'll just say, "no, I have not lost my mind!" I will say that I have gone lace crazy, though. Which is insane since I've only completed one lace project, "Charlotte's Web", and it's not even done in lace weight yarn. I just couldn't seem to resist all the beautiful lace.

I've also gone on a mission to attain some luxury yarns. So far not as much has been accumulated as I would like. But thanks to Sarah's Yarns, The Loopy Ewe and Knit Around (in Ann Arbor), I can say I have some luxury in my stash.

So without further ado: I present my birthday S-E-X!

I think these are going to make several really cute cowls or hats. Not sure yet which. With this yarn I hope to definitely make a warm and cuddly scarf for myself. The natural colored tie-dye is going to make a perfect cowl for either my aunt or my sister. This silk/wool blend should be perfect for a mom project, just not sure what that is yet. This beautiful cashmere is going to make the most airy "Feather and Fan" scarf. This yarn was ordered and purchased specifically for one of my knit friends birthday. Green one of her favorite colors. I hope she likes it. I'll need to go on a hunt for the perfect one-skein patterns for these gorgeous yarns. Not sure if these will be sweaters, shawls or wraps. I'll have to do a few swatches to see if anything comes to me. This yarn is definitely destined to be something for my sister. She loves gold. And is one of my few family members that I think would actually greatly appreciated a knitted gift. What to make with navy blue lace? I don't know either, but I couldn't resist adding it to my stash. This cone, and this cone of lace weight will have to become shawls. I'll be doing a serious search on Ravelry to find just the right patterns. I'm thinking I need to pick up some beads to match also.

These two lace weights will also be in line for a couple of great shawls. Or maybe presents for some friends interested in knitting lace. The main reason I bought this yarn was because of it's earth friendliness. Processed and dyed as eco-friendly yarn.

That's it, or should I say that's enough.

Happy knitting to us all.

2008-09-20T08:06:00.002-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

Up and ready to make this day great!

I posted my first actual 365 pic on my other blog. It's really cute. Check it out.

See you guys later.

2008-09-18T16:45:00.001-04:00

IT'S TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY...ARRRRGGGG!!!

My pirate name is:

Mad Dog Bonney

Part crazy, part mangy, all rabid, you're the pirate all the others fear might just snap soon. You can be a little bit unpredictable, but a pirate's life is far from full of certainties, so that fits in pretty well. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

2008-09-18T16:45:00.000-04:00

I LOVE TAKING THESE LITTLE TESTS!!!

You are The Empress

Beauty, happiness, pleasure, success, luxury, dissipation.

The Empress is associated with Venus, the feminine planet, so it represents,
beauty, charm, pleasure, luxury, and delight. You may be good at home
decorating, art or anything to do with making things beautiful.

The Empress is a creator, be it creation of life, of romance, of art or business. While the Magician is the primal spark, the idea made real, and the High Priestess is the one who gives the idea a form, the Empress is the womb where it gestates and grows till it is ready to be born. This is why her symbol is Venus, goddess of beautiful things as well as love. Even so, the Empress is more Demeter, goddess of abundance, then sensual Venus. She is the giver of Earthly gifts, yet at the same time, she can, in anger withhold, as Demeter did when her daughter, Persephone, was kidnapped. In fury and grief, she kept the Earth barren till her child was returned to her.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

2008-09-16T15:08:00.003-04:00

Glorious Goodies Have Arrived

I had intended to rant about the joke that is my job. But I decided it would be more interesting to all those concerned to talk about all the goodies that I received over the last few days. And boy oh boy have I had fun fondling and playing.

First is my "Loopy Ewe Sock Club" package. Would you believe it, a "Cookie A" pattern and soft and squishy yarn from "Snitches". The sock pattern is as fabulous as all of her other beautiful patterns. And the yarn, a club exclusive (I think) called "Muddy Waters". It's a cool shade of blue with small portions in a beige colorway.

Thanks to one of the fabulous ladies I knit with on Tuesdays I checked out, and purchased two skeins of yarn from "Angora Valley Yarns". Both skeins are from the "Nymph" collection. One is white to blue, the other is white to gray. Both are absolutely gorgeous.

As ridiculous as it may sound, every year for my birthday I make several "just because I want it" purchases. This year I chose an iPod Touch. The main reason this is a ridiculous purchase is that I already have a perfectly good 5 th Generation 80 gb iPod Classic. But what can I say, I wanted one so I bought myself one. And I have to say, I'm glad I did. I love it.

I love being able to get on the internet. It's great having a larger screen to watch movies or music videos on. And also there are some really cool games available for it. I love my gadgets!

I wanted several doggie bags for my walks with Harley. This one I found on etsy. Fashion Victim has some great things available.

And I also purchased another "Gabrielle Lace Keeper" from "Julip Bags". I have several lace UFO's, and tons more that I want to knit. So I figured what the heck, buy another bag. And I did! And as is always the case with Amby's workmanship, the bag is perfect.

* * * * * * * * * SPOILER * * * ALERT * * * * * * * * *

And now, for the shipment I've been waiting impatiently for for almost three weeks.

My "Wollmeise Sock Club" package arrived yesterday. But since it has to be signed for, I had to wait until I got off work today and went to the post office, to actually get my hands on it.

And as has been the case with the wonderful "Claudia", the yarns are glorious.

The extras are fabulous also. They included a gorgeous sock pattern, a ruler, and a set of beautiful wood dpns.

Without further ado. I present, unfortunately, some not so great pictures. As has been stated by several other bloggers. Pictures just don't do this yarn justice. But I did the best I could with what I had.

Yeah for me! One of the skeins is purple! I love PURPLE!!!

Not so yeah for me. The other skein is green. I hate GREEN!!!

But no matter what, I have to say a hearty thanks to "Miss Claudia" of "Wollmeise"! You are my hero!!!

More to come later. I hope!

Happy knitting!!!

2008-09-14T07:00:00.005-04:00

AN UPDATE ON ME...

This last week has been very stressful at work. The decision came down that we will be starting the new work schedule (10 hours a day/4 days a week) tomorrow. Personally, I'm not that upset about the schedule. I'm afraid of what it means for our future. Our production schedule is very low, and has no prospect of rising before the end of the year. Not good, not good at all!

The stress of it all has finally gotten to me. My pressure has been way to high for several days. I tried to ignore it hoping it would go back down (I KNOW, I KNOW). But my head was hurting so bad yesterday that I finally broke down and went to the emergency room. Luckily for me I have a great neighbor who took me. I don't think there is any way I would have been able to drive myself. I can't believe he waited for me the whole time I was there. What a blessing he has always been to me. (I've known his family my whole life. They've lived next door since my parents bought this house the year I was born).

After a few hours in that cold cubby, on that freezing cold bed, dozing of and on, and getting poked every few minutes. They released me with a new med to force my pressure down. And instructions to see my regular doctor as soon as possible. Which is exactly why I hate going to emergency for my blood pressure. There is hardly ever anything they can really do for me. Especially if there doesn't appear to be anything seriously wrong.

Enough about that. It's going to be all good!

My little boy turned 5 months old on the 12th. It's still amazing to me how much he has changed and grown.

This is Harley less than a week after I got him, about 8 weeks old. He was soo little and tiny and cute!

And this is Harley on his 5 month birthday. His face has filled out alot. And he has almost tripled in sized. The breeder's original weight estimation was way off. He past that assumption over a month ago.

But he will always be my sweet little boy. No matter how big he gets.

Happy Birthday Harley!!!

I've got less than a week before I turn 40. And believe it or not, even with everything I've been dealing with, I'm still very excited! I've had to change my birthday plans several times. And now I'll be playing it by ear, because of the new work schedule. But I am still hoping to make it to Chicago for a museum excursion. I won't be able to plan anything definite until work is more stable. Or at least until I know what my off days are going to be.

Don't forget to check out my photo blog, "365 Days Being 40". I think it's going to be a fun project. I can't wait to see what others think of it as it progresses.

Happy Knitting!

2008-09-11T18:37:00.003-04:00

I'VE FALLEN IN LOVE

With these Flash Mob videos, that is. My love affair began when I found the "Frozen Grand Central", and has culminated in my latest obsession, "Look Up More"!

These groups have found a great way to make a statement. Some are silly, and some are totally poignant. I hope I have inspired a love affair in more people.

Check them out, when you can.

LOOK UP MORE (extended version)

2008-09-11T18:28:00.003-04:00

New Harley Video

I posted a new video of Harley. Check it out! His cute is really showing in this one.

Tug of War

2008-09-09T04:22:00.004-04:00

YARNY GOODNESS

Sunday I took a drive out to a local LYS I had been avoiding. And this is exactly why I had been avoiding it. My total purchases exceeded $200.00, and my credit card is still screaming "UNCLE!"

This is probably my new favorite yarn. It's a hand-dyed silk/merino in a gorgeous Burnt Orange color. (Sorry my camera, and photography skills suck) This picture does not even come close to doing it justice to this yarn. And with over 1200 yards of yarn, I'm now on the hunt for the perfect sweater pattern. Something that will do this yarn justice.

The color of this yarn was very deceiving. In the skein it was primarily blue with just a splash of red. I can't wait to see where the color hit when it's knit up.

I'm not sure why I was drawn to this yarn. I have so much yarn in this color already. But it just kept calling to me, "Please, take me home!"

My friends would be so proud of me. I actually purchased a yarn that has green in it. Granted it's not much green, but there is green just the same. And I love it.

I also got a great new bag from the fabulous A. of Julip Bags. She has a great talent at making the perfect bag for specific project. This is the gorgeous lace bag I bought last week. I love the holes on each side. The needles thread through easily and keep me from snagging my yarn when I pull the project out of the bag. Which I have done alot. Thanks Miss A., for another absolutely perfect knitting bag.

I got a couple of really cute pics of Harley hovering over the yarn while I was trying to take pics. You can see them on his blog. He is such a little scamp.

Happy Knitting!!!

2008-09-03T13:08:00.001-04:00

New T-shirt

2008-09-01T06:48:00.000-04:00

HAPPY LABOR DAY!!!

I hope everyone has a great, productive, fun, exciting day!

2008-08-31T06:33:00.004-04:00

DRIVE BY POST

I had this drawing done yesterday by an artist at Arts, Eats and Beats. I love how he rendered my cheeks, nose and chin. He was very entertaining too. He kept me laughing the whole time he was drawing my portrait.

Sarah, Beth, Jean and I had a pretty good time, until it got too hot. I don't handle direct sun with no breeze too well.

Can't wait to do it again next year. Maybe with an earlier start though.

2008-08-30T09:02:00.005-04:00

EXACTLY 3 WEEKS AND COUNTING!

My excitement is growing each day with the counts down to the big 40. You all will have to forgive me. I'll probably be doing A LOT of blogging about it. I'm just too excited not to want to talk about it!!!

Over the last few weeks I've had lots of ideas on how I want to spend the big day/weekend/week. And I've also had a lot of ideas on how I want to mark it here in blogland. Right now, my priority is a 365 day photo project to mark my 40th year. The idea is not original, although I can't for the life of me remember where I first heard about it. And I know there are also identical, and very similar projects (click on the word "projects", this is my favorite so far) going on Flickr. I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with posting mine in such a public forum. And since this project will probably have nothing or very little to do with knitting I'm going to create a separate blog specifically for this purpose. If you'd like to follow along on my progress, and help keep me honest in this endeavor, come on over and check it out.

I hope to see you there.

Have a great weekend, and a fun and eventful Labor Day Weekend!

S.

2008-08-29T23:25:00.002-04:00

THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS!

In three weeks I will be 40 yrs old. And I can't wait. I've been looking forward to this for a very long time.

Unfortunately what I had originally had planned for the big year got side-lined by the work issues earlier this year. So, I've had to make a lot of adjustments.

First, I started the celebration of this year by buying a new, much needed car.

(Sorry about the photo, it was taken on my cell) Isn't she cute? The blue is almost purple, and I love it. It reminds me of a matchbox car.

Then, I decided at the last minute to make a major change in my appearance. I got my hair cut. My dad is going to kill me, but I don't care. I really like it.

Next up is a new tattoo. I have two already, but I have been wanting an anklet tattoo for as long as I can remember. But something always came up to stop me from getting one. Now I just have to decide what to get. I'm torn between a rose on the side with a vine around the ankle. Or a chain link with a heart charm on the side. I'll have to make a decision soon.

I have made a few purchases too.

Namaste bags from Have you any Wool and Loopy Ewe.

Some Lorna's Laces for a shawl.

And a new cell phone.

Not sure what I'll be doing next. But I'll try to post it whatever it is.

2008-08-25T04:00:00.004-04:00

SUNDAY PICNIC

Yesterday afternoon my parents and I went over to my granddads for a family picnic. My aunt always goes all out at these things, no matter how large or small.

As always, it great to see my granddad. At 80 yrs old, he's still more vibrant than most people half his age. I can only hope I live that long and look this good.

Here's my family. Mom, me, granddad and dad. Aren't we too cute?

We had a really good time.

2008-08-24T04:54:00.003-04:00

DRIVE BY POST:

This weekend has been filled with up and downs and way to many knitting starts and stops.

I'll start with an up. I found an old friend from high school on-line a couple of weeks ago. Actually he was a boy who was a good friend. I haven't seen him in over fifteen years. So needless to say, connecting with him again after so long has been fun. We spent hours on the phone the last couple of days catching up and reminiscing.

A major downer happened yesterday. I went out with my parents car shopping. Actually I thought I was going to purchase the "Saturn Astra" I want. As if things haven't been bad enough lately, the price for this car is too high for me now that my wages are so low. Sucks so bad, I really wanted that car. I'm going to have to re-direct my thinking and try to find something more within my budget. Right now I'm leaning heavily towards a cute little matchbox car: Chevrolet Aveo.

I've also cast on two more new projects. Which is ridiculous considering the number of UFO's I already have. I cast on another "Perriwinkle Turtleneck Vest" from Fitted Knits (in purple of course), and a moebius from "A Treasury of Magical Knitting". I think the moebius is going to the frog pond though. Not really happy with my yarn choice. I think I'm leaning more towards Cat Bordhi's more lacy design.

Hopefully things will get better, or at least more stable soon.

2008-08-21T18:19:00.007-04:00

Hello Blogland, It's Me Shorty

It's been almost two weeks since my last actual post, though I did upload a few videos, and I only have a little bit to share. Tsk, Tsk, Tsk!

Well, my parents, Harley and I planned to go WI to visit my sister and her family Sunday the 10th. And to all our surprise at the last minute my aunt and cousin decided to go with us. It was a very pleasant surprise to say the least. Unfortunately the trip started out kind of sucky. Due to construction on I94, we got stuck in Indiana for over two hours. But we arrived safe and sound. Tired, but safe and sound.

Monday morning the girls decided to take a drive down to Lake Michigan. Here's me, my sister and my mom on the rocks overlooking the water.

The next day we drove over to "The House on the Rock". Unfortunately, dunce that I am, I forgot to grab extra batteries for my camera so I only got a couple of pics. I tried to take a few with my camera, but they didn't come out to great.

If you ever get a chance to get there, it's an attraction I highly recommend. The house itself is a fascinating must see. But when you add on the Infinity Room, and the warehouses full of all different kinds of collections, you will be in awe.

This is the Japanese garden outside the entrance to the house.

These are the few viewable pics of the carved ivory tusks, one of the many miniature dolls houses, a "Old School Pimp-mobile" (with a heart shaped tub in the back), and his collection of department store "Holiday Teddy Bears".

I wish I could have shown you more. But I hope these will at least inspire you to go and check out the web-site. And maybe go see for yourself one day. Believe me, it's worth the trip!

I'm off to take Harley for a walk, so I'll leave you with some cuteness.

Harley and D 2

2008-08-21T18:17:00.001-04:00

Here's another vid of D. and Harley playing.

Enjoy!

Harley and D.

2008-08-21T18:16:00.001-04:00

Here is a video I took last week while visiting my sister and her family. My youngest nephew, D., had a great time playing with Harley. He had him running full speed through the house.

Forgive all the talking and goofy laughing. We couldn't help ourselves, and I don't know how to edit it out.

Enjoy!

Dairy Queen Fudge Brownie Temptation 2008 Commercial

2008-08-15T23:46:00.001-04:00

Here is the commercial I was complaining about a few months ago. Is it just me, or is this video sending a terrible message to young girls?

2008-08-08T23:32:00.002-04:00

NOT A MOMENT TOO SOON!

Today was my last day at work for over a week. And it could not have come to soon for me. This week at work has been horrible. And I'm glad it's over and I'll get a little break.

Tomorrow I'll be taking Harley to the groomers to get him all pretty for our trip to my sisters. My parents are going to be busy with friends, so I'll have plenty of time to pack and get myself ready for the trip.

I plan on taking lots of pics, and doing as much knitting as is possible. So I'll have plenty to share.

2008-08-05T04:50:00.006-04:00

HARLEY VIDEOS AND SHE'S COMING FOR A VISIT

I tried to share these over the weekend, but I most have done something wrong. So here is my second attempt at sharing the exploits of my little guy.

In this video, I finally caught Harley running through the house at full speed, sort of. Of course as soon as I got the camera out he stopped. That's why it's such a short video.

Here's a video of Harley that I took to show how long it takes him to fall asleep. It's so funny watching him twist and fidget and blink until he finally falls asleep.

Mom and dad get here tomorrow morning. And I've been working my butt off to get myself and the house ready for their visit. Not that it's going to matter to my mom. Nothing I do is ever good enough for my mom. But I continue to try.

Short-N-Crafty Sista

2008-07-28T15:59:00.001-04:00

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TACKY T-SHIRT CONTINUE!

2008-07-26T14:00:00.001-04:00

Too funny not to share! Actually worn by a co-worker.

NEW TACKY T-SHIRT!!!

2008-07-23T13:09:00.000-04:00

I know I haven't had a new shirt in quite some time. And this one comes care of a co-worker. When I saw it I had to share it.

Enjoy!

2008-07-21T20:58:00.001-04:00

HE DID IT!

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I'm so proud!!!

2008-07-18T12:59:00.004-04:00

AND THE WINNER IS...

Me!

My 6 skeins of Wollmeise came in today. That's right I said six skeins. I went a little crazy on Wollmeise's update on the fourth of July.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get a good picture. I don't have the best camera, and the lighting sucked this morning.

If you were wondering why there are only 5 skeins in the picture, it's because one skein was purchased for a good friends birthday coming up. And as soon as I picked them up I called her and drove out to drop it off. She loved it.

Now I'm just waiting for the other two skeins I ordered to come in.

DAY 2 WEEK OF JULY 14TH

2008-07-15T09:19:00.001-04:00

Two days of 30 minutes + morning walks. One vet visit, including a shot. 1 hour of play time. And now it's sleepy land or bust. I love watching Harley sleep. He looks so cute.

We have also gone two days with no accidents in the house. I think I must be doing a much better job. I can only hope I don't slip up. Wish me luck.

Have a great Tuesday.

2008-07-14T08:01:00.002-04:00

WALKING ON THE WILD SIDE

Well, not really. Harley and I took a walk this morning that actually lasted almost half an hour. I know that doesn't sound like much. But for a couch potato like me, that's a huge accomplishment. I'm so proud of both of us. I just wish there was a way for me to have gotten it on film so I could share it with anyone who was interested.

Off to eat breakfast, shower and get ready for a puppy shopping trip. I'm still trying to find a good, safe, comfortable, and fashionable harness for the little guy. Wish me luck!

Have a great day.

2008-07-11T10:43:00.005-04:00

WHO'S THE BOSS?

I honestly don't know. Isn't that a said thing to admit? I've been working with Harley for over two weeks, and he still refuses to come when I call. He runs just outside my reach when I try to pick him up. And he is having accidents minutes after we come back in from our walks (where he does go potty). I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. I've followed the instructions I was given by my puppy training teacher. And it just doesn't seem to be working for me.

Yesterday Harley gave me a scare, and everyone in the vet office a laugh. Actually they were laughing at me. Harley was doing his usual bump and grind with the blue bear and suddenly he yelped. I ran over to him and to my surprise there was something protruding from his privates. As I had no idea what it was, I freaked, grabbed him up, hopped in my car and drove to the vet. By the time we got there, what ever it was has withdrawn. Luckily for me a very nice vet happened to be walking through the waiting area. And as is always the case with Harley she stopped to pet and admire him. I told her what I saw and she, with the slightest of giggles informed me that what I saw was his private part. She said he probably got himself so excited that he got stuck. I told her I had no idea his private extended and withdrew with his excitement level. She said that's exactly how it worked. To which I replied, "I not had any boys in my house in a long time, so I had no idea!" Needless to say I was so embarrassed. But the family at the counter got a good laugh. So home we went. And I immediately took away anything I had ever seen him having fun with, for fear of a re-occurrence.

Afterwards I felt like such a smuck. But I got myself together, packed up some knitting and headed out to S n B with the girls. Where I re-told the story at least twice.

Yesterday I finished my first "Nanner" sock,by the lovely Wendy of Wendy Knits made available for her friends in the Plurk community. For those who don't know, Plurk is an on-line social networking community.
I must say, I love Plurk. It's a total time drain, but I love it. It has allows me to learn more people I only knew from their blogs. And it gives me an outlet for when I don't have a full blog post.

This morning I decided to start a pair of socks using one of the sock blanks from Knit Picks I dyed last week with Miss J..
I think Harley was drawn to the smell of Kool Aid.
I had read a lot of conflicting opinions of the blanks, but decided to give them a chance. I have to say, I like them so far. Dying them was a lot of fun, and the kinks have not caused any issues for me, yet. First chance I get, I've got to get more and dye them up as gifts for friends.

I hope you all have a nice weekend. I'm off to do some more knitting.

Harley's Playtime

2008-07-10T10:12:00.001-04:00

Harley went into full fledged play mode the other day. Luckily I was able to get my hands on my camera and record it. As you can see, he is attacking one of his favorite toys, which he does alot. We went back and forth with it. And I kept tossing it back into his bed, but he kept pulling it out and attacking it. Ten minutes after this video he was fast asleep next to me.

Forgive the back round noise. I was watching The Cosby Show.

Viva Chihuahuas!

2008-07-08T13:36:00.001-04:00

I think Harley will really like this movie.

2008-07-06T21:10:00.003-04:00

WHAT A GREAT DAY TO DYE...

Today was my first attempt at dyeing. A week ago I purchased several sock blanks from Knit Picks and have been dying to dye them. When I mentioned it on my blog my friend Jae kindly offered to help me with my first attempt at hand dyeing. I knew I didn't want to use acid dyes. I was more interested in trying my hand at Kool Aide dyeing. And she had most of what I would have needed to try my hand at it. What a friend! So off I went to her house this morning for my first attempt at hand dyeing sock blanks.

When I got there we set up and jumped in almost right away. What fun it was to have someone to help talk me through it. It was a lot easier than I thought. But having someone there who knew what they are doing, made me much more comfortable.

The set-up appeared very simply. Put down plastic to protect your surfaces, wet blank, put Kool Aide in containers and get ready to dye your blank.

I decided to do a very simply stripe for my first attempt. I used grape, cherry, and lemon/lime. Before anyone I know has a heart attack, I knew lemon lime would be green, but I thought I was just going to use it for really small stripes. It didn't quite turn out that way, but I still love it.

Not to bad for my first attempt. At least I think it's not so bad. Sorry for the pics. I'm not a photographer, but any stretch of the imagination. So this is the best I could do.

Jae decided to "tie dye" the skein I gave her. And it came out fabulous. I can't wait to see what it looks like knit up.

I think I'm going to have to try this technique myself.

So after several hours we ended up with four hand dyed sock blanks. And the memory of a very fun day with a good friend.

More photo in my Flickr.

It Really Is Summertime

2008-07-04T07:40:00.001-04:00

A little old school for the 4th!

Enjoy!

Shorty

2008-07-04T07:05:00.000-04:00

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!

I hope everyone has a fun and safe day!

Harley's Version of Fetch

2008-07-03T08:51:00.001-04:00

Harley's idea of fetch is not what you would expect. But he's so cute, I can't bring myself to tell him he's not playing it right.

2008-07-02T18:47:00.001-04:00

COULDN'T RESIST SHARING

see more dog pictures