Almost ready...

So the bad news is, no one turned in the blankie. I'm more upset than my son, which is good news. Although he tells me he misses his yarn blankie.


Finished, clogs for EB. Kind of a fuzzy picture. Herm.


Anyway, felting in the new Woolite bag was delightful. No trying to keep the pillowcase shut. Fuzzballs contained inside. Super!

Rabbit done for AW. Now just to mail. Sadly not in time for Christmas, but pretty close. I hope to make more, they're awfully fun to make. I hope to make one for JB and a co-worker. Although I'm not sure if I'll have time to complete one for the co-worker.

Christmas present done for J. He even said I could actually embroider the face on it. I had to resew a leg on since he got excited and pulled it off a few weeks ago.


Christmas present done for C. Three of them. Have I ever mentioned how I'm not fond of sewing? I'd enjoy knitting a lot more if I enjoyed sewing more. But necessary evil. Turned out pretty cute. The pink, white, purple and gray yarn is all handspun. That was fun to spin and knit.

I wish I could think of more things to do with my handspun.

Happy Holidays!

No knitting for you!

At last we met I had a bunch of doors, stairs and windows primed.

Since then I have primed the house. Much more fun than sanding. Much more fun than priming doors and windows.

Who knew it took so long. So I finished last weekend sanding the primer. Not going to sand doors and windows. Lazy. A little scared. Really, just running out of time. Santa hasn't even wrapped any presents yet. How is it that I always seem to go over board with holidays and parties?

Last weekend I finished painting the outside. Took me until midnight to get the right blue. Gray blue has quite a bit of red in it. Who knew? After mixing up almost 2 cups of paint I finally figured it out. I was happy. a tad darker than I envisioned but, works well.

D suggested why don't I just leave it primed and let C pick out the colors. Well, that wouldn't work then would it? Santa's elves do a half assed job? Seems sort of not right. Or maybe this is really my dollhouse. Nah. It's easier this way...

So by the time the weekend was over, I had this. One painted kitchen, all ceilings, and a boy's bedroom. Super. Now just to do the other 4 rooms, the floors, and windows/doors/stairs.

I'm going to be busy this weekend.

I also...totally spaced the KPH at my house. SO embarassed.


At least Imbrium called. o_O

Life Is A Pain

...but I won't get into that and this will be short, but my advice is that getting married is worthless if you end up getting divorced. Why oh why won't this divorce ever end?


On my wheel...a little slow in the works. The dye sometimes gets on your hands. Not exactly sure what to do about that. I've never experienced that before. I am still enjoying the wheel spinning though. Just as much as I thought I would.


However, convincing some small boy that a spinning wheel is not the niftiest device to spin and use is a bit difficult. After all, mama does it, so how come I can't? I'm just as good at making it go fast as she is.


I want a new digital camera, any suggestions? I have an old Sony that has 3.2 megapixels, which may be a lot to some, but makes a fuzzy close up spinning pictures.


In the works...Christmas presents for the kids. This will be a dinosaur, and mice, and if I'm really awesome I'll squeeze out a pair of felted clogs and a pair of socks. Not sure if that's going to happen.


I got to go to a KPH that Nachaele organizes last Saturday which was cool. I think it's good for my well being right now to meet new people. This sort of odd funk is/has been making me an awfully odd duck to be around at work. I'm not sure what people think of me anymore.


Anyway, I got to sew up a few of the mice, which was super because I hate sewing, unless it's with a machine. This is the reason I make small things...like for children. I have yet to make anything for myself and I've knitted for about 6 years or so. Imbrium thinks I should change that.

And looky what I found...heck yes! In town even. I got the last two skeins, eat your hearts out! Although, as I drove to the LYS I thought to myself, I should have called first, just in case, but I lucked out. Apparently they will be receiving more. I may have to acquire more, although what I will do with this yean, I have no idea. They're only ordering the rainbow colorway which is somewhat of a bummer, but I saw the swatches of the others and there wasn't much colorways on them, but still it would be fun. They do have some solid fingering weight yarns in solid and semi-solid colors, so maybe I can figure out something with that.


However, I just got onto Ravelry, although when I will have time to take pictures of my yarn stash, myself, my FOs, my WIPs...etc I have no idea. This will also involve me trying to recall my password to Flickr...yeaah...



So, besides the stress with the X, which believe me is taking up way more time that I prefer it to, not to mention asking for lots of patience and understanding from my work, is this...



To be honest, I haven't even taken the progress Santa I did last weekend, and this is just the primer. I found furniture, but then I took it all back. I hope she likes this. I really really hope she likes this. I found a doll family...wooden and ethnic. Kind of cute.


Thus far, I have the whole house, windows, door, stairs, the big doors to shut the back of the house (from little brother) and the back part of the shutters. This weekend I have to find the furniture I think will fit. I started looking at the calendar and realized how bad of an idea it would be to leave it until I have a free weekend again, which will be the 2nd week in December. Wish me luck!

Snow...is still the topic of the day

Ah...


Thursday was a snow day. I haven't had a snow day since I was in high school. Something about 2+ feet of snow and the city was shut down. I still could have made it into the office. The plus and minus of living about 2 minutes from work. However, I must admit I was happy to have a snow day, even though I didn't have anyone else in my home since the kids were visiting others. What other better thing to do when there is a ton of snow outside? Knitting of course!


I finally finished the set of slippers for my daughter...these shrunk up quick too...I'm glad I checked them after 5 minutes. I also worked on the black and orange scarf. I didn't actually finish that until 12/23. But the recipient greeted it with much enthusiam. And of course, in true fashion I forgot my camera and therefore I do not have a picture of the final product. He did say he'd stop by and I'll have to take pictures then.

The next day at work on 12/22, greeted us with open parking lots. There was so much snow off the top parking lot that you can't really tell that this picture to the left is a parking garage. You could just hop off the top and slide on down.


Lastly, I have made stich markers, 3 sets actually, this is only the blue set. I'm still organizing my mass chaos I call, beads, but it's working out. I received new organizing boxes for Christmas. Grand things I'm sure will occur.

Well, it started out as a good thought.

For those of you who read this blog...here's another picture of slippers. Same like the ones below, but a bigger size so hopefully this time I will not shrink them too much. I am curious as to who reads this blog. I know of perhaps 2 or 3.


Lately, I've been going through this lonely phase. Not sure what that is about...other than I feel sort of bored. I know I have tons of things to do...like the bottom sole of the slipper and the scarf to your right. I somehow keep finding new things to do though. I hate when I start to wander...things just end up piling up. And really, these two items need be done by the end of next week.


The scarf is for my friend. I think he'll like it. I've never knit anything for a man before...well my dad I did...but someone outside the family? I hope I get it done. I'm doing a lengthwise garter

stitch...it seemed like a good idea at first. I am finding that it is taking longer than I thought. Also I didn't plan out how I was going to sew in the ends very well because I wasn't going to put fringe on this. I will go on the theory no one will notice.




So, when I was in high school, I had a business making jewelry. When I moved out of my parent's house I boxed up all of my stuff which had been sitting for a long time gathering dust since my interest had waned due to college and thinking that drinking beer was more interesting. And as moving things...well...moves them, stuff got all jumbled up.

I spent last weekend sorting out seed beads...thousands of them...by color...it's a sickness I know :). It's good to know it'll be carried on by the next generation too...since my girl kept asking me, "Mama, can I sort some beads for you?"

So, then, as I nosed on the internet, I thought, "oh...stitch markers look nifty...I should make hundreds some."

Well, I learned a few things. 1) Just because a picture looks nifty does not make it easy. 2) Memory wire is evil. 3) Seed beeds are a pain in the ass. 4) I don't think my eyesight is what it used to be.

But in the end I created this...and it turned out okay. I don't know how many I will make one.

Mantra

knitting is relaxing...

knitting is relaxing...

So yesterday I got to catch up with some friends and we happily played cards until yawn 3 AM. Always seems like an awesome thing until I have to deal with that ball of fire in the sky the next day. Anywhoo...I then couldn't sleep after they left...so I watched some Star Trek: TNG and knitted. I finished my girl's first slipper. Hmm...my yarn senses are tingling...I think somethings missing...oh well...I'm sleepy.

Snore...Zzzz

The next morning came...I wander to go find out what time it is...pick up said slipper and stare at it and the pattern...something's wrong...keep in mind...I frogged it Thursday night because the toe was 2 stitches off...I was thinking about just keeping it that way and then my the need to frog overwhelmed me and I frogged off the toe and did it again...

I continue to stare and make the slipper nervous...I had finished the cuff and bound it off last night...

crap



The purls seem to have crawled *inside* the slipper. Rats. How'd that happen .

So...do I 1) frog, 2) felt it inside out, 3) felt it right side out and pick up on the side stitches when I combine the outer sole...

Did I say ?

Curse you perfectionism!

I've been busy

So, I've been pretty bad at updating my blog. There are reasons for this. They aren't great reasons, but they are "life" reasons.

1) I work a lot. My job seems to take up more of my precious knitting time.

2) I have these two smallish people who call me "mom" and follow me home...ALL the time! ;)

3) I've been dating a man on a regular basis. I guess you could say he's my boyfriend. Freaky huh? It amuses me to no end really. We dropped off my girl over at a birthday party in a part of town neither of us were familiar with. Would you believe he noticed the yarn store before I did and he pointed it out to me and encouraged me to go back and check it out. I like this guy.

So in the time I've been playing hooky. I've finished plying the wool I spun that I purchased in Estes Park. I can't wait until the fiber festival comes back next summer. I keep seeing all this lovely fluff online and I'm just trying to wait until summer. But I think it turned out pretty good.

So, there I was thinking that I was done for awhile spinning yarn because I needed to start on Christmas presents. Most importantly two pairs of slippers for my children and a scarf for my...ahem...boyfriend.

But then I was seduced by this gorgeous spindle Imbrium gave me. It spins amazingly smooth.

I've had to put it up on a shelf. Out of sight out of mind right?

But it spins so thinly...and fast...and and...

So then I started a slipper for my girl. It's with bulky Lamb's Pride and Malabrigo. I thought the kids needed matching slippers. My girl, "Is that for me?" Well, yes, do you like it? "Well you can give that to my brother because I want to have slippers made out of the yarn you're spinning for me." That's not going to be thick enough (see picture above). "Oh, well I guess that can be for me."

This coming from the girl who told me she likes green. Well, she is 7 and a girl...mind changes constantly. Santa is in for a big job.

This was the first project I ever felted. I prepared my washer, stuck the slippers in a pillowcase and started the machine. I checked it after about a minute and it seemed as though the process was starting. I was surprised at the amount of wool that had already come off in the pillowcase. I put them back in thinking to myself that if I watch it I'm going to go nuts. So, I went and sat down and watched TV for 5 minutes. I came back. And wah-la...slippers. The size...for my son. Rats. I tried fitting them on my sleeping girl to see if they would fit. Nope. Tried when she woke up this morning...nope. Rats. Back to the knitting needles to make a pair for my girl. At least I started with her in mind.