Taming the beast

I have walked past this monster almost daily. It's teeth glaring at me at different levels...sneering...so I attempted to feed it. That was about 4 months ago...it keeps looking at me...I walk past and it's eyes follow me...from one side of my studio to the other..inviting yet defying me. Can I tame this beast? Ok so I will try once more tonight and as I slowly sit to proceed, I get distracted by yet another old friend...Norman...hhhmmm Norman and I get along much better, there is no hassle with Norm...he's what we call "Easy" maybe I should just crank on him a time or two...get some yarn and take him for a spin...crank out a sock or two or maybe some mittens...leave the beast alone. I turn away once more from the darn knitting machine...will I ever make something on that creature? I started a sweater on it, months ago but for some reason it intimidates me....I want to work it and not make any mistakes, I want to turn out beautiful handmade creations...no fuss no muss....no errors. It's how I think I should learn to play an instrument. I for some unknown reason feel that I should sit at a piano and play concertos? Flawlessly with no lessons, nothing just inner skill...or something like that!! Tomorrow I will try to tame the beast again or at least for a few more rows!!

Back to the Grind

First day back to work, it was fun! I can't wait to go again tomorrow, I may even go to bed really early with expectations that when I wake up I can go to work...I lied!! I am working on these felt wool Snowmen, they are really cute. It's a no brainer project and not to stressful for my back. My son Mike, is on his way to New Orleans, by on his way I mean that...he got stuck in Memphis, the plane was overbooked and over weight, so he was bumped. Not such a bad deal figuring he got a free ticket to travel anywhere in the Country and Europe..providing they aren't overbooked and overweight? So he had to spend the night in Memphis and thought he was stuck till Tuesday. He called me with total disappointment in his voice. What's wrong? Every store in the airport is out of Elvis sunglasses!!! Are you serious? It's the only thing I wanted....(family favorite saying?) Well did you try Graceland? I didn't have time they are getting me on a flight to N.O. at 1:45pm. I didn't know you liked Elvis? I don't, I just wanted Sunglasses like his........Have a nice trip Mike!!!

It' over...all over!!!

Why is it that vacations and weekends fly by so fast and workweeks drag on forever? Why is it my list of things to do....did not get done? Partially some did, basically some didn't and the time ran out!!! 5:00 am it will be wake up and start another work week all over again. That is a depressing thought, but then again, it beats the alternative of not having a job? Another Christmas present is underway. I did get the previous white warp dyed, that is the warp to be used in a class on shadow weaving a scarf. I like the colors,but it took forever to rinse clean. I think I have had too much coffee? Check out the photo from my phone camera? Ha, it is so small and grainy...just not the quality that I am used to!!! I found a cool website called Story people, check it out...storypeople.com.

Guess who's back?

I am not a person to leave things behind or to lose things..it makes me nuts!! So leaving my knitting bag behind left me ....nuts!! Pam told me, her dear husband would bring it to the PO on Friday, but he in fact mailed it on Wed. I imagined the worst...my favorite camera..crushed under the tires of the Postmasters tires, hijacked by thugs stealing mail!!! My coveted light up knitting needles stabbing out of a tire somewhere between here and Beloit.... Lament no mo', it's back safely in my hands. I am so sorry I left you behind...I was worthless knowing part of me was hanging around somewhere I wasn't!!! I was forced to take this photo with my new camera phone which is another fiasco...that is how you spell that isn't it!! So I feel wonderful it is snowing here!!! I love the snow, and once again my feet are cold? I don't get it...could it be the house temp was 56' and that is Fahrenheit? Time to snuggle under a binky and stay warm. I did not get my loom warped, but I did get me house kind of cleaned..

Day three and I am lost

I did something totally stupid yesterday!! I left my knitting bag with camera at a friends house about 70 miles away!!! Actually I had my light up knitting needles in the bag and I think my "friend" Pam, hid my bag. I can hear the clicking of my needles from my living room. my ears are burning...click click click...How you ask could I forget my knitting bag? Well I drug along the crippler (Einstein jacket) and that took up a large Walmart bag, another goodie bag with ice cream and half and half for home made bread pudding and my spider web knitting bag. So we ate Pam's homemade breadpudding with caramel ice cream first and then homemade soup after. Drank lots of coffee and watched Charlie and the Chocolate factory and I finished the collar on Einstein. I also worked on the sleeves but I don't like the way they look on me. I have short arms and I look like a munchkin, so now I have one sleeve done( I will be ripping that out) and the other sleeve started. I may not put sleeves on it at all? Being that the jacket is oversized the sleeves end up needing only 20 some rows to be the length I need? Trust me it looks goofy. I may get more use out of it, as a vest? hhhhmmm so after Muscle Therepy, today I decided to let it sit and decide what to do with it. No photos so picture me, with a heating pad on my back and a cup of coffee and my feet elevated with a disgusted look on my face, and a heap of knitted Oatmeal Wool next to me, with needles sticking out of it all over. I have a camera phone but I'll be darned if I can figure out how to mail them to myself? Note to self-never leave your camera out of your sight!!!

Day one

Today is the first real day of vacation. I didn't get out of my jammies till 2:00pm, drank a pot of fresh ground coffee and did some sewing. I did some embroidering actually and finished some Christmas presents and screwed up some too!!! I am dying right now, against my better judgement in the kitchen on the stove? It is some warp for a class in January on Painting a Warp and then later Shadow weaving with the painted warp. Fiberwood Studio is sponsoring the class. We are using Tencel for the warp and the "hand" on tencel is fantastic. I am dying the samples, one will be skeined so they can see what it should look like and the other will be woven to show the finished product. I was going to do a "Fall" palette, but decided on a turquise/blue/green/fushia palette instead...those colors are magnets to almost everyone...who doesn't love purple? Now to watch the Packers play Monday night football!!! Go Pack Go!!!!

Naked Plumber

No photo neccesary...I love my bath..it is my mini vacation. I make a ritual out of it, hot, hot water, bubbles with patchouli, music and candles on special occassion. I also really like to drain the water out of the tub when I am done. Seems the pop up drain wasn't popping up...no matter how I tried. I got out of the tub, dried off and retrieved two screwdrivers because of course one would not do. I leaned over the tub, with the towel falling into the tub, and finally realized it would work better if I just went back into the tub to fix the drain. So I climbed into the tub and with two screwdrivers, I fixed the tub, the water drained out and I once again dried off and went on with my night. The next night, I pretty much did the same routine, ran the water and soaked off the day and went to drain the water and the weight of the water would not let the pop up drain come up? Ha this time the screwdrivers were right there...and I fixed it once again....I just ripped the guts out of it and let it hang there.....for now! I am on vacation I will fix it for good...I hope...soon ...or resort to shoving a wash cloth down the drain, or just leaving the screwdriver close at hand?

Inkle dinkle doo

This is the first official day of my vacation!!! I am doing exactly what I want to do...Play!! I love to play and always have. As a child I knew I had things I had to do like go to school, homework, but all the while I was thinking of what I would do when I could "play". Playing has been my whole life, it just dawned on me that I never was much of a planner, but that's not true. I have been planning "playing" since as long as I can remember. Oprah it's true!!! When you write things down you do have an "aha" moment!!! I have been a play planner since birth. So my play plans are not written in stone, I did mention structure is not one of my strong points, I can be very easily distracted. I do want to dress my large loom, and start cleaning my studio...Well maybe not "Clean" but straighten out is more like it. And my sewing room is a disaster, worse than my fridge...Yeah I know it's hard to believe. I wove this little band on the inkle loom at Fiber Fanatiks, I will be making little Indian girl dolls, I'll show you once I get one done...Don't wait it could be a while. I am sitting here with my coffee in hand and feet up...ahhhhh vacation wonderful vacation.

Two sticks and Skis?

Tonight was Fiber Fanatiks...and Skiers? Wait did someone overbook the same room? First we were there, and then some lady joins us, with.."Our meeting begins at 6? so? We are already here? Someone... forgot to put someone...obviously us, in the book. I guess it didn't look like we were going anywhere fast, so the skiers decided to share the room..good choice on their part. We obviously were having more fun than they were. We had a pretty good group and a good time was had by all!!! We even have a sock for Stephanie. And a Super Model....we never have any fun!!!

What a trip?

Just think of the damage we could do in yarn stores, if we drove this baby around. I stopped into Fiberwood Studio this afternoon after work and she is getting in some really beautiful yarns. I will be teaching a warp dying class to be used in a Shadow weave scarf class. So I picked up the tencel warp to dye a sample and Barb will weave the scarf. Tomorrow is Fiber Fanatiks, it is early this month because of Thanksgiving. It is snowing outside!!! I love snow, ideally we should have snow without the cold but it doesn't work that way!! I am looking for something that will give my hands a rest from knitting? Maybe Kumihimo...or Inkle weaving? hhhhmmmmm

Introducing....

I would like to introduce Billy button...I think that is his name? He was a Christmas gift to my SIL (Cheryl) from her boss or something at work. She hated it and I could see why so I told her to put it outside and maybe someone will steal it? So I did and sent her a ransom note for BB. Then I dressed him up and took photos of him all over and sent her notes. That was about two years ago and I would wait for her to forget about him. I was cleaning and guess who I found? You got it BB is back and you too can enjoy his travels. My arms hurt and I can't knit and I hate my Einstien Crippler jacket. I have enough coats to wear what do I need another one for? Stupid jacket...

Boogy men and Dust bunnies

First I must mention that I have a cat...he tends to hold things hostage if he just happens to see the bottom of his food bowl. He is smart enough that when I replenish his bowl he returns his stolen items. Enough said, I also mentioned that I was cleaning (and sucking on my inhaler in the process) I was moving stuff ....yes I even moved stuff, not everything and don't ask my how I selected what, but I did move some things. I bent down and looked under my pie safe and found this hairy thing looking back, now I realize I have major dust bunnies but this sucker was huge and had hair sticking out of it all over? Remember it was dark under there too!!! The most dangerous tool I have for cleaning in a house full of yarn and wool is my vacuum cleaner. You know exactly where this is going...especially when I put the hose tools on it....I have unwound more yarn than I can say and sucked up full batts of roving in one sweep...So I armed myself with the hose attachment (gun) and put it carefully into the dark cave where the boogy man was waiting for me to put my hand, but I outsmarted him and shoved the flat end of the attachment (gun) into the deep bowels of his cave, half closing my eyes, to avoid his rage (to see better). I got him yesiree....but not all in one swoop, I chose to unravel him and choke my weapon with his intestines all the way into the hose and almost down into the bagless canister. This photo is what is left of him minus a few feet and my vacuum is recouperating. Meanwhile the cat is snickering, while the dog and I obviously were entertaining him. (There is no bending over in my house without getting your face cleaned and tongued if you happen to open your mouth...as a matter of fact that is my excuse for not exercising...ha!!!!!

Moving along

I am down to the sleeves on Einstein...1 2/3 left to do not counting the collar. A little at a time...remember do not over do!!! Today was a wonderful, wonderful day, the weather was super, and what did I get to do today, you ask? Clean my room...just like when I was a kid. I even scrubbed the carpeting, maybe I'm sick again? First the fridge then my room...what next? My studio??? Say it isn't so!!! Tell me I won't have anymore junkalanches....tell me I won't have to move three things to get to one. ...Ok so I got the hint , I won't clean my Studio this week anyway!!

Happy Veterans Day

To all Veterans everywhere...Thank you!! Thank you for fighting for my freedom, Thank you for letting me have the right to protest, if I choose, to speak my mind, to my privacy. We are a lucky group and you are not given enough appreciation. Thank you for what you have done, for risking your life for me. thanks

Peace at last...this is the view from my throne. Some people have a three dog night I have a dog and cat night. The view from my throne is through the ears of two animals. Check out Tyra in the backround I have no idea what that was,but the animals don't even seem interested!! I have a sick dog today no thanks to some cheap bone I bought at the grocery store last night. She is better now though and all of my bedding is clean...another unwanted project. I dropped the stuff off at Katie Gingrass and got a sneak preview of some of the wearable art. You can't miss this show, it will be fantastic. I know two of the artist and I really love their art. As soon I get the announcements, I will put it on the blog. For now I am going to relax.....zzzzzzzzz ...after I put all the bedding on my bed!

Ready...Set...?

This is it it's now or never. I have my things packed up and ready to go off to the Gallery. I will take them there tomorrow after work. I took some photos, I really need a model head to put them on...you know the kind you see in famous magazines. I know just what I want a glossy page with the models head tipped just slightly showing off the hat more than her face, but the mystery of the model lurks in the photo....man I better lay off the coffee. Honest it's just coffee. So now I don't know what to do first. I need to wind warp for my loom and I plan on doing some yardage? Or maybe a wall hanging, they seem to be coming back into vogue these days. I am going to use the new method by the Singing Weaver of tying on the warp with shoelaces for fast warping? We'll see I have the loom all set I just need to figure out what to weave. Einstein is still looking at me from my throne.... One thing I do have to do is clean...I have been totally neglecting cleaning, it's so easy to do that. Well above is a photo of a hat called "Princess" It really looks good on, I am into making flowers now too. Why not, it's going to be winter here and we need all the color we can get.

Warning, I think something exploded in my kitchen (staging area for shows)!! I can't find my kitchen table...I can't find my sink. Forget cooking...forget cleaning...I am down to the wire...aaaacckkkk!!! Ok so I have everything labeled...all the felted purses packed in a tote. Glue is drying on some hats? I had to go buy another tote for the hats, I have eight of them, they are going to be a challenge to pack. On top of all of this I had to add more stress by getting a new phone...I can't hear it ring so if you call me don't expect me to answer, not that I do? I don't even know if I can answer it if it does ring...aaahhhhh technology...!! It will just take some getting used to. Thursday after work I am taking all my creations down to Katie Gingrass and then I am done with it. They will put it out and sell it all!!! Ok so back to the mess at my house...if you do come over I found a great prop...I keep the vacuum cleaner in the middle of the living room...that way I can always say I was just in the middle of cleaning...forget it, the doorbell doesn't ring either. The photo is the top of the shawl, you knit the long edge with ribbon yarn, it is really quite pretty. I need a model?

Spinning

I just left Monday night spinning group with a belly full of dessert and snacks. It was a small group but very nice and relaxing. I finished the shawl I have been making for a present, I would have a photo but I'm ready for bed and just thought I'd shoot this off. I will show you tomorrow. I like it, it really looks like fish net and that's what attracted me to it? Fish net? Attractive? No one said I was normal... So another night and I didn't do any thing for the show this week...hhhmmmm. Ok so tomorrow after I take a photo of the pretty fishnet shawl, I'll label and finish the hats and get them ready to go. If I keep putting it off, I won't have to worry about it ....the deadline will be gone. You see work, the work that I do sometimes 7 days a week and 8 hours a day really cuts into my creative time. I think I better go to bed before I get overtired.

Just Chilling

Today, I am not getting too much done. It's cold and dreary and I am resting...actually doing lap jobs. It's where you sit in your throne (recliner) and do mundane movie watching things. A nap may be in order too. I am getting labels ready and doing some finishing jobs on hats and purses. I did take the camera out of the trunk and have a wonderful photo of three young women that collect womens Service Uniforms. It was an excellent display of all types of uniforms to under garments...we have come a long way baby!!! I will be posting the other Veterans Day Parade photos on my web, this includes the Happy Crankers and Closers!!!

Cranky Day

No that doesn't mean that I was cranky or irritable, it means that I pulled Norman (antique sock machine) out of the house and made Socks for Veterans on him all day!!! We had a great day and I would have some photos but my camera is in the back of my truck and will be there till it stops raining. Although I did have presence of mind to take the donuts in the house? If you watched TV news this morning you could have watched me, the bumbling dufuss, live, trying to promote our event!!! Look I am not claiming to be a speaker, as a matter of fact, even though my mouth is flapping 95% of the time, for some reason it fails me when there is a microphone present. Then I had to sit next to Ms. Pencil thin newswoman, her words flowed out like water in a babbling brook. She kept checking her size 0 jacket buttons, so I kept checking my white Tshirt with Veterans Day Parade logo on it, for my own self induced buttons, from breakfast. Behind me were the very supportive group of friends, you know the kind that pushed you into a situation and then stand back and giggle...!!! We collected a lot of money for the Veterans Christmas party and there was a large group of supporters. Special thanks to my peeps, Betty, Karen, Janyce, Lois and Lisa, without them this would not be happening. I can count on them to "always" be there...Thanks guys!! Now go home and rub some Ben Gay on them sore arms!!!

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Glorious Friday

Tomorrow is the Veterans day parade and a group of us get together and make socks on antique sock machines. We have been doing this for about 5 years and we have a core group with some new faces on occasion. My sister in law (the good lunch packer) jumped ship on us...yes I did say Traitor, she wasn't happy narrating the history of the machines she wanted more...to spread her wings...she didn't just want the compliments from all of us for her great cooking skills and feeding us while we cranked away, we were devastated. On the other hand the Veterans Day Parade committee got a great volunteer, our loss their gain. We miss you Cheryl and your crock pot!! My truck is full of yarn all donated by PT yarns, Angora Connection and Accents. I'm off early in the morning sock machine packed and lots of yarn and hopes.

Why? you ask...

This is the culprit and that is me modeling it...right??? It's in the Knit Stitch book by Sally Melville
So you are wondering how I hurt my arms knitting? Good question, It's like this, I don't know when to stop...knitting, felting, dying, and let's not forget eating...especially sweets. When I like something I like it a lot. I wanted this jacket done...now. I took to knitting the bottom which is 200 rows of Lion brand chunky and did quite well with it, but then after 3 consecutive days of knitting on a heavy hanging mass, my forearms started tightening up. So I slowed down to a few rows but didn't stop. The driving need to wear this jacket on the first cold day, was winning out over aching arms. In case you didn't know I don't have any other coats to wear, my closet is empty and void of any wool sweaters or warm coats for the winter, don't you know I need to have "THIS" one done!! Or on the flip side it could end up in the "not gonna finish this one" pile. So this is my explanation for sore aching arms and now I am suffering and can't knit or can't go to work and if I don't work, I can't buy yarn and so on and so on....

I think I'm sick?

My feet are cold....no really this could be serious, my feet are freezing...I never have cold feet...even when I should have..! I am normally on serious meltdown. I tell everyone they are going to find me in ashes on my recliner (throne, or control central) My hands get cold, but not my feet. I wear sandals all winter and about this time of year I begin to wear socks!! I may have to turn on my furnace, or maybe put on some socks... I knit two more rows on the Einstein sweator that ruined my arms. It is heavy and huge. I am almost done with the back of it so that leaves two sleeves and a front...at two rows a night, I should be done about December 2006....taint fair I say!!

Lunch treat

Today when I sat down to have lunch, I realized how special my sister in law really is...she packed me some leftovers for my lunch, it was how nice the cake was wrapped that made me appreciate the things she does for me. I just throw whatever there is to eat into a grocery bag and like it....this was nicely wrapped....she made the cake and wrapped it securely for me. It was real special to unwrap my little treasure, It made me feel good..she probably doesn't even realize she does nice things like that, but if she ate a lunch I packed once she would understand. Thanks Cheryl. I am spinning cashmere and alpaca, it is spinning very fine and is a wonderful laceweight yarn. It lacks the color that dyed roving has and that makes it rather mundane, but it feels so good to spin, it has a wonderful hand to it and I'm not sure what I am planning to do with it. I don't make many plans...