Can you even imagine?

Can you even fathom, coming home and finding your home on fire? To think of losing everything you own. I know we all say, at least you are all OK, you have your lives and we all agree on that, but what would you do if you lost everything? Where do you begin rebuilding your life. A good Fiber friend has lost her home to fire today. Her family is fine, they may have lost two family cats but saved one cat and the dog. The details are still a bit unsure but the fact is there was a fire and it was bad. It's too early to give material things, until we know more. Money will help I'm sure and I will be putting a Fire Fund jar in the shoppe.
Tonight as I am writing this I remember a saying ..."How would you feel if you lost everything.....and then got it all back."
How would I feel if I lost everything? What is something that I would miss most? I guess my photos would be a major loss, I have a ton of them, and they can't be replaces. It is mind boggling to even try to comprehend the thought.. I get sad at the thought of the loss, but to really have it happen. What a sad day for our friend.

Let it snow...let it snow ....let it snow!!!

And snowing it is....Winter has not even started and we have got more than 18" above our normal snow fall for December....just thought you would like to know that....!!! I went to the Movies tonight and saw Beowulf.....I wasn't prepared for it to be cartoony? Not a big fan of cartoons unless they are by Pixel. It was different, and it was supposed to be in 3D and we didn't get glasses? Not sure what that was about....let me just say dinner was good!!!! I am still getting an influx of knitters scurrying to get all that last minute gift making finished. I love seeing what people are making. This coming week is party week, two parties to attend ....weather permitting. I am working on some entrelac neck warmers....what started out as a gift ended up on my head.... why is it I go shopping for someone else and everything is tempting me to buy it.
We had a full house here on Open Knitting Thursday, I didn't expect that with Christmas closing in....we had our usual pizza and Christmas cookies and fudge, that was no good...(translation...very good leave it for Jan to eat) Any suggestions for classes in February? Or March? Let me know, I am working on the class schedule with beginning knitting the four Tuesdays in February filling up in a hurry.
Update on the sleep mask thing....we will call it Charlie the Cpap, because if I am going to sleep with something every night I am naming it!!!! I am really used to the machine, it was a bit of trial at first but the hardest thing was being tethered to a tube and I wanted to turn and it was pulling me back... But the best one was me spitting into the mask....oh yeah...spitting!!! Now close as I can figure out, is, the unit has a humidifier and I had it turned up high,,more is better you know...water must have been pooling in the mask and spraying me in the face so I in my sleepful wisdom started spitting, I am not a usual spitter, that I know of? Maybe I always spit in my sleep? Maybe I never noticed spittle everywhere? But I woke up torking a spit into the mask and the mask being under pressure kindly blew it back into my face which woke me up enough to know it. So now I had to get up and wash everything???? Am I supposed to be sleeping better? Now I have a permanent wrinkle down the right side of my face along my nose....at my age I am wrinkling enough, now I have incorporated a gutter system for all the humidity on my face. It takes up to four hours to go away. I mad the mask looser, but the problem is I sleep on my side and press the pillow into the mask which crinkles my chubby cheek, into the pooling system.... Is it just me???? I am trying to sleep on my back more, I know this can create something else like wrinkles in front of my ears?????

Game On!!! Superbowl 2008

I know it seems kind of early but you may need to get your reservations in for this one!!!! During the Football game Sunday and cheering on the Packers it made me think....Superbowl is coming up, we need to do some sort of knitting thingy for the game? Hopefully it will be the Packers playing but regardless....set the date for February 3, 4:00pm. We are knitting Superbowl game scarves!!!! With a twist that is!!!! Everyone will cast on 250 stitches and knit 6 rows in worsted weight wool, and bring two skeins of yarn with them oh and a snack of course.
We will be doing a friendship sort of scarf and it will go along as the game goes along...stay with me here. I will be the ref, barking out the commands....wow that isn't much of a stretch?
We will all start with our own scarf. The game will dictate what we will be doing.
Ie:
When the ball changes team in the game we pass the scarf we are working on to the next person, who will begin knitting with their yarn.
Touch Down-We add a bead,( I will have them here)
Fumble- Oh yeah we drop a stitch
Interception-You can take whatever scarf you want from whoever you want to start knitting
Extra Point-You increase until the next play
Flag on the play (If the ball gets brought back to line of scrimmage-we decrease till next play.

So we will have no idea what this is going to look like, there is more but you get the idea!!! How fun is this going to be? So start knitting your 250 stitches and 6 rows....do your stretches and let the games begin.

My deepest apologies.

You know how when someone dies they say, I think they knew they were going to die? The last few weeks, for some reason I have been reminincing, nostalic and somewhat melancoly. I have tried to call old friends and they have stopped in. I have told my son things that were, loving!!! Then, there it was this flash of "What the heck, am I one of those that knows they are dying?", well that all past I think it is the Holidays, or the fact that my life is perfect and can that be? But a lingering thought is this, I may be responsible for my whole neighborhood of kids being ill ? I was the one that exposed them to so many chemicals, if they don't have some horrible enviromental disease it's a miracle. I don't keep in contact with any of them but if by chance they read this blog...I'm sorry!!! We were all victims of our youth!!! Unsuspecting victims....Who knew that while I was breaking any thermometer in sight to get the Mercury out and show everyone how cool it is to try to touch it, and letting everyone touch it because of course I looked like a Houdini or Magician to them, I was endangering our lives. DDT, my grama had this really cool pump thing full of bug killer that we would spray around and at each other, you pulled the T-bar back and pushed it quick and it sprayed a mist of toxic fumes. How about Asbestos, my dad had a sheet of asbestos in his workshop, he made the error of showing me how it doesn't burn....hhhhmmm a book of matches and a corner of asbestos, I was the coolest kid, as I ripped a piece with everyone bending in to watch this magic show, making sure we all breathed it in, and then the match, holding it to the corner of the paper, it didn't burn!!! I scored again. Lead....are you getting the trend here, maybe my parents wanted us dead? My brother had lead soldiers, hell with the green army men we had lead guys from WWI, I think they had that kind of helmut on. We would play with them and found how soft the metal was, and this was where we demonstrated our Brut strength by bending the metal guns back so they would shoot themselves, and giggle at how funny this was. Again a neighborhood favorite. I then grew up to work in a Nuclear Power Plant and got nuked regularly, to the point of glowing!
Mercury,
DDT
Asbestos
Lead
Radiation
...so that I have lived to be 54, so far I am cancer free, maybe I knew something the Drs. don't "Over Exposure"

Thanksgiving

I have so much to be Thankful for, and this morning I am putting my computer to good use. I am sending Thank You notes to Support Our Troops in Iraq. Simple to do and it made me Thankful for what those kids are doing so we can be Free. I am Proud to live in America, I have seen other Country's and I love the United States!!! We are lucky and sometimes take things for granted!! I am Thankful and so join me in sending off a quick note to Thank someone willing to give their life for our Freedom!!
"For Evil to Flourish all it takes is for Good Men to do nothing"
Happy Thanksgiving
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Face Mask Fiasco

Ever wear an Old Easter hat too tight or a Lone Ranger Eye mask? Point being....I am into the third day of wearing my cpap mask to aid in keeping me breathing during the night!!! Well if you see me early in the morning, well into 3 hours of the day, it will look like a slept on a big wrinkle in my pillow case? So I loosen it and blow air out of the sides.....am I just that retarded? These new masks also come with humidity, I love moist air when I sleep, but now there is so much moisture it feels like I am drooling? Ok whatever, I WILL get this down pat. I can't post knitting photos because for that one gift recipient that may read my blog, they may see what I am making, well one of many that is!!!! Now another issue, Christmas music....I love Christmas, but not in October....I am excited I love snow and all that Christmassy stuff but, there are only so many Speedway Christmas albums that can only play so many songs that by December will have me crying Uncle. So when you are sitting and knitting here in the shop, I will have Christmas music interspersed (is that a word?) Each week I will add more but once we hit December I will be in full throttle of Christmas tunes. I do have a wonderful collection of music, but after 8 hour days of White Christmas and don't even think about that Hippo song...I hate it and do not allow it in my ears!!! I know you may be out and about on Black Friday, but you are welcome to come down, hang out and knit here!!! 10 % off but no sheep cards with the 10%.....I need to pay the rent!!! hahahahaha Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

My biggest Fear

Ok, so besides snakes it is numbers. We don't have a very comfortable relationship. I hate them and they do their best to intmidate me. But, being a shop owner, I have to deal with numbers. I approach bookwork like I used to do homework, no I didn't avoid it totally but I could have. I have to have a little game....it goes something like this. If I finish this months data entry, I can weave after, or start another project or have cake or something I enjoy. Then again if I get too bored with the numbers, I do it anyway, but seriously I know it has to be done. In my fears that I won't do it right, I keep track of everything, I am meticulous in keeping records, I may not have them accountant ready but I have them. Yesterday my new CPA stopped over. I have warned this quiet numerical force, that I am not number savvy. She is very reassuring, and quite calm, she sits at my desk, (which I took all the crap off and shoved on a chair so I looked competant!!!) She brings up Quick books like a Mac pro and doesn't gasp? No breaking into laughter, no serious tears....hhhhmmmm? I ask her if she would like some coffee, Please speak to me? She looks at the numbers and says not bad, let's see what we can do here. Ok, she finds all kinds of dandy little things that did or didn't report??? She mentioned that I will be able to balance my check book when we get this straightend out? I chuckled .....my previous balancing of checkbooks, consisted of changing banks every couple of years. I have homework, and she has shown me some tips, but all in all she didn't leave screaming and gouging her eyes out. I think I like her and her number brain. She is a soft, kind wonderful woman...she didn't holler at me. I got a gold star for keeping good records it's just where I entered them that is a tad baffeling. From here on I will do a better job in order to make her job easier and me from visiting the crowbar hotel. No knitting for a bit.

Can you say Wired????

I just want to thank those of you that said "Oh no you don't have to shave your legs, they don't put electrodes on your legs, it's all over your head!!!" AAhhhhhhh guess what? The first electrodes went on my calves with fur!!! I bought into what you said and even reassured myself that , why would they put something on your legs? Ha, they did and it was a guy too!!! By the way I am talking about a sleep study I had last night. Sleepless study you might say? How can you really sleep knowing that they are "watching you ". And above your head is this Infared light and a microphone!!! My first question was "What if I have to go pee? he reassured me that he could remove the set of 30 wires for me to pee!!!! It took my a 1/2 hr. to get wired up and I didn't want to go through all that again. So I did Ok, I missed watching the new on TV because he told me I had to go to sleep!! Hey I watch the news and then sleep!!! I guess lights out is lights out. I did fall asleep but then I hear a voice say...Jaaannn, turn onto your back now..huh? I can't sleep on my back and you woke me up!!! So after playing shuffle with my legs, first knees up and then down and up and I think I got tired and fell asleep. Then in he walks with the "Mask" oh boy, I knew it, but I thought I was sleeping Ok? No he said you are snoring, of course I am snoring I AM ON my back with my mouth hanging open, you're supposed to snore!!! So he straps the apparatus on and I look like an elephant and make the sound of one and he isn't thinking this is funny, I must have woke him up. So now I am liking this cool moist air being inhaled and fall to sleep like a little lamb. Jaaannnnn you must move your finger it isn't working? Oh for crying out loud, I had the finger sensor wrapped around so I could lay my arm out straight and I dislodged the sensor.....Let me sleep!!! This is the Sleep Clinic!!! I guess I am going to be joining the Darth Vader club. We'll find out in a couple of weeks, I'm too tired now to think about it!!!

Let's talk ettiquette!!

Yarn shop ettiquette, hhhhmmmmmm I guess sometimes, it feels like I am a mother or school marm. I guess sometimes I feel like I am too nice and let "too" much go by. Then again because I goof around alot, some take that as being stupid or dumb. I am neither stupid or dumb. I try to be nice, but cross me and I can become something I don't like myself. Treat me with *disrespect and you have lost a friend I haven't. I recently had the straw that broke the "knitters" back. I have mulled around the way to handle uncomfortable situations and rather than let it eat at me, I am going to blog it!!! Let's see if you can add something to this list of
Yarn Shop Ettiquette.
#1.) I don't care what yarn you knit on, that is your choice, but do not expect me to wind up another stores yarn on my ball winder, ask the place you bought it from to do it for you, this is a service I provide, for yarn bought in my shop.

#2.) Conversation should be acceptable to all genres of knitters, just like anywhere else you would sit and kabitz.

and lastly and most unbelievable I guess, see if you can top this?

#3.) If you are a previous shop owner, or you have Stash to get rid of, it is extemely arrogant, rude and disrespectful (refer to above *) to bring in your boxes and sell it in my shop for any reason, whatsoever. It tends to tick me off and make other customers uncomfortable. If your intention was to tick me off, you win!!!! The Arrogant, rude award, that is!!!!

Any other suggestions?

Fairy Exchange Part One

First off, We won!!! We won the #1 shop in Milwaukee for Arts and Crafts!!!! So many thanks to everyone for voting and I really appreciate it!!!
Now, last night was the Shop Fairy gift exchange. We missed a lot of people but there were a lot of people here. We took turns this time opening our gifts so we could all see what we had got. Last time it was a free for all and no one unless you were next to them saw what you got. So in our learning curve we opened each gift one at a time. I was sitting next to Wendy, and it was her turn to open her gift. She got many wonderful gifts and then pulled out what she thought was a Purple Hat!!!

She did not read the little label on the "Tea Cozy" and proceeds to say...sweetly....Oh and it has little holes in it?? Kind of like, doesn't everyone have a hat with holes in it????? I interject" it's a Tea Cozy" and Lois says "read the label!!!" Which says cutely "Tea Cozy".....so poor Wendy bows her head and whispers," I hope my shop Fairy isn't here, I feel so stupid" we assure her it was a legitimate mistake and let her off the hook.....and I told her ...her shop Fairy is not in fact here!!!
Part 2
Next it was my turn to open my gift!!! I am so excited and up to now my Shop Fairy (and I do know it is Wendy, who remember is sitting to my immediate left, I had to look, because my gifts have been awesome,) So knowing full well, my Shop Fairy is right there, I reach into my bag and take out a muslin sack with a Spider web stamped on the side and I am very excited knowing this bag will hold some awesome little trinket from Creative Wendy, er I mean Shop Fairy and I take out a flat piece of felt and a half bar of soap???? I keep smiling and saying Oh this is nice? Trying to figure out how the heck she felted a bar of soap with no soap in it, so I try to find an opening to put the soap into and can't and I am now struggling to figure out what this is exactly...a little 2 x3" piece of felt to rub on the soap and lather up this body???? Lois once again jumps in with "Read the card" Oh ...there's a card!!!

Hi, My name is "fairy dumb ass" and I am your shop fairy While felting your bar of pumpkin spice soap, I "thought", (I shouldn't think....) I would speed up the process of drying time by putting it in a low power minute and a half, microwave...
Wellllllllllllllll as I said, Hi my name is Fairy Dumbass...enjoy your now scrubby and 1/2 bar of soap!!! This picture was on the reverse side...it is of her microwave with the melted soap in it!!!

So this is the kind of night it was, we were all laughing so hard and it was because neither one of us knew what the heck to say or do, so we made Wendy put the "Tea Cozy" hat, which we now named her "Pot Head" on and model it for her Shop Fairy!!!!

What the?????

So in my week before I start eatting healthier and doing more to create the body that I was deprived of, I joined a Yoga group. Last Wed. as a matter of fact. So to indulge myself I ordered Chinese food for supper so I wouldn't go hungry, after all it's the first night, I'm sure she will walk us through what we are going to do. As I shoved every last morsel of fried rice into my piehole, I read the directions and it says..."Aerobics????" Hey I didn't sign up for Aerobics???? What???? So in my agony I decided to go and see if they signed me up for the wrong thing, why else would they tell me to wear gym shoes and bring a towel for sweat? I find door number 21 and enter with other woman carrying mats....mine of course is purple as are my shoes that have begun to pinch my feet due to swelling from the ton of Chinese food I plowed through about an hour earlier, that's right I said about an hour earlier. I follow this group of Stepford woman, in their cute little Yoga outfits and me in my jumbo T-shirt with some dumb saying on it, purple shoes, I forgot my towel but did have water and black stretchy pants!!! First trauma, is a set of stairs, who the heck puts the gym on the second floor? So as I am breathing like the train in "Little Engine that Couldn't" trying to find a bubbler to have a reason to slow down and catch my breath....finally a whole group of people with Mats strung across their backs or in little cute bags, are gathering outside a room with a huge window so we can be observed like laboratory animals. Inside the room are people that look like they swallowed bubble gum and it's coming out of thier arses.... a room filled with people sitting atop blow up balls and bouncing like they are trying their darndest to detach the huge bubble from their butts. I can't help but giggle, but everyone else seems to think this is very serious....there is to be no laughing with this bunch. So Bubble class lets out and I can't help but wonder how all of these people carrying their colorful balls are going to get them into their vehicles, I only have a mat. So we are allowed into the room filled with music of ancient zen...I could almost smell the incense. There she was in front, our Yogi, I guess she didn't feel an introduction was in place, she just started right in. I rolled out my mat, and stood in the "Mountain" I think that is what she said or the "Mounted?" I think Mountain was the right one? I kind of giggled at that, I kind of looked around, you know the scan you do in church...seeing what everyone else is up to...(well I do anyway) I am the one....oldest and two fattest person in the group....oh yeah that is encouraging. So Yogi in front starts up and is going through all this crap we have to do and well with my attention span (you know of a gnat) I found out I needed badly to shave my legs~ if you eat a ton of Chinese and try to put your face between your hands in front of you on a mat with your butt up in the air....child pose I think...the Chinese trys very hard to come up the way it went down, but not as tasty. I was really trying hard to behave but when she said to do some Pelvic thrust dumahicky...I started to snicker to myself and did notice the woman that had just had a baby a few hours before coming to class, couldn't do some of the stuff either.....some excuse that is!!! I found that sitting on the mat and watching the others go through their routine with Zen Master....sipping on my water bottle as I am having one hell of a hot flash and trying to wipe my face in my shirt, that says "Don't sweat the small stuff" the best position for me is the "Corpse" I got that one down pat...oh yeah and the guy that had to take this class with his preppy red shirt and short styled hair and 5:00 shadow, had his white cotton duck pants stuck in his butt crack....giggle giggle!!! Opps back to the Corpse position.

Happy Birthday Sugar Hangover!!!

Many Thanks for all of you that made my birthday a fun event!!! Another year older and happier!!! But the sugar hangover this morning......wow!! Can you say over induldge? I got some wonderful gifts and you really didn't have to do that, but I'm sure glad you did!!!! I only told everyone because I had 10% off in the shop!!! So we had cake and more cake and then my family came and we had ......more cake and pizza!!! It was fun!!! Thank you all again!!!
Now to knitting, my beginner knitter, is growing with leaps and bounds!!! She made this beautiful scarf for her son's drum teacher, out of Mission Falls tweed!!! The picture doesn't do it justice, it is soft, wonderful and she chose a beautiful pattern for a beautiful yarn. Good job Patty!!!

Shop Fairy Day

This has been a really busy week...Wednesday we had our cruise and it was a good time the weather wasn't too cold, but we did have the Captain from Hell and I have entered a complaint to the company. I could have sworn he didn't have a patch over his eye when we boarded but once about he sported a hook on his hand and a patch on his eye, he was a jerk. Outside of that, it was beautiful to see the city at night!!!!
Thursday we had Kindred Spirits and our Shop Fairy exchange. It is so funny that some of the best gifts for knitters is something knit? How often do you knit for yourself? I got a great booty...I got this awesome mug ( I love mugs) that has the Creation scene on it from Michelangelo ( I love Old Masters Art) I love most Art History. On closer review Dear Adam has a ball of yarn covering his junk in front and God is handing him knitting needles!!!! It is awesome, then I got knitting markers in purple!!! Purple being my favorite color and I use plastic rings for markers or rubber bands or a piece of yarn. I make markers but I don't use the ones I make...so now I have a beautiful set of purple markers,for me!!! Then my favorite scents are patchoulli, sandalwood, musk and earthy scents and I got a huge bar of soap with all three scents in it and wrapped in beautiful cotton cloth, with the rest of the cotton for me to knit another one. I got a cute little sheep soap and a beautiful saying with stickers and I also got a bunch of coffee, different blends...all of this was wrapped individually and made it last forever opening it!!! Thanks to my Shop Fairy!!! I loved it!!!!! Annie this is all because of you!!! Thanks!!!!

Walking Buffet

Have you been outside? Have you touched a grassy or shady spot? If you have you probably have become a mosquito buffet!!! I have bites on top of bites. When I came home from up north, I pulled into my parking spot and a saw a black cloud come by my drivers side window. It was mosquitos, I was a tad bit freaked out, more like Holy Crap how can I escape the car? The invasion of the blood suckers. So I plan my escape, keys in hand and run to the door inhaling a zillion in my mouth, like a bat. Put the key in the door and it won't open, unbelievable I deadbolted it....now I try to find which key that is and I can feel myself getting light headed from the lowering of blood pressure due to the quick evacuation of blood. I couldn't believe it, it was like a horror story. I am not parked in the grass it is asphalt. So now I am dreading my evening walk with Joey....so I decide to spray, both of us. Apparantly I didn't get it in my eyebrows and ears, because they were buzzing all over my face and I am doing the St Vitus dance on Hwy 32, swatting and spitting and jerking and telling Joey if she doesn't crap pretty soon, I will leave her out there to fend for herself. I have never seen so many mosquitos in my entire life. So if you see me and it looks as though I have measles, don't stare I am just a testing ground for West Nile virus.

Went fishing!!!

Most of you know I chose to close on Sunday for a two day weekend. One of the drawbacks of a small business is it is only me running the joint, so, it is hard to close ....ever? My plans were to build a shed outside that was delivered Saturday morning and then haul my camping stuff up from the basement and blah blah blah. So after I closed Saturday, I thought I would take a look at the shed deally. I look at the box and it says...assemble in 15 minutes....no tool required. hahahahahahahaha ROTFL. We all know what that means? So I open the box and start to take the parts out. There are exactly 6 pieces, that is it and no instructions. I can do this...15 minutes...hey I snapped the floor to the back, in two seconds....while trying to figure out what piece goes next I realize I made an error...these pieces slide together which means I screwed up already...2 minutes into the assembly??? hhhhhmmmm now this piece that snapped together like a into b..with such ease it was meant to be, will not come apart. Here comes the tools and some pretty filthy words. I get two screwdrivers to pull and pry at the same time, all the while wondering who is sitting in their window laughing there buttocks off at this circus show. Sweat is now running into my eyes burning like a son of a gun and I am getting a hot flash due to undue stress. After 15 minutes of prying, swearing and finally figuring I will just rip the darn thing apart and deal with the consequences, it snaps apart!!!! Now I put the three walls up and slide the floor in (snap!!!) a good snap and slide the roof on and voila!!! 1 hour and 10 minutes later, three gallons of sweat and a litany of swearing it is finished the phone rings. It was my brother, hey what are doing? Building a 15 minute monument!!! Are you coming up? (this is what people that own property up north call visiting) A Long Pause a moment of pentive flashes of the floor of the store which is full of halloween decorations, and Fall stuff that I had unloaded from my car. The pile of laundry waiting to be tossed into the washer....my ideas of putting my camping equipment into the new &%#$# shed. All this turned into a fog as an "I'm on my way" Flew out of my mouth...I am so on my way!!!! I threw some clean undies in my duffle bag, some dog food, jumped in the shower to wash off the sweat and 2.5 hours later I was sitting in front of wonderful campfire, having my last coffee of the day!!!! Life is good!!! We went on the pontoon, cruising the Wisconsin River...dogs romping in the waves and fishing poles in hand....all that swearing, all that sweating ......was well worth it!!!!! I had a wonderul 2 days off!!!!

Buns of Steel

I know this is a knitting blog but due to circumstances beyond my control, my arms feel like mush and I can't knit!!! Well that isn't exactly true, I have been knitting on the sideways sock, that seems to keep shrinking? I have a sweater that I want to finish so I can wear it sometime in the Fall. Not working on that yet and now we have a rash of new babies, hhhhmmm nine months ago brings us to....yep winter!!!
So I think I may be done with the remodeling at my sons...hahahahah isn't that a joke? I spent Monday over there putting in a new ceramic floor and giving him the how to's of doing the wall. Now when you look at the photos, you, if you are my age, which is in my 40th year of menopause, will notice a vague resemblance to bathrooms of yore!!!! Subway tile and black and white on the floor, I think my first apartment had that? It is hot and sheik and the new Vogue, or is it Dwell. So I waddled home with sore knees and a butt that can pick up a quarter, that is after I can feel it again. I am retired!!!!! I am quite proud of how I can pass along my knowledge to Mike who is finally realizing why you need these skills. He is smart and does IS tech work for a great company. He is techno smart and he keeps me up on the latest and greatest and keeps me moving in a fast cyber world. I thank him for that, because you just relax one minute and you are behind technology. Me on the other hand, has timeless skills of remodeling and working with my hands, it is a great pairing, and he is a good teacher and I try to be, I think I am though because the photo shows you his first wall tiling and floor tiling job. He also has a wonderful fiance that takes on any task given her and is truley hard worker, that worked right along side of us. She had a page from a magazine that "We" were using as a guide for the remodel job!!! I think "we" succeeded. So she took to painting and he finished the wall and I waddled home and took a hot bath. I had intentions of stocking shelves today but I am looking at the steps with trepidation. Can you tear a muscle deep in your arse cheeks? Can you say "Out of shape?"
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What's in your pocket?

"Tools"
Besides being a Yarn shop owner and Fiber Artist, for years to pay for my addiction, I have been a Steamfitter. For 30 years to be exact. Some of you may say, what is a Steamfitter, I could say that when I started my apprenticeship, I thought I would be ironing, but I would be lying. I installed heating, airconditioning equipment and piping...mostly piping. I was a certified high pressure welder, heliarc and all the other crap that goes along with it. I loved my job, it suited my personality and I loved working with my hands. Besides I got to work with men all day!!! Due to health reasons and probably from inhaling all the bad stuff that goes along with welding and chemicals etc. I decided I needed to make a change in my life. So I bought a shop and made it into a yarn and fiber shop. I am living my dream. Ok you wonder where is this going??? When I moved here, I made sure the piping was something I wasn't going to have to deal with, and it looked good. Other than changing all the darn faucets, I have not had to repair anything...yet. My son and his fiance, bought a house.....see where this is going? It is a beautiful home, but the bathroom needed updating....getting a better picture? But in my favor, her father is a plumber, which in my trade there are three things plumbers know...(poop runs downhill, payday is Friday and they put there faces where we put our arses) no animousity there? It is just a fun banter between the two trades. So Saturday, I had to put my tools into a purple tote and load up the car and do some plumbing....it was for a good cause. Let me tell you I have not worked this hard for a year!!! Hear me a YEAR, her father is a slave driver, hey I'm Union I kept telling him!!! No breaks not even to go bathroom ( there is no bathroom it is gutted) I spent all day a foot off of the ground on a ladder soldering joints and cutting and in order to keep my pride and show the" task master" that I could keep up, I didn't whine, one bit....till now!!!! I'm sure he doesn't read this, so I think I am safe!!! I have whip marks on my back, well it feels like it anyway!!! I also feel like I have been doing buns of steel exercises for a week, not to mention my bat wings are aching. My feet hurt and I drove a floor nail into my head. I didn't know all of this was happening until this morning, when I tried to get out of bed and one leg moved and the other screamed ,"no way" !!! My back feels Ok but what the heck was I doing with my arse??? Other than pinching my cheeks so tight when I almost fell off the step stool. Well it's done, we replaced all and I must say all the piping in the house and it looks good. Now I find out if I'm a Steamfitter or Sprinkler fitter!!!! I can't wait to open my shop today, if I can do the steps!!!

Does not compute....please press one

This is an update, my shop phone is out of order!!! Since Tuesday and probably till Friday. It is due to the immense amount of rain we are getting. I was really upset, but you know, it is a small price to pay considering people are loosing their homes to floods not far from here. My basement is still dry and most of my business is not done over the phone. So if you call and get a Fax machine screech...it's still not working!!!! So just stop in instead!!!
Ok that is today but Tuesday went something like this...
Oh my Gawd the phone isn't working....dialing AT&T...buzzz...If you are calling about your bill press one, Diablo Espanol dos..If you are calling for repairs blah blah blah, so I press 2...due to heavy calls we will answer your call as soon as one of our representives is not busy with 4,000 other customers. So I wait, dial tone, and another animated voice comes on and tells me how important I am to them and to still wait or go to the website...hhhmmm I hang up and go online...I follow all the prompts including some garbage about going outside and fixing my own damn phone....uh excuse me I am not even done paying for the installment of the phone so why should I fix it? They didn't have a spot for that but did have a spot that said I agree to pay for a technician to fix the phone....I sign off and go back to the phone...search my drawer for tranquilizers or some sort of mood altering drugs because they aren't going to like my mood at the moment. So this went on and on till I got smart and called new products and got a real voice and she kindly explained that they are having alot of problems it's not just me...Ok I feel better now is it the answer or the bottle of Jim Beam!!!!

Check out Knit fest!!

http://knitfest.blogspot.com/

Be sure to check out the crazies knitting!!! Hey don't forget that Miniature Knolfing is happening this Wed. Hope you can make it!!! This is quick, it is quiet because Milwaukee is void of knitters today!!! Chicago on the other hand is full!! TNNA!!! If you went hope you enjoyed it and if you didn't , we have that in common!!! Not much news, I am tying a bunch of loose ends together and doing....the all dreaded.........bookwork!!! Oh and by the way I am now going to carry...gulp....Mission Hills cotton!!! I think....unless someone can talk me out of it....???? That's what I thought!!!

I'm doomed!!

This is a photo of my knitting challenge!!! After casting on 6 times...yes six times, I am toast, stick a fork in me I am done!! Oh not done knitting, I am done trying to make a pattern that doesn't work....work!!! First I started with the chart, that was screwed up, so I moved to the printed version.....guess what it is virtually impossible to do with 31 stitches what they wanted. Maybe lace isn't my thing.....maybe I should shelf the whole project....oh and to add insult to injury...I lost my first ball of brown lace malabrigo cake, so after I balled a new skein of "Sealing wax" Malabrigo....I found the first ball....of course. I think I am being told "Put down the lace crap!!!! But it's my challenge!!! So I am a few rows away from a straight jacket, but one thing I am is persistant!!!! Tomorrow I will relax while switting in a pool. We plan on knitting in a swimming pool!!!! I need a break, I wonder if a Margarita is on the menu?

Is it OK to swear????

Friday, fun Friday, I have hives....so if you happen to walk into the shop, and I am laying on the table with a puddle of drool coming from my mouth, please either check yourself out or try to wake me, I am on Benadryl. I can't stop scratching so for the last resort I have resorted to Benadryl, it knocks me out for 12 hours. Which brings me to, never do lace knitting on Benadryl. I hate this mystery shawl, and today Fun Friday, which by the way you can substitute any swear word for Fun, this lace is/has put me over the edge, especially after dropping a slipped stitch and then proceeded to pull it to see where it went and now it is all kaboobled and I am toast!!! Another by the way, I am typing on Benadryl so bear with me, my fingers are bouncing all over the keys and my vision is blurred and I am half asleep I think I almost drooled sitting upright????? I am a mess, I look like Goldie Hawn in Overboard, well not half as cute but miserable, with Calamine Lotion all over!!! So I have mystery hives, a fun mystery shawl and when I wake up from this stupor a mystery couple of days!!!! I am feeling a sense of relief...I am shelving the fun shawl. I have made a concious decision or is it an unconcious decision to stop torturing myself, stop the insanity!!! Take more drugs and just quit, it is OK to quit...isn't it??? I won't wear the stupid thing!!! Oh yeah I will in my casket, so it is probably a foot long I made it to row 100 that was my quitting goal and I did it!!! Actually I accomplished two things, my goal row and quitting!!! Ok, I think the hives came from using some Fun spa treatment to exfoliate, now I know I am allergic to tons of perfumy crap and I know I have sensative skin, and that I am latex intolerant, but wait, maybe it changed??? maybe I totally was oblivious to the fact that mineral oil is petroleum based and this Fun spa stuff was 80% mineral oil and I proceeded to slather my arms and chest and fun leg with the crap in hopes of coming out of the tub having skin like Haley Berry, tone and all!!!! I used my favorite natural sponge to really help infuse the Fun spa crap, so that was Monday and the rash on my chest developed before I could blink, and I thought oh oh rewashed it and got it under control and it seemed to be subsiding until I took another Oatmeal bath and grabbed my favorite spongy and rerashed myself, this time it is here with a vengance, the sponge is soaking in detergent one step away from the trash. One wiff of that Spa treatment and it is going in the garbage!!! So here I sit pretty in pukey Pepto Bismol Pink Calamine and Benadryl and drooling with half closed eyes. My mystery shawl in a heap on the table....... Welcome to Fun Friday oh and Kirby Dean emailed me and let me know she is Lonely and if I wanted to look at her pics I could email her at this address, because she is at another computer, not the one she sent the email from......I'm surprise she isn't selling fun Viagra!!! ..why me????

14 days left....

Only 14 days left till Knit fest!!! Are you thinking of a challenge? Is it something you will attempt to do, that you possibly have not done before? Is it something everyone else can do and you feel foolish considering it a challenge? Stop!!! Don't question what you want to do!!! This is personal, if you haven't purled, do purling, it is your challenge. If it is just trying to keep your edges straight, that's fine. So this is for beginners and advanced knitters.
Confession:
I have too short of an attention span to knit lace. I am having trouble following the pattern as it plods through more and more stitches. I am bored with the process, but love the outcome. I love how it looks and that is what is keeping me on track. I may never knit lace again but, I am knitting lace.

I am doing the Mystery Shawl from an internet challenge. Each Friday for five weeks we get a clue, it's kind of exciting. Needless to say I am still on week two and clue four has come out this last week??? I did say slow....but sure.

I don't want to knit lace!!!!

I am having a love hate relationship with this mystery shawl....this morning, and, I like to work on it in the morning, fresh and awake....so this morning I redid the same row 3 times trying to figure out where I had a mistake. All of a sudden it was gone? Mystery shawl it is???? I am not an obsessor over counting stitches. I am seeing the pattern finally, or at least the pattern I am making??? Angela is doing the shawl too and hers looks nothing like mine. I think it's because she knits tighter, but I will not go down another needle size, won't, can't, don't want to, I am on size 2 now. I prefer to use chunky yarn and size 10 needles so this is my challenge. I like instant gratification....who doesn't? I know I am ahead of myself for the August Knit fest but I think this is what challenges me most and so what if I am ahead of the game, I certainly won't be ahead for long. If ever. I am also working on two different socks, the first picture didn't show up very well but the second one did, it is crook and heart. By the time I finish it will need two by pass surgeries....

I'm dancing as fast as I can!!!

Honest, I have been trying to get all of my paperwork and blogging and printing of tickets and yarn club cards and on and on....but you don't want to hear my excuses, you want to hear about
Knit fest!!!!
We had so much fun at the Knitting Olympics that we thought it would be fun to do a Fest for Knitting. I live in Milwaukee and it is known as the Festival city, we have Irishfest, German fest, Polish fest, Indian summer and Festa Italiana, so why may I ask not Knit fest??? So for every Sunday in August, this is the plan.
Start planning a project that pushes you to the skill limit you personally think is a challenge, this could mean to some (Julie) just purling. It is a personal challenge.
First Sunday in August we will be casting on
Second Sunday we will be checking progress a good old fashion "Progress Report"
Third Sunday is a countdown
Fourth Sunday is the Fashion show or Show and tell
All of these "get togethers" we will of course have food, with the big bash at the end!!! So start planning and get your free tickets to Knit fest....by the way, I will be offering 10% off of your project supplies.

Uninvited Guest

Even though a lot of you are waiting for the Cruise update...I am obliged to bring you this rare sighting. Sitting and knitting hats for Charity on Sunday, there was a loud chirping bird. Kim was in the process of saying "Man that bird is really loud?" when it wasn't only loud it was in the store. Hanging off of the flower vine on the wood beam near the ceiling. Faced with the idea of trying to keep Joey "my dog" which is behind a gate from going balistic, and getting the bird out of the store without pooping from fright...I grabbed the flyswatter and started towards it. I felt kind of bad, maybe she was shopping for nest lining? All the wonderful colors, who could resist....was it Alpaca she was craving? Then reality set in and she was probably following the trail of crumbs from the door. For whatever reason she felt she had to visit, she left just as quickly, there was no shooing, no swatting, she just came to visit. Best of all no pooping!!!! Side note here..I thought way back into my "wives tale" history, that I remember something about a bird entering the house, so I looked it up, so this is pretty much how all of those old sayings go....it has two meanings, one good, one bad. Before anyone emails me with the grim news I will put it in writing. It means a death in the house? How nice is that? I vote for Joey....no offence dawg but if one of us has to go...see ya!!!! Second which of course I prefer to choose is, it is dead relative visiting. My luck it would be my mean grama, trying to peck my head. I'd be thinking it was just a mom looking for some soft pretty lining for her home. Happy Fourth of July!!!

For some of Ewe

For those of you that think that, I am just trying all these fun things to stimulate creativity or for getting attention....you're right!!! But I was perusing through some of my photos and ran across this one from from "Knitting Olymipics". When I see this I crack up laughing. I got on the band wagon of the Knitting Harlot, when she suggested that we have, during the real olympics, Knitting Olympics. We chose projects that would be a challenge either to knit or just to finish. We cast on during the opening ceremonies and had a mid olympic party and then the Award ceremony. And there were medals and the coveted "Gold Needles". This photo is of the closing ceremony and the medal awards. In true fashion of the Olympic medals I used miniature CDs and printed on them and made I-chord ribbon and we all got one. I am a true believer in we are ALL winners. But then it came to the Gold Needles and we had what is most fair .....a drawing!!! So back to the photo, I tried to take a photo with my camera using the self time and was trying to get my big arse into the photo, which I did quite successfully I might add!!! (I was trying to pose in the photo) and have three various shots of me butt!!! It cracks me up because we were laughing so hard. Then we had to sing, or hummm the Olympic theme, which set off my singing dog, that started howling with us and thinking she was pretty cool hanging out with all of these crazy woman!!! So I tried to take video of that with my point and shoot camera, another joke and all I can hear is me barking "Do it now?" which was supposed to be the cue for start singing. But with my mouth close enough to the camera to lick the lens, my helium munchkin voice is only rivaled by my dogs. So my being nutz, goes back a lot farther than last year. I was born this way, and I couldn't be happier. By the way, who turned up the heat and humidity?

My Olympic competitors, cheering me on.....

Getting caught in the Red flashing light, like a deer in headlights.

Not quite hovering over the seat of my chair? (my mom taught me to do that hover thing over a toilet seat!, never thought I'd actually use it?) Just look at those laughing faces...... I bet you're laughing!!!

Miniature Knolfing

I was so excited....my clubs (needles) were picked. The camera was ready and lunch was in the slow cooker. Kim came over and we rode together, a little early to greet all the other kolfers. HHHhmmmmm, I know one of us could have got the date wrong, but two, where is everyone? We will wait till 15 minutes past the hour.
"Hey Kim, want to go to breakfast?" So we took a photo of the only other Knolfer around, so she won the trophy, and we went to breakfast!!! It was fun, I can't wait to do it again!!! Breakfast that is!!! So the plan is, it's summer, kids are home from school. Invite the kids too!!! Why didn't I think of that? Probably because my son is in the working world and the days of trying to find projects to keep him busy and out of trouble are over.....many years over. So hey how about the Knit's Ahoy? I have some room left. We are looking forward to a really good time. Don't be one of those left on the bank as we wave our needles in unison like a Bic lighter, singing Nananana, nananana, hey hey....Good bye. Sign up NOW!!!

Probation

This is what is on probation. The "Shop" dog, not to be mistaken as the "Top" dog which she really thinks she is....so we are doing some peg knocking down and she is on my S list. We went on our usual walk Wed. morning, in our usual manner and there is a woman that runs with her little Toto like dog named Harley. Harley and Joey had instant hate from the first time they smelled each other so I was prepared. I latched the leash to not only the harness but her collar to keep her tight under my command...eh hem!! So as I try to block Joeys view of Harley that is fully extended to greet Joey with his teeth bared and barking, "Precious" pulls a Houdini act and flips out of both collar and harness to attack big mouth Harley!! The woman freaks (as I would) picks Harley up with Joey grabbing at any limb that looks like a freshly roasted chicken drummy. Harley of course has not let up with his verbal attack and this is firing up my little darling. All this while I am screaming and trying to grab the spinning dervish that has become a trio of the woman, Harley and Joey!!! I finally grab her neck skin and try with all abandonment to get her leash on her, meanwhile apologizing profusely and hoping to all ends that there is only fur and not blood. My hands were shaking so badly (happens when I get mad) and the woman says He is alright and we probably should not take the same walks, (Oh really, what was it about this that you didn't like?) I remained very complaicent to avoid a huge law suit. I put Precious on her back and do some major gutteral growling and this is the beginning of her probation. She meekly walks home, and I put her prayer box around her neck (electronic trainer) turn it on and it beeps!!! I at this point will admit, I never have shocked her because it is way to scary for me and I am a pushover .....but a that moment, I would have made her dance on her tippy toes with glee, I was so mad. I didn't , I just use the beep and the feeling of this heavy box under her neck was enough to make her behave .....very well .....all day!! Minimal barking too.....so now we walk with the prong collar, a short leash and a bad attitude. Day three and she is still trying to remember she is not Alpha....just Joey!!!

WWKIP Day

Thanks to all of those that supported WWKIP Day!! It was fun and the weather was awesome. I have to keep this short because I have some dying to do and if I get sidetracked it's all over!!! Check out the photos from all over the World and our group!!! We had about 20 knitters between coming and going and our article will be in the Oak Creek Now, so I will keep you posted. Gotta go dye!!!

World Wide Knit in Public Day

Thanks to all of the knitters that supported WWKIP day!!! For the first time event, on my end, I think it was a success!!! We had about 20 knitters of all ages, participating at different times of the day!!! We had children knitting, not a scarf either but a shrug with sleeves!!! A teenager working on a tank top for summer and adults with various projects from baby sweaters to lace edgeing. We had a good time of course, when have you ever gotten any group of woman together and NOT had a good time. Unless of course it's a family of woman preparing a dinner in a crowded kitchen? We met some new knitters and a bunch of old friends!! Thank you to everyone. Hopefully we will do it again next year!!
The photographer came at 10:30am, and there was only two of us, so my neighbor the potter, was visiting and I made her sit down and knit with us. I did say Lisa is a Potter, not a knitter, I tossed here some circular needles with a cuff I am knitting on them, to use as a prop. Being the good sport that she is, she takes them and starts clicking them together like she is trying to start a fire!!! Then she realizes they are connected and tells me I gave her "idiot" needles? I didn't know what she meant, she says "Whats with this string tying them together?" Ohhhh idiot needles? I gently explained while laughing my head off that they were circular needles and not together so you don't lose them....that was the start of our day!!! Thanks again to everyone!

Scene of the Crime

It was 7:04am, the day was starting out a little on the humid side, but cool enough that it didn't matter. I was sitting out on my deck, having the usual cup of Sumatra coffee, black. Then I saw it, a flash out of the corner of my eye. Is it what I thought it was? Was there something in my coffee? Years of being elusive and only hoping to get a glimpse of it was there!!! It surely was a hit and run. I witnessed it, with great excitement I might add. Sucking the red juice from the feeder and moving in dartlike fashion to the next little sugar blossom. AAAAccckkkk it was just here again. My first hummingbird!!!!! I know for some of you this is mundane but darnit I have been buying these stupid fake flower sap suckers for years and have yet to witness a humming bird, plenty of ants, but no birds. So here I am in this raggety old nightshirt, sitting out and my hair is sticking straight up in the air from doing swirlys all night in my pillow, sitting sideways in my swing, cup of Joe in one hand and Suduka and pencil in the other. I actually watched it buzz around the feeder and have a slurp, then two and then gone. As I tried to get up for the camera, and lap top, the swing whipped out and the coffee spilled, I stepped in that and my raggety nighty was stuck in my butt. Please make a note, my deck is 20 feet up in the air, but level with all other Village dwellers. This is not for public viewing but I am most certain to sear the brain of the young girl that rents next to me, with visions of the most undesireable nightware and bra lessness she may ever encounter. I can hear her now making a mental note to self (never wear ripped oversize T-shirts with no bra, even if you think no one is looking!!! Ok for the record, I really have reached the age where I don't care what I sleep in as long as it's comfortable, the days of laying across the pillows with rows of picky lace and trussed up like a young spring chicken are looooooonnnngggg gone. Comfort I say and multi purpose!! That's another blog but back to the photo shot....So now I whip in the house, get my stuff and sit down propped and ready for the picture, one so I can be sure that I did see it and two to show you!!!! Hhhhmmm my foot is caught in the swing and buzz there it is again and the camera is somewhere between my lap and nomans land so I am groping for it and well the darn bird isn't sitting there going "cheese"? Gone again, so now I am on a mission, until then all I can give you is this empty feeder but I did notice an ant crossing the glass.....aaaahhhhhhhaaaaa I got it...Casper came back and I got it, not good but I was just folding this up and hit and run and he is on the left of the feeder!!!! I mean the other left!!! (right) Tra la la lalallalalalalala!!!!!! I do believe he was checking me out and took off!!!!!

Tango Lessons

I just wanted to let you know that I am giving free Tango lessons Wed. May 30th at noon and June7th at 6:00pm. Leave your dancing shoes at home and bring size 8 double points!!! It will be a good time!! I am also going to be closed Sunday May 27th, I need a little "Moi" time.....Ok I confess, I'm going shopping!!! Have a great Memorial Day weekend and Don't forget to Thank a Veteran!!! Signing off till after the Holiday!!! Have a good one!!!

Optimum Pleasure

Weaver, the Shop kids mom, has spun the Optim (Dove)!! You can't keep your hands off of it!! It is beautiful and this photo does not have feelavision!!!
We made purses outside yesterday in the 40' weather!!! That really stunk but the woman did a great job, check out the newsletter for the photos!! The link is on the sidebar!! So today is Monday my day off and I'm still doing store stuff? Ok so I'm going to clean my house right now....maybe?

May showers brought May flowers

That and an account at Home Depot helps!!! I was all ready for the Art show this weekend!! The flowers were planted the weather was good, shelves stocked and I sat and spun the weekend!! Kim helped me work on the basement yet another Monday and it is looking ....like .....like a basement!!! I think we removed at least two dozen boxes and it's still full!!! I still think it is one of those cruel jokes the shop fairies are playing on me!! But it is looking better!! Thank you Kim for keeping me on task!!

The shop kids stopped by and were playing with the "Dog Yarn shop" dog!!! She, meaning the dog is not normally in the store but due to a construction job on my upstairs, she was a nervous wreck and the kids calmed her down. So shop kid #1 is giving the evil eye and Joey the shop dog is showing #1 up with two glowing eyes, while the shop girls are so confused as to what is going on!!
As I said I got some spinning in and I chose to spin some Optim, which is Merino and is wonderful. This color is Chanticlaire, isn't it wonderful!!! It needs to be washed and set and then I will pet it for a few months!!!

Hey, Hey....uh Hey, uhm....can you say sugar buzz????

So here it is Nino de Mayo and we have cake!!! Do we have cake....cake, coffee, and Sparkling Grape Juice!!! Everyone brought cakes!!! I have a headache from sugar and guess what we are doing it all over again tonight!!! Pizza and cake!!! So I don't normally type in shorthand but I would if I could today!!!! I have got a lot of things done....and then there is the crash landing!!!
Man I crashed hard, but today is another day and I have been perusing the cakes..with some intrepidation!!