Spring Is Here So Summer Is Not Too Far Behind!

Just love, love, love the sound of spring peepers as the sun starts to set!  Because that means it is warming up and going to stay that way for awhile!  Yay!  But that also means it is almost time for the WEBS annual tent sale in Massachusetts.  Double yay!

For any fiber lover or spinner, this is heaven on earth.  Our Graceland.  The Vatican of fiber. The Royal Family reunion.  You name it, this is it.  WEBS is a great online source for all things yummy. It may be all sticks and string but ooooooooooo do we love the string!  Cashmere, baby alpaca, merino wool, angora, kid mohair, silk, milk fiber, bamboo viscose; the list could go on and on and on...and on, and on, and on.  And what makes it great for me (Karen) this year is that I am finally going to be able to experience this breathtaking, choir of angels softly singing above me, sunbeams lighting the glorious path to "Ahh-Aaahhhh".

I encourage anyone who is a fiber addict, like my sister and I, have a fiber addict in their family, or if you just have a general morbid curiosity as to who all these odd crazy people are squeezing skeins of yarn like they are checking the ripeness of a tomato.  Trust me, one squeeze of some baby alpaca, you're gonna be running around knocking people over squeezing, touching, feeling, rubbing on your cheek (hopefully face), and emphatically sounding off the Campbell's "mm-mmm-good!" slogan over and over again.  You get hooked (crochet pun - haha) from the first time your gently glide your finger over a soft hazy pillow of superfine kid mohair.  It's like being wrapped up into a burrito made from big white puffy clouds lined with angel feathers.

If anything, come and watch the loonies get all starry eyed over something the size of lemon that costs more than a nice dinner for two.  But my thought is, who needs dinner?

2015 - The Year of the Stash Bust

If you're an avid crafter - of just about any type of craft - then, you'll know all about the STASH.  Your stash is all of your supplies - all the little (and big) things you've collected over time that aid you in your craft.

For those of us that love the fiber arts - your stash can often grow to be more than just your essential supplies.  To be fair, I only need a single pair of knitting needles, or a single hook to knit or crochet at will.  As long as there's some string around - I can make something.  But, I don't have just a single set of needles - or a single hook and a single ball of string.  Instead, I have lots and lots and lots of each.

Because I've got sooooo much fiber, in all those lovely colors and types and weights, it means that I'm utilizing quite a bit of space to store them.  As I can only work on one project at a time - that means that there's an awful lot of pretty string around here waiting it's turn to be transformed into something fabulous.

So, in an effort to get to each of those lovely colors and fibers in turn, I've made a resolution for the year of 2015:  I will not purchase a single skein of dyed yarn.  (it hurts a little bit to even type that...)

If I have a project that is just screaming to be made, and I don't have a color that is jumping for joy because IT gets to be that fabulous project - then I will just have to dye my own fiber to suit the project in question.  If that doesn't work, I'll have to move on to another project that's screaming for a turn - there are plenty. :)

This means that for the entire year of 2015, I will be working 90% of the time from yarn that I already have and maybe 10% of the time from yarn that I will dye on a project-specific basis.  There is only one exception to this rule of the 2015 Stash Bust - the WEBS Tent Sale.  For the Tent Sale, all bets are off.  I'm trying to be a good girl, but, let's not get ridiculous here.

In any event, it's now the 17th of January, 2015 and I haven't purchased a single, little tiny piece of beautifully colored string - not a single skein, hank or cake of yarn has been brought into the house by me.  (My lovely, amazing, completely ROCKING sister sent me some beautiful yarns and that is going to have to hold me over until the Tent Sale.  THANK YOU, KAREN!!!!)

We'll see if I can keep to this Resolution.  I'm at about a 50/50 split right now - half of me really wants to do this Stash Bust and the other half of me is ready to go surfing and see just what is on sale at Knit Picks right now...

Must, resist the pretty...

Never Lose Your Sense of Humor

In reading my sister's prior post, which we were total Daddy's Girls, it brought up memories of winter time when we were kids.  We lived exactly one mile from our elementary school.  According to the school board, we lived on the wrong side of the street to get bussed to school.  We grew up on a corner and a very busy one at that.  So Dori and I had to walk to school and it was uphill, both ways.  I remember walking to school and having to say this to my teacher:

I looked like Randy from "A Christmas Story".  I did fall in a huge pile of snow once, measurable by the foot, and could not move.  I was stuck.  For real.  It was a Laurel and Hardy routine when Dori had to come pull me up.  We were in elementary school for Pete's sake.  Think we are tiny now? Thumbelina was a giant compared to us but we made it through each year.  But that wasn't as funny when we would jump off the little league dugouts into the super deep snow.  Oh wait...that's right...I didn't jump...my sister flung me off into the snow, face first.  Isn't childhood grand?  Especially when you're the youngest sibling and your older sibling is forced to take care of you?  Actually, I was a stinker for a sister and deserved several of the whompings I received.  That instance, however, not so much.

But through the years of living in the north, it becomes an "Eh, whatever" with winter.  So many a time I find myself rolling in laughter at those who live down south who only see snow when watching "It's A Wonderful Life".  Shut down an entire city for a dusting that melts within hours.  Funny stuff.  

It's even funnier when you see someone from the south driving up here in the winter for the first time, as long as you are not on the road with them.  But the funniest isn't the driving, it's when you have to get out of your car and walk across what you just barely traversed in your vehicle.  Grown men crab walking on their tiptoes to make it to the front door, priceless.  But even those who are old hats in driving during the winter are void of all sense of reason sometimes.

But there are ways of knowing who grew up in the north and who are transplants.  I hate the winter, this is more than true, but having been through soo many, you know how to prepare and roll with the punches.  For example, a new northerner...

Lifelong northerner would be stocked to the eyeballs by mid-August

We get a ton of those here in the Chicago area.  Stocked up on salt by mid-July.  I've had it snow on my birthday and leave a foot.  I was born in mid-April, my husband late April, still snowing.

Grilling happens all year around, period.  Shovel a path to the grill if needs be.  The choice of food to be grilled may vary slightly from above, but the thought has run through many minds.  Sorry Phil.

But through it all, one must never lose their sense of humor.  Winter can be lots of fun and it's a blast watching the kids go sledding, snowboarding, fort-building-trash-talking-snowball-fights, making igloos/dugouts from the 9-10 foot tall snowdrifts, snow angels, and the classic snowman. Growing up, we loved reading Calvin & Hobbes.  Love Calvin.  Here's a homage to the little boy that makes us remember how cool it really was being a kid.

And to those who haven't lost their sense of humor in adulthood, you rock.  We have a lot of front yardage, I think we can come up with something good...

Snowman on snowman violence...why can't we all just get along?

Frosty my ass...wwhoooo-aaahhhh

I wonder if this is Gulliver's twin in a parallel dimension

Henry didn't quite catch on as to what would happen if he lost the bet with Barry and Wendall

Answers that question

Being a major fan of Halo, this is nothing short of kick-ass

My all time favorite land animal

But no matter what you do to pass the time during the snow laden winters, always remember to never lose your sense of humor.  And always have a good stock of alcohol.

An Invitation to FLASH!!

So, this post is going to be all about FLASHING!!

I'm so totally going to flash you!

With my stash -

of yarn.

Boy, you've got a nasty mind...
:)

Mind you now, this is actually not even close to all of it...

So, here goes...

Oh, I should probably mention that this unit is just over two feet deep - and the yarn is starting to push it's way out.  Oh, oh and did I mention that 70% of it, or so, isn't even in this shot?  Oh, oh, oh, um, also you want to know the worst/best part?  There's more coming from Knit Picks sometime this week - and I can't find a single damn skein that works just right with the project I want to start next. *le sigh*

<3

Consider this an invitation to flash (your stash of yarn, please)!

Coloring with String

I've often had people ask me why it is that I like to knit, crochet, tat, weave and spin.  Mostly, for me, it's about coloring with string.  I really enjoy creating something new.  Something that wasn't there before.  The fact that a stick or two and some string can turn into so many different things is a wonder to me.

I also enjoy the rhythm of this type of creation.  Once you get moving along, there is a smoothness to the rhythm that can be very soothing.  In a life that gives plenty of stress, anything soothing is welcomed here with open arms.  :)

Plus, it's fun to play with color.  I think that Karen and I have made the same beanie hat - in two basic styles probably hundreds of times, and there are no repeats in color(s).  All the string gets dyed all the colors.

Speaking of dyeing (really smooth on the segue there, right?), I've always liked to dye my own yarn, I've just never found it to be very cost-effective.  Well, that's all changed!!  I've found an awesome supplier who has superior quality fibers, fast shipping and the lowest prices I've ever seen.  Now, that I can custom dye our own lace shawl/scarf/shawlette/poncho/ponchette/caplet yarns for a third of the price I was paying - bring on the dye pots!! 

I ordered a very small order the first time through and here are some shots of my adventurous very first run dyeing a slow change/gradient:




Creating a dyeing blank

Soak bath

Dyeing all done and the drying has begun!

This runs from true orange all the way to the palest touch of color.

Just love the way this turned out!



Now, that the new yarn is dyed, dried, caked and lovely - it's time to decided what fabulous thing this will become with just a pair of sticks to do the job!  :)

Today was Award Winning!

Today was a lovely day.  Kids at school.  Husband at work.  Two shawls finished - IN THE SAME DAY!! - and sent out/gifted.  I was monitoring work from home - keeping up on emails and phone calls.  Got a new shawl started.  Called Karen and messed with her for a bit.  Once Karen was all nice and wound up, went around the corner and mailed her a present.  (She deserved it for putting up with me earlier in the day...)

Sounds like I was really working it today, right?

Ha!  Not hardly.  All of that only took about ten minutes in the afternoon.  The entire rest of the day I seriously won the Slacker Award.  For real, most of the day was dedicated to a Dexter Marathon. 

 

 

Tomorrow.  Tomorrow I will go to work; balance the books, take care of billing, work on several different WIP (Work In Progress) projects and make a huge dinner. 

 

Today, though, I am enjoying my Award and getting ready to order some pizza.

 

:)

 



 

Surviving THAT Day

Today has been THAT day.  You know the one.  It's the day where nothing actually goes really, truly, terribly wrong but nothing really goes right either.  Since it's Wednesday, it's too far in to blame it on Monday and still not far enough in to really let the weekend act as a buffer.  Ugh.  Just THAT day, all day.

#5 was home from school sick.  Not sick enough for the doctor's office or urgent care (thankfully); but, sick enough that he needed constant attention all day.  No fever or anything, just coughing and a really, really runny nose.  Lots of lovely sneezes in Mommy's face.  Eh, whatever.  I'm just glad that he's feeling better and is sleeping peacefully now, my poor little man.

#4 came home from school all bummed out because he had gotten a 96 on a test he was SURE he had aced.  Someone else in the class had gotten a 97 - which irritated his competitive ego just a touch.  Don't get me wrong, I am NOT that mom that drives and drives her kids to "perfection" like they're work mules - I do try to instill in them a sense of independence and confidence; try to help them balance a healthy respect for reality while maintaining a good heart.  But, this boy, this one has such a natural sense of himself.  He has the most amazing light in his eyes, it truly makes me proud.  But, I have to remind him sometimes that achievements come in many forms and perfection is an illusion.  I don't want him to drive himself so hard he has ulcers at 30.

#3 turned 16 this week.  She's tall and lovely.  She's a 16 year-old girl.  Enough said. *le sigh*

#2 spent the morning studying and the rest of the time on the Xbox - all day.  All day.  All day long.  She's asleep now because she has class early tomorrow.  The Xbox is finally turned off.  I think I can hear it quietly weeping in exhausted relief in her room...

#1 and her sprog are doing their thing.  They live around the corner from us.  It's quite close.  It doesn't make me worry about them a single iota less - but I won't tell if you don't.

I worked very early this morning so that I could be back home before my husband had to go to work.  I got everything done and was back in the door in just under two hours.  I was actually a bit proud of myself for getting everything done in such a quick turn around.  I walk in the door and my lovely husband and coughing, snotty son met me at the door - wondering why I had been gone so long. 

We got the husband off to work, I snuggled up the little man and then the phone started ringing.  It just didn't stop.  For the next three hours, there was another call every ten minutes or so.  Some needed to be taken care of, some were just chatty bullshit, and some were a waste of time.  (Did you know that YOU too can get solar panels installed for less than you might think?)

See?  Nothing terrible.  Just THAT day.  All day.

Days like this, the ones that are just off, are one of the reasons that I like to work with the fiber arts.  The feel of some soft and luscious yarn in my hands; the sense of accomplishment when I create something new; the rhythmic characteristics of knitting, crochet, weaving, spinning and/or tatting all have a positive effect on THAT day.  I have some fabulous baby alpaca that I've been saving for a day just like THIS day.

Here's to a Thursday that rocks!

So winter is officially here...ack

Having lived in the north all of my life, one would think that not only would I have grown accustomed to the winter but have come to enjoy it.  Ever so wrong my friends.  Especially now that I have a driveway a quarter mile long that has to be plowed, not shoveled, but plowed.  Not to mention every time you take a breath it feels like icicles are shredding your nasal cavities and lungs to tartare.  But alas, I am still here in the north, braving what Mother Nature dishes out.  But more so the crazy people in my house.  Both my husband and my daughter are like two kids on a free-for-all in a candy store during the winter.  My husband prepared the snowmobiles last week and my daughter arranged her snowboard gear to the point a fireman would be impressed while I am snuggly and cozy warm inside taking inventory of my yarn and perusing through patterns to try out.  Like I said, they are crazy. But none-the-less fantastic guinea pigs for figuring out what items to make for winter and with which fibers. So I guess weirdo crazy people can be useful :p.  And just to clarify, I mean crazy in the most loving of ways possible, although my daughter had just come up to me whiffing at her armpits stating how wonderful they smell and I should enjoy them too and proceeded to shove them in my face.  Crazy.  But lovable.  And there is the free entertainment value, from a distance.

A Lil On The Wild Side

Our knitted fleece headband/cowl set.  I made myself a cowl and fingerless gloves out of the same fiber and they are awesome!

Some times, in the evenings,

Some times, in the evenings, when things are calming down I like to wander the interwebs looking for trending knit and crochet items/patterns.

To be completely honest, though, it's more of a way to get out of the dishes than anything else. ;p  If I'm busy looking for items that I want to re-work for the Black Sheep Sisters, or things that I want to talk Karen into making first as a test run, then I can claim the time as time spent on the Shop and assign the dishes to one of the many children running around this house.  (Aside from cleaning the WC, I HATE doing dishes more than any other chore.)

Just one more thing to thank the fiber arts for...