One Crazy Fiber Lady

I was busy minding my own business at work this morning.   I had FB open, because, really, who doesn’t?  I might not like the thing, but its amazing how much information is contained right there and then.   I “Liked” Royal Caribbean a while back.  And it’s a good thing I did because I spotted an important update with a link that lead to this page:

And yes, I’m booked on the affected sailing.  My 10 night cruise just became a 9 night cruise.  No idea yet if they are changing the itinerary to that of the 9 night cruise that we’ve now taken twice, or just cutting out a port-of-call.  We’ll find out Saturday when we get there.

Still, could be worse.  The boat is still afloat and I *will* be going on her, just a little later and for not quite as long as I’d planned.  Also messes with some preparatory scheduling.  So much for the Friday morning pedicure.  Good thing I hadn’t called the salon on that one yet.  On the up side, I just got back one of my vacation days leaving me more time to use later in the year.

Yup, glass half full.  That’s me.

Craft on!

Look who asked me for a refresher course in knitting on Sunday night…

He’s doing very well at it and has already managed to figure out how to increase stitches !  He managed to increase from 20 to 35 in two rows!  After school yesterday, he sat with Mom to knit for a while.  After dinner and homework, he got ready for bed and then we sat and knitted until bedtime.  It was sweet.  He’s picked it up rather well.  He wants to make my mom a scarf for her birthday.  No idea what year he’s targeting

Craft on!

Time for one last post this year.  Well, technically not the very last opportunity, but I wouldn’t bank on me posting tomorrow.  I’ve been on vacation this week and well, pretty busy.  I alternated between knitting:

I finished Caroline!  Finally.  A year later (details here).  I’m embarrassed that it took so very long to finish.  It’s an excellent design and I can’t wait to wear it.

When I wasn’t knitting,  I was writing code.  The iOS version of KnitCounter is just about done.  I’ve been using it to finish Caroline actually.

This is a slightly outdated screenshot from the simulator.  Somehow I lost the one I took on my phone.  Oh well.    I’ve got a beta tester playing with it and when her feedback is in, I’ll submit it to the app store.  Exciting!

Since Caroline is now done, I needed to start a new project.  Last week I got the evil email from Webs that their year end sale was underway.  I couldn’t help myself and went scanning the sale items.  I picked up some Noro Shirakaba and made my way through the patterns in Ravelry to find something to knit out of it.  I settled on a Comfy Cardi.  I have the back done.

It is awfully sedate for Noro.  Loving it too.  It is a cotton/silk/wool blend and it is excellent to work with.  I’ve made a good bit of progress on one of the cardi fronts and if I buckle down can get it done today.  (Spent the morning futzing with the app again. )

There hasn’t been much spinning around these parts.  Can’t remember the last time I touched the wheel, but it was more than likely when I finished up the Cupcake Fiber batts.  I enjoyed the spinning of the batts into singles…

But the plied yarn?  Doesn’t speak so much to me.  It’s been sitting on the bobbin now for over a month.  I really do need to wind it off at least.

I need to get back to the wheels.  So many hobbies, so little time.

Finally, wanted to share the sweet note I got from Alexander yesterday:

Gotta love those monkeys of mine.

Happy New Year!

Today is day two of my “vacation” between jobs. Yesterday was spent very quietly. I took the kids off to school and spent the day relaxing. I plied the Falkland on the Schacht, watched TV and took a nap. It was pretty awesome. After dinner, while Alex and I watched The Day After Tomorrow, I pulled out the Vermont Wheel and started on the Cupcake Fiber that I’ve been amassing. Its pretty darn nice to spin. I’ll post more on that stuff in another post.

Today is girl primp / relax day. Serendipity is at the groomers getting washed (and probably tummy shaved). She should be ready for pickup shortly. She’ll then spend the rest of the afternoon hissing and growling at the other cats. I took advantage of being available on a weekday for the package deal at the nail salon.

Tonight is SnB where I’ll probably finish up Alex’s sweater and start on Kat’s. Or maybe not. I might work on the socks. Or maybe not. I could spin too. I like having all these possibilities! For now, while I wait for the groomer’s phone call, I’m going to sit and read a programming iOS book. Or not

Craft on!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Well the sooper-seekrit project has now been finalized and I can reveal it… (click to embiggen)

Yes, I know I only started my position in June, but this one sought me out.  I got a call from a recruiter that I dealt with briefly in May enticing me with something that would take advantage of my experience in both online education and eCommerce.  Naturally I was intrigued, and with the help of my SnB gals, decided to go for it.

Last Wednesday, I had a first round telephone interview testing my tech.  Shortly thereafter I got the call that they wanted to see me.  Immediately.  Thursday I went in for 2 hours of interviews with various senior IT staff members.  Friday morning I had a verbal offer (which after my recruiter negotiated for a better compensation package) I accepted.  I was extremely happy to find out that benefits start DAY ONE!  OMG.  The formal offer arrived last night.  I gave notice this morning, much to my boss’ chagrin.  My last date is 11/8.  I’ll have a couple of days off before the next gig starts.  I’m very much looking forward to this new challenge!

Now since this is purportedly the blog of a fiber artist, here’s the current bus project!

This is that yummy chocolate alpaca that I bought at Rhinebeck.  No marinating in stash for this yarn!  Anyway, it is a cowl/hood based on the one Tami made that I’ve been ogling forever.  I’m alternating bands of plain knitting with classic 1×1 seed stitch.  I’m getting 6 st/in and cast on 148 st.  Can I just say that I want to roll around nakid with this yarn!  YUM  Hopefully I’ll have enough left over to knit some pulse warmers in a matching similar pattern.  I should, there was 8oz in the skein.  If not, I might just have to send an email to the address on the ball band.

On that note, I’m going to curl up with my knitting and the latest DVR’ed episode of Dexter.

Craft on!

I was posting at a pretty decent clip there, so I guess it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I fell off the wagon again and went dark.  All things are cyclical with me I guess.  I’ve had a sooper seekrit project in the works that started life as an out of the blue telephone call.  I can’t divulge what it is quite yet, but hopefully very soon.  It’s sooper seekrit you know.

I might be working on this other project, but that hasn’t stopped the knitting thing, just the blogging thing.  Go figure.  Apparently, if I can’t talk about EVERYTHING, I choose to chat about NOTHING.  Not to mention there’s the whole falling behind, amassing lots of stuff to mention and then having sooooo much that I don’t know what to include v. what to exclude.  Someday I’ll get this right.

The most important event in October is the twin’s birthday.  My babies turned 8.  EIGHT!  I could swear that they were tiny babies just yesterday.  This year we had a bowling party at the local alley.  15 kids on 3 lanes is like herding cats.  Everyone had a good time, which is the important thing.

Yup, each kid got to pick their own cake.  Alex went for the ice cream cake and Kat, surprise surprise, picked a Hello Kitty pink masterpiece.  Happy birthday babies!

October is also the annual pilgrimage to Rhinebeck for the gorging of the wool   This year I had the kids with me and we spent the day with Leann and baby.  It looks like turnout was down this year, which from a fairgoer perspective is good as it is less crowded.  I just hope the sellers had a good year.  Would be nice if what was good for us was also good for them.  My haul was remarkably restrained this year.

From left to right:

• Forbidden Woolery Lush in “Charmed” colorway – 3 skeins to knit Featherweight Cardi
• Shawl pattern and lace weight cashmere from Just Our Yarn
• 8oz chocolate alpaca in a sport weight for a cowl like Tami’s
• 2 skeins of sock yarn from Into the Whirled
• 1 alpaca blend from Brooks Farm – originally plucked for a cowl but displaced by the later purchase of the choc stuff – might still be a cowl

No spinning fiber at all this year.  Yeah, can’t remember the last time (if ever) that happened!  There was one year, probably 2005 – which was the last time that the twins went, that the only thing I bought was like a pound of shetland fiber.    Also for a change, everything was purchased with a purpose in mind.

There’s another event in October that I totally missed.  My blogiversary.  My first ever post was on blogger on way way back.  I can’t believe I’ve been at this since 2004.  The twins had just turned 1.  My how things have changed!

That brings us almost up to date.  I have other stuff to show, like a nifty spindle I picked up, as well as some finished objects, but I’ll leave that for another day.

Craft on!

http://www.forbiddenwoolery.com/

Yesterday was the big day, one that made my retired parents happy.  The one where the kids who had been home for the last two weeks when camp ended finally go off and do something else during the day.  Yesiree it was the first day of school.   The monkeys are now second graders.

Kathryn actually was happy about the start of school.  She just wasn’t happy about standing next to her brother.  She gets like that sometimes.   Which explains the sourpuss on her.  It also goes to explain the happy face on her brother.  Nothing like getting points with mom for not being a pain AND getting under Kat’s skin.  At the same time!  Woo hoo.

Anyway… they are now in second grade.  We’re continuing the trend started last year where they are in separate classes.  It worked out very well.  This year, they reshuffled all the teachers at our elementary school.  One of the kindergarten teachers last year is now teaching first, a second grade teacher is teaching fifth.  As it turns out, Alex’s first grade teacher, Mrs. D has moved to second grade and yes, Alex is in her class again.  He liked her very much and was happy by the results.  Kat’s teacher last year has left the district.  Not sure where she went off to, but I do wish her the best.  Kat is upset that she won’t be able to say goodbye to Mrs. P.

They had their first bit of homework last night.  Decorating their writing folders with inspirational pictures, quotes, etc.  Mom must have spent 45 minutes sifting through pictures on her computer and printing them out on label paper so they could stick em to the folder.  They’ve both loaded up with family pictures from over the years.  No, no knitting or yarn pictures, though i would have put them on mine.

Speaking of which, here’s the status of Kauni 2.  I started the first sleeve while the Sox pounded the Jays last night, 14-0.  Always happy when that happens   Its moving along.

Craft on!

This will be a post with lots of randomness to it.  First, the last finished project.

Spunky Neapolitan Socks

• Yarn:  Spunky Eclectic
• Colorway:  Neapolitan
• Needles:  US1
• Pattern:  Basic over 52 st
• Started: 08/03/11
• Finished: 08/27/11

Next up:

I had to restart Kat’s sock.    I started with too few stitches yesterday and wound up with a really really pointed toe.  This time, instead of six(12), I cast on 12(24) using that awesome method I linked a while ago.  I’m much further along as of my morning commute, however, I learned a very important lesson:  you can’t take a decent picture of knitware on your lap while on a moving subway train  I would have waited but next stop was mine.  Better picture tomorrow.

The kids have me dizzy.  For quite a while they not only refused to wear my handknit items, they actually pointedly asked me to buy them something instead.  Okay.  Fair enough.  I respected their wishes, and really, redirected the knitting energy on ME.  I am a selfish knitter after all.  So now?  They’ve both put in a request list:  socks, hats and sweaters!  Wow.

This has me scratching my head a bit.  All over the city, they are removing cobblestones and/or paving over them.  What’s going on out here in the boondocks known as DUMBO?

They’re actually putting down cobblestones!  I’m not a huge fan of the pretty bricks.  Chalk it up to my foot size and/or my terrible ankles, but I have a heck of a time walking on these things.  They are a broken ankle waiting to happen if you ask me!

Pet peeve:  listening to people chew.  Totally squicks me out.  Sadly, two days a week I have to hear it at work.  I have a co-worker who blessedly works from home most of the week.  I saw blessedly as when she’s here she nibbles on ice.  ALL.  DAY.  LONG.  She sits in my bionic hearing rang.  I hope after the move that my desk is across as it is getting old having to sit with the headphones in all day.  I think I’m beyond the point where I can gently ask her to knock it off in a nice way.  UGH.

I’ve discovered that this blog is good for more than figuring out when I knit something or bought this or that item.  I found a true practical usage.  Last week I suffered through a terrible headache for the better part of it.  Like always, I initially wrote it off to stress, weather, not sleeping so well, for staring at a monitor all day long… all of the above.  All good excuses for a headache, but nothing out of the ordinary that should be causing misery for that long.  Then I had a vague memory of another weeklong misery period that I remembered blogging.  I couldn’t remember when it had fallen so I did a little reading of the archives.  I found it had been in the early fall of Sept 2008 for well over a week.    I smell a pattern Batman.  I pointed it out to mom.  She went:  Hay fever.  Awesome.  I think she’s right.  I went back to taking regular allergy meds, adopted a Neti Pot and now the headache is gone.  thanks to 2008 CFL for recording this info for her future self.

Finally, we all know that I’m a bit of a collector of things:  yarn, fiber, wheels, electronics, purses.  I don’t need all the stuff I have and well, some of it needs to find new homes periodically.  I’m considering putting up a small ‘store’ on the blog, an online garage sale if you will, to find new homes for all the excess stuff.  I’d list things like the once loved by now replaced electronics, commercial and handspun yarns, fiber, and like new Coach bags.   Good idea?  Bad idea?  Feedback would be much appreciated..

As I mentioned yesterday, we were out on the boat this weekend.  We took it into the little pond area off the Hudson River that we like so much and dropped anchor.  While there, the kids did a little swimming, taking turns jumping off the side of the boat into the water.  Glad they’re getting to be such good swimmers!  Anyway, another pond activity is to launch the dinghy and just motor around.  I watched Alex chase some ducks around the pond while he was steering the dink.

Unfortunately, boating is never dull.  Something unexpected almost always happens.  And seeing as the dink is a boat, it is not immune to this rule of law.  Something happened to the outboard motor such that while the prop spins, it didn’t actually make the dink move about.  Dad, figuring nothing was going to happen (ha ha) didn’t put the oars on the dink.  So when the outboard quits, what do you do?  Use the grandkids as outboards!

Nice huh?

Craft on!

I got to talking with one of my new coworkers last week.  Not sure how the subject came up any longer but we settled on digital photography and DSLR cameras/lens combos. Turns out we both have Canons and she had the  50mm lens that I’ve been lusting after for a long time.  I’ve been jealous of the bokeh that Jessalu has been able to get with her lens.  However, it isn’t the cheapest of lens  options out there, so she offered to bring her lens in and let me give it a go with my camera.  Well Friday was digi camera day at the office.  I took the below shot with her lens and was sold immediately.

Second sock (while trying out a co-worker's lens)

After lunch I ordered it on Amazon, opting for $3.99 prime one-day Saturday delivery.  Gave me an opportunity to play with it over the weekend.  Here are a couple of the pictures I took over the weekend..

And yes, for those reading along on Facebook, Kat broke her elbow in a fall at camp the Wednesday before the July 4th weekend.  It is a radial head injury with a very very stable fracture.  She has a split cast, which we are allowed to take off so she can enjoy the pool.  Hasn’t slowed her down any.  We do get some bitching when it is time to put it back on.  Guess that is to be expected.  Kid is a trooper and doing very well.

Time to go relax and read a bit before bed.  Long awaited arrival tomorrow!!!

Craft on!