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We got home today from VA-KAY.  It went as follows:

1.  A week ago Friday – drive to PA., see Pirates game, drive to Chalkville, PA.

2. Sat. – Whitewater raft (Craig/Cole) &  bike along the river (me/Lainie) at OhioPyle National Park (beautiful).

3. Drive to Washington D.C., take Cole to the emergency room for a fractured nose at 11:00 p.m., go to the Smithsonian Museum of American History

4. Monday – Craig gets a reckless speeding ticket in VA for going 20 over on the way to Kitty Hawk, NC.  Unknown at this point if we can pay the ticket or he has to go to court in VA.

5.  Stay at Kitty Hawk for 3+ days, have a great time.

6.  Thursday/Friday-Drive through the Appalachians to Kentucky.  Car starts acting funny and we rolled into Florence, KY to a Saturn dealership.  Left 4 hours later with a new catalytic converter – $1,400.00.  Ouch. 

7.  Go to see Reds play, then drive home 6 hours rolling into my m-i-l’s at 3:30 a.m. — we had no key to get into the house because the neighbor had it.

I’m trying to stay positive about the whole thing.  You know, good parts, bad parts.  One of the nice things about vacation is that it allows you to clear your head of the everyday monotony  and think about the stuff you haven’t been doing but want to.  I feel like I”m making New Year’s resolutions all over again:  blog more, list more markers for sale, keep a to-do list and actually do the things on them (very helpful with my memory loss), cook more, etc. etc.

I didn’t knit much on the trip (GASP).  I worked on a cross stitch santa ornament and tried to finish some blanket squares I’m making for the Pine Ridge Reservation group on ravelry.

Off to get a shower and go to dinner/movie with Craig.  We both need a break from the kids!

It’s been so long!

I don’t even know what to say – it’s been well over a month since I last blogged.  Lots of busyness, but “nothing” busyness.  You know, the everyday grind.  Kids,  job, house.  I turned 40 in April and we had a huge bash – 30+ people came!  Including most of my lovely stitch ‘n bitch group, which was a real treat.  Thanks for coming, guys.  I am in my busiest part of the year at work – it’s scholarship season.  I have 5 scholarships that I administer, including one that gets 130-140 applications each year.  I also keep having customers croak on me, dammit!  When it rains, it pours.  Deaths always come in 3’s.  Well, they started dying off last July and it just keeps on going.  Hugely stressful.  Lots of work, lots of people who want the money they’re inheriting, dammit!  Plus all the administrative stuff that goes along with it – paying final bills, cleaning out houses and storage units, disposing of assets, contacting beneficiaries, filing final tax returns, getting assets revalued, moving the account to a new status, paying specific bequests, etc. etc. etc.  I could go on forever but I don’t want to bore you to tears!

I’ve been knitting:

Plain old vanilla socks knit with hand-dyed yarn by my crafty buddy, Kristin!

We won’t discuss the mistakes (like knitting one of the socks above the ankle with a size smaller needle than the other sock – oops!) but suffice to say, I’m glad they’re done.  It’s good experience.  I also finished a market bag:

I used this stretchy nylon yarn that I bought 6-7 years ago.  Here’s another shot with Sir Archibald looking devilishly handsome:

And….I started a new sock.  I’m really branching out on this third pair – I’m trying a mistake rib (whoo! how exciting! Next thing you know I’ll be trying a cable pattern, oh goodness, it’s too much!):

I’m still working out of this book, which taught me how to make socks.  I have a lovely Vogue Knitting Sock Pattern book and some day I’ll use it.  Promise.

But the best thing of all?  All of the above projects were made with stash yarn!  Still trying to do my best to keep my New Year’s Resolution to knit with what I have.  I’ve done pretty good.  In the months of January and March, I didn’t buy anything.  I bought enough skeins to do 2 scarves in February.  At the end of April, I was feeling sorry for myself, caved and bought a skein of trekking xxl sock yarn in some delicious browns.  Then, this month?  I did buy yarn – 5 skeins – but they are to go into projects which I had already bought yarn for when Lainie was 2-3.  Since she’s 5, I need more yarn.  Does it count as a yarn purchase?  My stitch ‘n bitch group thought so, but I’m pretty much rationalizing that purchase away.

We have veggies planted, but the weather is not completely cooperating here in Illinois.  It’s still cool and we’re getting a lot of rain!  The farmers haven’t even been able to get out into the fields because of all the rain, and it’s pretty much unheard of not to have all your crops planted by now.  I keep thinking this must be a byproduct of global warming.

My Heart Just Isn’t Into It

That’s right!  I’m being a slug!  Craig went off to band practice – the house is peacefully quiet, children are asleep – and I am attempting to be productive, but my heart just isn’t into it. 

:: Perhaps it’s because I’m gimping around like a little old lady from doing legs last night at the gym!

::Perhaps it’s because the Saturn died on Craig yesterday while he was driving it (on East Lincoln Highway).  We had it towed ($65.00) and found out that it’s the crankshift sensor ($363.63). 

::Perhaps it’s because I’m trying to list stitch marker sets on Etsy, and it’s monotonous!

But no matter, it all just means one thing:  I need to go to bed.   And dream of being productive and crafty. 

I leave you with a few pictures of new sets I’m putting into the  shop:

Wrapped Toffees – made with a variation of millefiori glass beads, which I love!

These markers have it all!  Czech glass flower beads, czech glass rondelles, glass seed beads, firepolished czech glass beads – all in a monochromatic study of the color blue.  Delightful.

The Poncho is Finished!

Lainie, how do you like your new poncho?

Thumbs up.  Everything that is good gets a “thumbs up.”  Lainie, how was your day?  Thumbs up.  Lainie, how’s your dinner?  Thumbs up.

Here’s the back:

The decreases are visible, but I don’t think they look too bad.

By the way, Lainie picked the color.  Orange is her favorite.  I love that about her.

Here’s with the hood on:

It’s snug, but I think that was the intent in the pattern.  The yarn is Feza Opera, purchased from my local yarn shop for half price = $3.00/skein.  Bargain!  And I knit it on size 11 needles, so it went really quick.  The pattern was from one of the small Vogue books.

Today is Cole’s 9th birthday!  Pictures to follow!

Not one of my more stellar nights

…as a parent, that is.  This morning started out not so hot, as Cole ignored my request to go and walk Archie.  I reciprocated by not making his lunch (thereby subjecting him to the b-b-q rib sandwich at school which may contain pork and other mystery ingredients and I knew he wouldn’t like).  When he decided to scrape the ice off the driveway instead of getting his backpack and getting into the car, I made him walk down to the person’s house with who I carpool.  Yes, that’s right, he walked into the house and I closed the garage door and drove off, leaving him to find his own way down to Mark & Lynn’s house.

Tonight was going better, until it was time to take a shower.  Cole was again ignoring my request that it was time to get into the shower, because he was writing a note to his dad not to dismantle his lego creation.  I finally started counting….and Lainie paid attention, but Cole did not.  At 5, I told Cole he’d have to go to bed with no books.  He started crying and saying “I was just trying to write Dad a note!” to which I told him he could have done that after his shower.  So, he gets into the shower and turns it to scalding.  Lainie gets into the shower with him (they’re still young enough that when we’re in a rush, they shower together) and starts screaming, literally screaming, that the water was too hot.  I hear Cole mutter:  “what, Lainie, I’m blocking most of it” in this totally “so what” voice.  I go in and take a look at him:  his skin is beet red.  So, I got mad because I knew he was being a jerk to his sister because he likes the water scalding and doesn’t care about her.  I made him turn the water off.  He had shampoo in his hair.  He’s all like “what?” and I proceeded to poke him very hard in the arm and tell him with clenched teeth “IF YOUR SISTER IS SCREAMING THAT THE WATER IS TOO HOT YOU HAVE TO TURN IT DOWN!!!” (or something like that).  I told him to get out.  “But I have shampoo in my hair!”  “Fine, rinse it off.”  He turns the water on and proceeds to run his hand under the water trying to get it to super hot again and I lost it and told him to “TURN ON THE WATER AND GET RINSED AND GET OUT OF THE SHOWER!” (again, with clenched teeth)  to which he got upset with.  Mind you, when he got into the shower he was “muttering” about how unfair I was being because he was just trying to write a note to dad, blah blah blah (loud enough for everyone to hear him).  So, he disappeared out to the living room and I got Lainie’s shower finished and I made both kids go to bed with no books.  I think both of them were okay when they went to bed but I did not go in and tuck them in.

So, all in all, not one of my more stellar nights as a parent.  I hate it when things blow up like that, but I get so sick and tired of it, too.  I work all day – and then my evenings are spent cooking, doing homework, getting the kids to bed and reading them books.  By the time they’re in bed  it’s usually 9:30 p.m. and then I need to do my “15 minutes” of housework to make the cleaning nazi happy.

Oh well.  Buck up, little camper!  Mama said there’d be days like this.

I took some new stitch markers pictures and edited them.  Here’s a preview:

A mixed bouquet.

I love these vintage czech bottle beads!  They look just like trees.

Flowers, a common theme of mine.

More millefiori markers.  These would be great for a blanket since there are so many.  I plan to sell these cheap, because I have so many of the millefiori beads.

This is a new color combo for me…and I’m liking them!

These swirly ones remind me of a Monet painting.  The “different” marker is made with a furnace bead (love those) and 2 czech beads.

I realized when I started taking pictures of these that one of the markers had chipped, so now it’s just a set of 6 instead of 7.  Boo hiss.

Another new color combination for me.  Oh, how I love these markers!  So lightweight and pretty – perfect for socks or lace.

Yes, I edited 83 pictures.  Still practicing at the macro mode.  The next couple of days will be spent listing these in the etsy shop.

Blargh!  Let’s hope for a better morning and more patience tomorrow.

Bead Love

My local Ben Franklin got in a new order of czech glass beads!  I stalked them for a couple of days, which they were good natured about and even let me look at all the beads they hadn’t priced yet.  I had to pace myself, because I know I’m going to want to buy more.  Here’s the initial loot:

The top two strands I actually purchased at Bliss Beads.  She has a good selection of czech glass rondelles.  The other strands are all brand new Ben Franklin love!  I bought strands of teeny tiny flowers – and each strand has variations of its color, so it’ll be more “versatile”.  Then some plain but enticing green squares, some lovely blue and black swirlies and some coppery rondelles (rondelles and cube beads are good staple items to have on hand).  There is one more strand I forgot to photograph, c’est la vie!

I am proud to report that I have gotten more stitch marker sets listed in stitchcandy.  I have another 7 or 8 sets that need to go into the shop, and then I can begin creating again!  So go and check it out.  I even have sections now:  Shiny Goodness, Soft & Pretty (my flower inspired markers), and my fave:  Funkalicious!

I am also proud to report that I did not purchase any yarn in the month of March!  Go me!!!!  That makes no purchases for 2 out of the 3 months of 2009.  The craft diet resolution is going strong.  I did, however, get a gift last Friday from my friend and the Queen of Hardware, Trixy.  She is participating in a yarn-of-the-month club for The Three Irish Girls, and got this shipment:

It’s alpaca, folks!  Oh my.  But Trixy did not care for the colors and said to me “I just need for this to go away”.  Thanks, Trixy!!!

Finally, I knit a bit on The Big Sack Sweater this past week.  Not a whole lot, as I’m still  have tendon/nerve issues in my hand:

My hand issues are irritating, to say the least.  It’s been 4 weeks now since it happened.  It seems to get better, then it hurts again.  But I’m doing my stretches and I can only hope it resolves itself soon.

I am childless today until about 5:00 p.m.!  The kids went with their cousins and Grams to the indoor water park yesterday.  I celebrated by going into work for a few hours (boo hiss), running errands, taking a long nap and going to a Final Four party last night.  Today it’s cleaning, taking pictures of stitch markers and making items to take to my sister-in-law’s ham dinner at 5:00 p.m.

I hope all of you are having a great weekend!!!

Happy Part 2

Yesterday or last night (time is all relative), I signed into my ravelry account and went directly to my friends.  To my utter delight, there were blog posts from 6 of my favorite blogs:

1.  Baa Baa Blacksheep - Bea is a Texan and faithfully posts every day.  She has adorable bulldogs (Gussy’s my favorite) but she is always working on some sort of intricate and beautiful sock.  Check out her newest one – so pretty!

2.  A Day in the Life of Knit & Purl Mama - Robyn is a Canadian, runs an online yarn store and has 2 really cute kids.  They’re such happy kids!  Just by seeing them, you can tell how much they are loved.  I love reading about what the kids are up to and can totally relate, seeing as I have young children, too.  Plus she must have the most massive stash anyone has ever seen!  She’s always posting pictures of delicious yarn she has purchased.

3.  Get Your Hook On - Kathy Marie is so cool.  She’s in my local stitch ‘n bitch group.  She has a great sarcastic sense of humor and wonderful taste in yarn – almost always bright and cheerful.  I love talking to her and I love her blog!

4.  The Adventures of Cassie - Cassie is another member of  the snb group.  Cassie’s a grad student majoring in art (of some kind) and she is so talented!  Not just in painting or fiber art, but at knitting.  And photography.  Go and look at the pictures in the latest post — it captured the day perfectly.  It’s a treat to read her blog and see what creative thing she is up to.

5.  Knitting in Pink - I don’t know Valerie well, but she has purchased stitch markers from me in the past to put on box bags that she sews.  She is extremely talented in the areas of knitting and sewing and quilting and weaving.  I love to surround myself with talented crafters, as I find them to be inspiring.  And Valerie is definitely inspiring!

6.  Fun is in Style - my friend, Jen.  I met her through Etsy and she is dear to my heart.  She’s another incredibly talented crafter with such a unique artistic vision.   Her photography is impeccable.  She treasures vintage things and has such neat little collections of things that she posts every so often - when she’s not making cool jewelry (the “Carolyn Ring” is my fave) or knitting beautiful, intricate items or posting pictures of cool mid-century modern furniture.  And check out her Little People shop on etsy.  Oh my, it is so cool.  I personally have the “school picture” –  right next to the computer! 

All of these blogs are awesome!  And they make me happy.

Thanks, guys!!!

Happy

I took some pictures tonight for stitchcandy:

Just need to finish editing and put them into the shop!  A little at a time… 

Now I’m off to knit, drink chamomile tea and (from what I can hear) watch SportsCenter with Craig.  Knitting progress update to follow!

2:40 p.m. March 29, 2009

Not a very imaginative post title, but that’s kind of how things are going these days. 

I’ve had some hand issues for the last three weeks, which are and are not getting better.  I think there’s some nerve entrapment in my shoulder which then makes my index finger on my left hand hurt all the time, plus I seem to have pulled some tendons.  Or something.  I’m getting physical therapy for it.  This issue has limited the amount of knitting I’ve done. 

But I have WIP pictures!

A new pair of socks!  The yarn is from Green Prairie Fibers, which is hand dyed by my friend, Kristin.  There’s a hint of gray and I just love it.  The cute doggie sock bag was made by my friend, Bea Binney.  I highly recommend both places for their quality and for their artistic vision.

Look at the difference in the sizes of those socks!  Holy cow.  I knitted the first one with my trusty bamboo dpn’s, and then when I saw how warped they were, I decided to try out a pair of metal dpn’s.  There’s the difference!  I love using the metal dpn’s but it produces a much smaller sock.  That is okay; however, because I felt the first one was a little too slouchy for my taste. 

Lainie’s poncho!  Knitting on size 11’s sure makes a project go fast.  I was about ready to cast off when I noticed that the neck opening for the hood was way off on the right side of the project when it’s supposed to be between the hand slits.  Oops!  Had to rip back quite a bit.  The only thing I don’t like about this yarn (Feza Opera) is how the decreases are so noticeable.  I’m hoping after a wash that everything will “relax” and not stand out so much.

The Big Sack Sweater from Sitch ‘n Bitch!  I stopped working on this last summer and then forgot where I was at in the pattern.  But my crafty buddy, Kristin, came to visit me a month ago and made me get it out and take a look at it.  She found where I was at in the pattern and I finished the back and am starting on the front.  I’ll probably finish it in time for summer – ha ha.  Oh well, better late than never!

My log cabin blanket has come to a standstill.  It’s big and lunky and having to change yarns in the middle of the row has left it looking a tad messy.  I’ll get started back up on it sometime.

In etsy news:  as you all may know, my etsy shop name is Stitch Candy.  However, when I started buying on Etsy (before I opened the shop), I set up my user name as my full name.  Not too long ago, my crafty buddy, Kristen, discovered that there’s a shop on Etsy called Yarn Candy.  I looked at her shop and see she opened her shop after mine.  Coincidence?  Maybe.  But that spurred me to finally open a new shop under the name “stitchcandy” so that the name is out there on the search pages.  I’ve taken new pictures and am making lots of new markers to put in there!  It’s always a work in progress, but go there and tell me what you think!  I think I am finally getting the hang of the macro mode of the camera.  Better yet, go over and add me to your favorites!

Here are a couple of pictures….

“Pop Rocks” – perfect for socks or lace!

“Spice Drops” – not to be confused with Spice Girls.

 

“Charms” (a square lifesaver from the 50’s) -  I love millefiori glass.

I’m off to take a shower and drag the older child to the grocery store.  We have not a single box of cereal in the house.

I hope everyone is well!

Sunday night, 11:11 p.m.

Yeah, it is.  Lainie’s got the crud again and I’m listening to her wheeze in her sleep.

I haven’t been here in awhile, have I?  I don’t know what I’ve been doing.  It all blurs together.  Trying to stay warm, I think – it’s back to being really cold.  I tried to take pictures of finished objects this morning, and the camera went dead.  I finished the baby blanket, I finished a sock, and I am working more on the log cabin blanket.  Not inspired with any of it, though.  I went to knit night tonight and tried to cast on for the sock (lost 3 stitches somewhere in the join and ripped it all out), tried knitting a blanket square that our group is doing for a battered women’s shelter (could not get the size right, ripped it out twice, then couldn’t get the pattern right, ripped out a third time).  I made some stitch markers today for a lady who uses them as zipper pulls for her box bags:

She wanted black/gray.

  Beige/off-white.

And yellow.

I took entirely too much time making these, though.  And I find it’s harder to come up with individual markers than it is for a whole set.  She liked them, though, so that’s what matters, right? 

I listed some new markers on etsy this week:

Love me some mellowcremes.

 

Stitch Candy at its shiniest!

I have a soft spot for flowers.

That’s about it.  I’m going to try and take some pictures of the FO’s tomorrow.  It’s President’s Day and that means no work!  I’m thinking of taking the kids to the library…it’s board game day in the kids department.  Promises to be packed!  But it’s good to get out of the house.

Signing off at 11:28 p.m. with Lainie still snuffling in her sleep.