Way out in the Middle of Nowhere

A Change in the Wind?

2012-01-24T17:17:00.000-08:00

I've been scanning Google's new privacy policy and what I am seeing does not jibe with me. Basically, they want to be able to store and disseminate every. bit. of. information. they. gather. on. you. to send to whomever they choose.

Yeah, not kosher with me. Heck, I am the one who reads the facebook apps page before consenting. And I have cancelled an app because they wanted too much power over my name and space on FB.

So I'm considering a move to Wordpress. I know that it might take a bit more education on my part before I do so. All 5 of my followers: Be forewarned.

Random Tuesday

2012-01-24T05:17:00.000-08:00

Nice Bar, right? This was taken at the Hubbell Power Systems (HPS) Guest House in 2000. Back then I was working in Electrical Distribution. It's all that stuff that sits on the telephone poles. HPS gives newbies a week-long seminar on different products used in Electrical Distribution. You get to travel to Missouri and stay at this guest house, which is actually the founder's original home. The founder of HPS is deceased. OK, so this is the bar. I remember doing a LOT of drinking in this bar that had no Guiness, Yukon Jack, Southern Comfort, MGD Light, nor Jack Daniels. I drank Miller ~shudder~ for a week straight. Oh the hangovers! There was not much else to do after the day's selection of seminars, so I drank.

The house itself was beautiful, decorated in a great Mod/Art Deco style. There was a circular breakfast nook:

And a large area where we met every day to learn distribution equipment, their uses and manufacture:

One hellaciously huge master bathroom that I shared with the only other lady in the group. I kid you not, this thing was as big as my living room, decked out in tiles with THREE showers. It had those multi-nozzle showers that I did try once. The nozzles hit you all over, but they were a bit too fierce for me. Notice the nice 'do in the mirror. I used to perm my hair a lot back then.

Our guide and host for the week was Marty, pictured in the center of this picture. He's doing a card trick of some sort. I can honestly say this man had a talent for entertaining, educating and hosting a group of people. Not many can do that well, and Marty excelled. I mean, this was over 10 years ago, and I still remember Marty!

The week in Mo was prohibitively hot. I mean so hot no one stepped outside for anything, until Wednesday. It was only in the 90's that day. Now you have to know that the participants in this group were from all over: Vancouver, Great Britain, Washington State..etc. One guy had never seen fireflies before. About 5 of us spent the evening catching fireflies in a jar for him to take back to his kids.

That's when I learned what an "Arkansas Air Conditioner" was. It works, just not all that well.

Messenger bag is Bag #3

2012-01-20T08:29:00.001-08:00

Messenger bag
Originally uploaded by ruddawg

This bag is actually a prototype that I made for the store. It was for sale, but no one bought it. I love it! I'm not sure why it didn't sell, but perhaps it was just destined to be mine. This one carries the sweaters that I make. It also is my go-to bag when I have to travel. Inside the bag is all white lining with a small patch pocket near the top.

The trim on this one this fabric called Zen Charmer by Alexander Henry. It gives a great feel to decor fabric.
I've been reconsidering my decision to drop this style of bag in my shop as it is just too useful to not sell it.

On the homefront, it is Snowpocoalypse #2 for the year. It seems as though God has remembered that Wisconsin is a northern state and we are expecting about 12" of snow with this storm. We're all stocked and ready for the snowfall, and I'm working on cleaning up and organizing my areas around the house. It's not an easy task around this time because I've got boxes full of items to be given away as door prizes for the Guild's Knit In next month. Brown Sheep sent 15 skeins of bulky yarn plus 2 patterns! I love Brown Sheep!!

All Snow Broke Loose

2012-01-17T11:04:00.000-08:00

You get ONE snowfall a few days ago and all it's been doing since is snowing.

A nice view of snow at the In-Laws'. Snow is pretty, and truth be told: We needed some snow. What I did not need is all the fun of driving through it. If you are living in an area with snow, PLEASE do us all a favor and stop riding the bumper of the person in front of you!!! It increases my stress level by about 1,000,000% when someone does that. I leave ample room in front of my car so that if anything happens, I have room to get it back together. If you ride my butt, you're gonna connect with my car.

On another note: Alex and I have ramped up the weight loss plan. We've now switched from soda's to sparkling juices. Actually, it's just frozen juice concentrate mixed with carbonated water. It gives the mouthfeel of soda without all the sugar and caffeine. Sugary snacks have been replaced with popcorn, chicken nuggets and fig newtons. Also, the exercise routines will be increased to about 5 times a week instead of 3.

This has a purpose: Once Alex loses the last 30 pounds he signs the contract with the USAF, and he's been promised a laptop when this happens. It's the carrot on the end of the stick.

Business-wise, I've decided to start selling my baby quilts. I've been creating quilts out of scraps of fabric. There are about 5 more upstairs to finish. If they don't sell, I will be donating them to the pregnancy-alternative center. They give them to Pregnant Mom's who come in with concerns about keeping their babies. Nothing gives you hope more than little gifts for the coming baby.

My Bag Collection

2012-01-12T11:04:00.000-08:00

A nice bag is it not? The fabric was given to me by a woman who commissioned a number of bags with licensed fabric. Legally, I'm not allowed to sell bags made with licensed fabric, but I can make bags for someone who provided the fabric. Yeah, it's a bit complicated.

So I made this one for myself. It's a bit larger than a small KIP; not as big as a medium. The size does help me keep larger in-progress items stashed. This one is holding my sweater.

The interior got a custom look to it too, as I did dig through my stash to find some great almost coordinating fabrics. That white thing in the pocket is my pattern -actually just a chart, but it helps me remember where I am in the pattern.

Now there is no real written pattern to this sweater. I'm taking the process from the ever-useful "The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns"

The cable pattern is from a more obscure book, "The Harmony Guide to Aran and Fair Isle Knitting" which is out of print. It's loaded with cable charts and combinations, as well as nice Fair Isle patterns. I've seen this pattern before used in a hat pattern. That one is called the Utopia hat (Link Here). So far, it is knitting up nicely, but I have concerns about the fit. It's gauge is wonky because of the cable. I will be checking the fit of this part after my 2nd skein of Cascade 220 is used up.

random Monday on Tuesday

2012-01-10T06:52:00.000-08:00

Today's pic came from our 2009 vacation. We call it, "Great American Vacation II" and it was a trip to Great Sand Dunes Nat'l park, Mesa Verde, Arches National Park and Dinosaur National Monument. All in 2 weeks. This picture is taken at Mesa Verde. After going through one of tours to a site, we stopped at a park on the mesa and ate some lunch. This picture was taken at the edge of the mesa looking towards another site.

Mesa Verde was very fun and educational. I recommend it to families with kids around 10 years old. Younger kids won't grasp the significance of the site, and it's just hard to maneuver around with a toddler. Archaeology is one of my interests, and pre-Columbus native America does capture my attention. There is a museum at the top of the mesa that is must for anyone visiting the sites.

Soundtrack for 2012

2012-01-05T08:18:00.000-08:00

Yep, it all fits into one song. I remember this one from my High School days.

Well you can tell ev'ryone I'm a down disgrace
Drag my name all over the place.
I don't care anymore.
You can tell ev'rybody 'bout the state I'm in
You won't catch me crying 'cos I just can't win.
I don't care anymore I don't care anymore

I don't care what you say
I don't play the same games you play.

'Cos I've been talking to the people that you call your friends
And it seems to me there's a means to and end.
They don't care anymore.
And as for me I can sit here and bide my time
I got nothing to lose if I speak my mind.
I don't care anymore I don't care no more

I don't care what you say
We never played by the same rules anyway.

I won't be there anymore
Get out of my way
Let me by
I got better things to do with my time
I don't care anymore I don't care anymore
I don't care anymore I don't care anymore

Well, I don't care now what you say
'Cos ev'ry day I'm feeling fine with myself
And I don't care now what you say
Hey I'll do alright by myself
'Cos I know.

'Cos I remember all the times I tried so hard
And you laughed in my face 'cos you held all the cards.
I don't care anymore.
And I really ain't bothered what you think of me
'Cos all I want of you is just a let me be.
I don't care anymore D'you hear? I don't care no more

I don't care what you say
I never did believe you much anyway.

I won't be there no more
So get out of my way.
Let me by
I got better things to do with my time
I don't care anymore
D'you hear? I don't care anymore
I don't care no more
You listening? I don't care no more
No more!

You know I don't care no more!

Why? Well, the lyrics pretty much say it. When you've been kicked around, told that you and your loved ones are horrible, and treated less than human beings should be....well... you don't care anymore. It's hard to have compassion when you have nothing, and those that 'hold the cards' are bitching at you to stop complaining while they treat you even worse.

I don't care no more.

When you can have any one, which would you pick?

2012-01-03T12:32:00.000-08:00

If I could have any KIP Bag at my disposal, which one would I pick? Well, it's a good question. I've got about 6 of them rambling about with one project or another in them. One of my favorites:

I'm very fond of Lilies of the Valley; their smell, delicate flowers and how they proliferate around shady areas. When I was a young girl, there was this old lady that had a house a block from us with these growing by the porch. Each day I'd steal one of the stems and spend the remaining 5 blocks walking to school sniffing that great smell.

Right now it's keeping my Bee Fields Shawl in stasis. That shawl is 100% handspun silk in hues of gold. I just lost interest in it during the 2nd motif. Of course, being the one that sews the bag means mine is lined in black with pockets of green.

Since there's a few more bags running around, perhaps I'll show off another one and it's component project next week.

Random Monday

2012-01-02T20:19:00.000-08:00

Alex, opening up his present this year. What do you give a young man, destined to be outta the house in 3 months and going to a place where nothing is needed? I gave up. He got every trial sized health sample Target had for dudes. It includes febreeze and mouth wash and wrinkle release. According to the recruiter, the earliest he can begin Basic Training is March. After that, who knows? We'll save up the $$ and send it to him for what he needs.

Christmas and New Years are over and I am certainly glad to be rid of both of them. My hope is for a better year this year. Perhaps something with a more optimism, lot less grief from both family and friends, and a bit more adventure.

The prize at the end of the sweater

2011-12-27T09:31:00.000-08:00

I promised myself that when I was finished with the sweater that I would buy the Deephaven Cowl pattern I so coveted on Ravelry. With the sweater all sewn up, the ends woven in, I purchased the pattern. Then came the scavenging for anything worsted in my stash. My only option was about 3/4 of a skein of Cascade 220 in blue:

Knitted on size 7 circs, I have learned how to knit cables without a cable needle. It's actually very easy once you learn the concept. I watched a video on youtube; the one with lots of 'splaining that was unnecessary because I can actually visualize something without a tedious play-by-play.

The look of the cowl is good. I like the cables. I don't like the curling. It's probably going to take quite a bit of blocking to train that out of the cowl. Since the pattern calls for something like 500 yards, this is more like a close-fitting cowl than it's original concept. No matter, I will give it away. I also think that dark yarns detract from the definition of the pattern.

While knitting up the last of the yarn today, I was watching the Firefly DVD set that my honey gifted me for Christmas. We cancelled our Netflix and I've been missing my streaming Firefly.. That's River looking at what her brain says is a twig, but in real life is a gun.

Random Monday

2011-12-26T19:59:00.000-08:00

Randomly chosen from my family file folder, I give you: My Kayak.

And my sandals, and a plastic bag and my paddle. Beached at some small island off the Chippewa River last summer. Dave and I selected a week alone as our 'honeymoon' and we camped out at Brunet Island State park. We were fortunate to get a campsite with water access, so we put our kayak and canoe in on Monday and took them out on Saturday. Each morning we'd get up, get coffee and breakfast and head on out. Dave would fish in the canoe and I would explore on my Kayak.

It was like 102 degrees Fahrenheit that week; never got below 80 at night and the only time it was cooler was when it poured on Wednesday. It was best to get out on the water early, beach them at 1 through 5 and go back out after the sun starting going down.

Dave has bad luck with Brunet Island. Both times he's been there they have experienced tornadoes. The first time with his ex-wife. They ended up spending hours huddled in the DNR garage waiting out the storm. This time was no exception.

The Holidays are Upon Us

2011-12-25T08:56:00.000-08:00

We're doing a bit of adjusting to our usual holiday routine. I'm pretty sure Dave is just as tired of all the driving as I am of all the riding. We'll be making the trip to the In-Laws' and Daughter in Law next weekend. So we got to spend Christmas here! YAY!!!!

I did remember a few moments ago that this is supposed to be primarily a knitting blog. So how about some knitting, right?! Get over the holidays and get to knitting girl!

So let me introduce my Husband Dave in his Christmas Sweater:

A nice wool sweater that can be worn around the house or at work. The book I knitted it from is the Knitter's Book of Handy Sweater Patterns:

The whole sweater took me about 3 weeks of nightly knitting to complete on size 10 1/2 needles. It's knitted from the bottom up raglan style. The yarn is Paton's Classic Wool in a deep olive color. Actually it's leftover yarn from my Gloucester Coat. I'm never going to finish that stupid thing, so I might as well repurpose the yarn.

The pattern is a drifting rib pattern that is also in the book. It goes a little like this:

Row 1. Knit

Row 2. K3, p1 - repeat

Row 3. Knit

Row 4. K1, p1 - repeat

After a few dozen rows you can tell what row you're working on. The trick was to keep the pattern going after attaching the arms, doing decreases and shifting the row start to the center front. Knitting it went swiftly, and I swear was inspired by God. I NEVER can bring myself to knit a sweater; I've got 2 of them that are marinating in my stash for years. This one was knocked out in less than a month.

Well, a Merry Christmas to All, Happy Holidays to my Non-Christian Friends (Yes, I do have a few) and to all others: Keep Warm, Keep Safe, and Keep Knitting!

Bah Humbug! - Nah, more like Eh, Whatever...

2011-12-19T05:52:00.000-08:00

I'm a confessed hater of Christmas. No, not the whole gist of the thing: The birth of Jesus. More like all that this entails in today's world. Christmas takes a tough season for me-winter- and makes it worse squared.

I also love lists so here's my reasons why I don't like Christmas:

Some dumass 2,000 years ago plopped this holiday in winter to make sure pagans would convert. Yeah, now that they've converted, can we put it back where it's supposed to be? A friend and I spent a few hours discussing the true date of Jesus' birth. From the part of the bible that states that 'Shepherds were watching their flocks by night.' makes us believe that it was in early spring. Shepherds usually sleep at night because flocks are good at tending to themselves, but Shepherds need to be constantly vigilant during lambing. That happens in early spring.
Driving in Wisconsin winters. Oh yes, we must brave 3' snowdrifts to see family...it's soooo magical being in a van going sideways down the road. Not one of them wants you to miss that!
People who are normally just mildly annoying become monsters during this time. They are rude, super-aggressive and mean. It's a ME ME ME ME ME attitude that just wants me to commit homicide.
And all that aggro is for what? STUFF. People are being mean to each other for CRAP. The other day I saw one of those Kindle Fires. I wanted to see what all the hubbub was. The instant I picked it up, I get this "CAN YOU MOVE YOUR CART?!?!" from some other lady. Yeah, I said out loud, "Oh fuck it. It's not like I was doing anything anyways." and walked away.
I take pride in giving my recipients things that would either fill a need or that they would enjoy. People in turn give me crap that I don't either want or need. I don't wear earrings, nor pajama sets, nor pastel anything. Yet, that's what I get. I'm guessing that no one has really noticed me sitting on their couches knitting something over the last 10 years. Oh hey, she knits! GIVE HER SOMETHING TO DO WITH KNITTING!!!! This is a hobby that does not require anyone to go secretly into some deviant shop for supplies, WAL-MART sells yarn.
And all of you who have raised your nose and sniffed at any hand-knitted gift I've given you over the years? Well you can kiss my ass. Like those stupid gift cards are so thoughtful. Don't try to placate me now by asking for anything more to be knitted, I'm NOT doing it. Only my immediate family receive those gifts now.
If I have to hear one more Christmas Song, I am going to barf. They started playing them before Thanksgiving. STOP PLAYING THEM!
The Christmas tree is now sitting in the front room where I normally sit with my laptop. My nomadic life gets more nomadic and for what? A Tree? I have to find another place to station my laptop for 3 weeks while some tree drops needles in my spot. This morning when I brought in my laptop table to work on, I banged my thigh into the door jamb. That's going to be a nice bruise. Do I get points for saying "OH Holy Night!" when I banged my leg?
My Sister had 5 kids, I have one. There was over 20 years of having to give. every. one. of. those. kids. a. present. Even at the minimum of 20 bucks that's 100 bucks a year to her 20. I'm not a rich person, but sometimes people act like I'm rich. Now they expect me to give their kids' kids a present? I'm sorry, not going to happen.
Every year for about 10 years we'd do the 'pick names out of the hat' at Thanksgiving to reduce the pressure on each of the kids. We'd add spouses/boyfriends too. Invariably, my name would be selected by one of my Sister's boyfriends and by the time Christmas rolled around, they would be gone. So...I got no present for like 4 years. Sure, I had to give someone one, but I never got one back. My mother took pity on me the last year and bought me a portable grill. I liked that grill.

After listing these issues, I'm surprised I don't just leave the area for a month and come back after New Years' - which brings up another set of issues...just don't get me started!

People expect others to be just this brimming font of happiness this time of year. I feel for my Hubby, who has a better outlook on this holiday. He has to put up with me. Most years I can fake a decent holiday cheer to make everyone else happy, but this year...screw it. I know how little people think of me and it's about time I give that feeling back...That's my gift to the world this year.

How to succeed in getting off welfare 101

2011-12-09T08:05:00.001-08:00

I've been told that I've lost my compassion more than once. I've no sympathy for those who have struggled, they say. HA! Compassion is something I save for those who actually show some sort of effort in bettering their life. It's something that has been on my mind for a while now, to let in some light to the darkest part of my adult-hood. From the time I became pregnant with my son Alex (now 19) to the time he was 4, I was a single Mom on welfare.

In fact, I was homeless when I was pregnant; bunking at my sister's house or my parent's until my Section 8 application was approved. I moved into my apartment the day I came home with Alex. Four years later, I was a graduate with an Associate's Degree in Electro-Mechanical Technology with a $15/hour job. How did I do it? I had a plan. Here's the outline:

1. NO drugs or alcohol. I did not take nor sell drugs. Very little alcohol passed my lips. Why? Alcohol and drugs are bad. No getting around it. Also, drugs or alcohol lead to crime often. I did not need that. I also did not go out and 'party' at all. It's a distraction and I needed to be focused.

2. NO Men. Sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, but for that 5 years...I was 'responsible for my own orgasms.' I did not have the time, nor willingness to try to vet a new boyfriend. They demand time and my previous experience led me to believe they could not be trusted to have my best interests in hand.

3. NO MORE KIDS. One is easy enough to handle when in school, but each additional kid would make it exponentially harder to get off welfare. Which is another reason why #2 was so important. With no boyfriend to have to deal with, no birth control issues to deal with. I had an adverse reaction to birth control pills and could not take them. Therefore, my family planning method was abstinence + basal-muco-thermal method of natural family planning. Hey, it worked!

4. Pick a Career path that has the best payout for study. My Tech School had a leaflet they gave prospective students. It had their courses of study listed, with the % of students who were employed after graduation, % of those who entered program who graduated, and how much $$ they made. The first course was Electrical Distribution - which is linemen. I can't do that due to my asthma. So I picked the 2nd most-successful program. If you're going to put out the $$ for a future job, it should pay, right? Why spend $20,000 to become a child care worker who makes $7/hour?

5. I gave myself 30 days to find a job after graduation to get my 'dream' job. After that, I took what job was available. I spent a month soldering anti-personnel land-mines for $7.50 an hour. A month after that, I got the call to that job where I made $15/hour.

The plan worked. I know it looks pretty organized here on the blog, but I really didn't have a 'set' plan. I knew what were the barriers to success in my plan and I just avoided those barriers. It was not easy, and I remember staring up at my ceiling in the bedroom one day thinking, "I'm wasting the best sexual years of my life." but it was worth it in the end.

I've been married to a wonderful guy for the last 12 years who loves me and my son. My studies have helped me gain jobs in the electrical field for over 10 years and I made some tall cash. Self-sacrifice is not bad, but it is hard.

Whatsoever you do for the least of my brothers....

2011-12-06T05:35:00.001-08:00

It's getting more and more difficult to visit with my In-Laws' mostly due to their unwillingness enforce the rules we all agreed upon. Apparently my Brother-In-Law feels that he is above such a rule. He needs to abide by the same rules that the rest of the family abides by: The one that states that NO POLITICAL DISCUSSIONS ALLOWED!
He took a very decent visit with my Mom and Dad-In-Law and turned it ugly by opening his big, fat, mouth. When my Husband responded to his instigations, he just sat there with that self-depreciating smugness that I wanted to punch off.

Yeah, I'm still ticked off about that and it's been 2 days. I'm sick of rightfully holding my tongue but having to put up with someone elses' incoherent ramblings. I don't care which side of the political spectrum you're on. When the rule was made, it was for a very good reason.

What makes the situation all that more telling is that we were in church at the time, enjoying a potluck luncheon. That luncheon was after the service where the following verses were said-out loud:

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

- Matthew 25: 40-41

It seems as though my Brother In Law did not follow the words spoken to him not even 30 minutes before.

Random Monday

2011-11-28T05:15:00.001-08:00

Randomly selected photos from my collection. Actually, this one is from my FB stash. My computer had a nervous breakdown and we had to wipe Windows and re load. All my family pictures are on a separate hard drive way over on the other side of the room.

Winter driving in Wisconsin.....hmmm what can you say? Notice the backup of cars in the top one? This happens more than you think. One stupid move by a semi-truck driver and the rig jackknifes' into both lanes. On a wintry day like that one, it's just best to say 'screw it' and stay home. Not much is that important to risk your life for.

Thanksgiving in a new perspective

2011-11-24T06:38:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving for a lot of people this year is going to be more of a challenge than years past. Not a lot to be thankful for when you've lost those things that make you feel secure in your life like health insurance and your retirement savings. Yes, I've lost both this year, BUT it allows me to focus on other issues to be thankful for. I must remember that having the ability to use my intelligence to gather the needed information to get things I need is much more important than having those things given to me.

(Pic: Dave saluting me at Leinenkugel's this summer)

I know that keeping healthy, exercising and eating proper foods will keep me pretty darned healthy. We've joined the Y and are participating in group exercise sessions to gain strength, maintain flexibility and keep the immune system high. Our family grows their own vegetables and consumes a large amount of locally harvested venison. Venison is much leaner than beef - which helps the waistline as much as the exercise does. That will suffice for health insurance for now.

I have the ability to learn new skills. To prepare for a retirement that might be delayed by about 10 years, I will be going back to Tech School to gain certification in metal fab and welding. Apparently you cannot get a job in that skill without one- which sucks. To start a new good career, I have to spend $5,000. BUT I am hoping to make at least $15/hour after I get my certificate. I can save more for both retirement and emergency needs with that kind of pay.

(Pic: Dave with his method of cutting sweet corn to prepare for freezing. It takes a bundt pan, and a sharp knife)

I use my skills, my intelligence to keep this family in the things they need as cheaply as possible. I cannot remember the last time I purchased a clothing item at full price. Hey, who needs that when I can get things slightly used at Goodwill? I'm wearing a pair of tennis shoes that are like $80 full price that I snagged for $9 and they look like they weren't worn at all. My sewing, knitting and spinning skills work well to keep us warm for the winter as well.

(Pic: Alex -albeit a much younger Alex- showing off a baked item he made from scratch)

My son is learning to make some amazing food from scratch using recipes found on the internet. He made a delish dish of Thai peanut chicken from scratch. Now that's a dish that would be ...what? $15 at the restaurant? He made it for less than $15 for all three of us. He is also learning the skills to make do for himself than relying on someone to make it for him. That's a skill that he will need for the rest of his life.

Random Monday

2011-11-21T19:46:00.001-08:00

Random Monday: The day I close my eyes and click on a picture from my 'Family' album.

Do you realize how hard it is to actually take a picture of the moon with a digital camera? It's crazy hard, especially if you don't stabilize your arms on something. According to the pic, this was taken 7/20/2010 at 8:34 pm. It's a nice juxtaposition of the light on the clouds with the light on the moon.

Gift Giving in the new age

2011-11-20T08:59:00.001-08:00

As Christmas time is approaching, my mind sets on all kinds of knit objects that I could give to my family and friends. The problem is, very few of those people actually want any gift that is not purchased from a store. A few years ago, I spent 6 months spinning and knitting countless hats, scarves, shawls and mittens only to get some really nasty feedback. Oh sure, to my face on Christmas day it was all "Thanks!" only to be told later on how they hated what I had made. Not all hated them, some just put them away and never use them. It's a real downer to see something you've spent 6 months on laying on a top of a of pile mending in a dusty corner of a sewing room.

This cowl is a pattern called, 'Pretty thing'. I knitted it in a hand spun alpaca. That's when the intended recipient whom shall remain nameless (it's family) stated that she's allergic to alpaca. That was after she pronounced an allergy to pretty much every fiber out there. Oh I get it: she doesn't want anything I make, she wanted a gift card. She got neither. I sent the cowl to the first person that expressed interest in it on Facebook. My high school buddy in Greece got it.

I'm going to tell you something that you don't want to hear: It is emotionally devastating to a person who creates a gift for you to have you either snub your nose at that gift, or throw it out. Yeah? You don't like hearing that? TOUGH! You want that stupid gift card from Wal-Mart Instead? Yeah, you're not getting that either! It's time to stop thinking that anything home-made is crap that is beneath you. The true crap is that junk you covet so much at Wal-Mart.

I've got more than a chip on my shoulder, it's a flipping BRICK.

The best present I've received in recent years was created by my Father In Law. It is a home made wooden headboard for our bed. He took wood from his own land, made the lumber, constructed the headboard, stained and varnished it. I will treasure it for years to come. Heck, I treasure it now. His monetary outlay for this gift was for the electricity to run the router, and his time.

One of about a zillion reasons that I am grouchy at this time of year. God Bless my poor husband, who has to deal with my Christmas grouchiness. At least he will wear and appreciate what I make for him.

Hey, at least my family tree branches!

2011-11-15T04:31:00.001-08:00

I've been working on the family genealogy for about a decade now. It's something that I was full-bore onto about 5 years ago, but now that I've hit a few roadblocks, I've slowed down. A few tips for the new genealogist:

1. Obits are still the best thing for finding out things. Fortunately for me, my family has stuck around this area of South-Central WI for about 3 generations now. My local library has the Janesville Gazette on microfilm all the way back to the 1890's. I get cranky at the fact that a female ancestor was called, "Mrs. So&So" instead of her maiden name, but that's the thing that can frustrate you fast.

2. If you have the $, sign up for a year of Ancestry.com but remember to USE it. I used to set up Sunday's as my ancestor day and troll the databases looking for info.

3. Talk to your older relatives about their memories before their mind slips. My Grandma on my Mother's side used to drop little tidbits that would tick the heck out of me like, "Oh your Aunt Mabel? You mean the one that died in the Asylum?" ARRRGGHHHH! WHY was Aunt Mabel in an asylum? WHY did she die there?
- It turns out Aunt Mabel -my Great-Aunt Mabel died in an asylum after suffering old-age dementia. She used to be a school mistress at a boy's school in IL before her passing. Never married, she had like...6 brothers.

Keep working on it. I've discovered a few fun facts of my family that just crack me up. For instance, I am distantly related to Rebecca Nurse, killed as a witch in Salem. It was my much-great Grandfather who turned her in. I'm also related to King Edward I of Scotland, but I don't think I'll be heading to the throne anytime soon. I think the entire native population of the UK gets there before I do.

The Rudi side of the family. From the back, Arnold, my Father, and his wife Bobbie, Uncle LaVerne, Aunt Kathy, Uncle Leonard Jr. and Aunt Kayla, his wife. Seated are my Cousin Brian and Aunt Marti. The Rudi's hail from Norway, where I still have many cousins. My Husband always jokes that you can tell a Norwegian, you just can't tell him much. ~Gets funnier every time I hear it..................

That month of blogging is like over, right?

2011-11-13T16:42:00.001-08:00

I did reasonably well for a person who ignores her blog for months at a time.
So I'm going to go random for today's effort:

1. Saw the remake of True Grit. My Dad's a huge John Wayne fan and I've sat through the original dozens of times. I don't like Glen Cambell's take on Le Boeuf. It's 'dandified' as I say. Matt Damon played the role better. The remake was excellent. It's a talent of the director to set out the story without allowing emotion. He just sets the scenes and lets the audience emote. Jeff Bridges played an excellent Rooster Cogburn, but Hailee Steinfeld, who played Mattie was excellent in her role.

2. We missed the last part of Harry Potter in the theatres again. No spoilers please. I'm thinking I've got to go buy it so I can sob piteously in the privacy of my own home.

3. River Tam, the scarf is done and as a present to the world it is free. If you are on Ravelry, the link is HERE. My friend Kerri dyed it in colors of a river for me. She was really nervous about it for some reason. I told her to stop, relax and realize that I'm just not that picky. Pic:

That's the scarf around my neck. That is me trying to pretend to be a professional model, that's Tyler just looking to be petted on the back of the couch.

4. Last week was our Anniversary, Our Sons' Birthday and My Birthday all rolled into one week. It's a busy week every year. My husband made me Baklava for my birthday. It was really, really good.

5. Alex and I have joined the Y to see if that would work better than the gym in Brodhead. I'm thinking that a more structured form of physical training would get Alex on the way to the military. Cross your fingers, say more prayers...this boy needs direction in his life. It frustrates me that he has none. At his age, I was going to college full time and working 2 part time jobs. Why is it that the kids these days just lack any ambition? ~sigh~

6. The new furnace is working well. Dave did his annual plastic window covering day yesterday and it seems as though the furnace is not kicking in as much as it did last year. I am hoping for a reduction in our heating bills.

7. My Niece has been over many time in the last few weeks attempting to shoot a deer. It's bow season here. A few shots have been taken, but no real hits. If you're still in a praying mood, send one up so that she gets a deer. I feel that it would do wonders for her self-confidence if she was successful. Besides, her family could use the venison.

8. Now that it's colder out, I've been doing more spinning on my wheel. Right now, white alpaca.

Ok, Dave just gave me a bowl with chocolate mousse.. Gotta go~ !

There are Days...

2011-11-08T05:27:00.000-08:00

I quit smoking in 2008. Many smokers are still jealous of that fact, more because I just stopped than anything else. No pills, no gum, no anything. I just quit. BUT there are days like yesterday that I would LOVE LOVE LOVE a smoke. Stressful days, frustrating days. Yes, to grab a Marb menthol lights 100 and just inhale.........

*On a off-topic note: While trolling for this pic, I weeded through a lot of pics from a lot websites. Man, are there some militaristic, vehemently anti-smoking web sites! Dudes, WE GET IT. All of the smokers I know struggle with their addiction EVERY. DAY. Just effing stop with the overwhelming guilt trip, K? You're not helping. One anti-smoking group came to the public schools and had my Granddaughter CONVINCED that her mom would blow up from smoking. She was crying, begging for Mom to stop in absolute fear that Mom's head would blow off. Just EFFING STOP scaring kids too.**

I've got orders, and my sewing machine was so bad that I've been sewing only on demand. If I get an order, I'd go upstairs, put my earplugs in and sew the bag. Yes. Earplugs. That Brother sewing machine had gotten so loud that it was the only way I could suppress my urge to 'fix' the machine and just sew. I trot on upstairs to the sewing/spare room and get to it. Except yesterday that stupid flipping machine could not even eke out 12" without one thread or the other breaking.

Cursing ensued. My usual threat to throw it out the window did not even work. Oh yes, I knew this day was coming and I had kinda prepared for it. I've scanned reviews of other machines, watched for sales etc. I had to drop everything, drive 1/2 an hour to the nearest sewing store, get another one, drive another 20 minutes to get my Son's birthday present, then drive 40 minutes back home. This is a drive I would have much rather taken on my day off.

It's replacement is this one:

A Singer Talent. I'm never, ever buying another Brother Sewing Machine again. I'm sticking with Singers. It works well so far, but I've only had one day with it. $100 at JoAnn's. I also stopped buying the big buck sewing machines too, as they really weren't better.

I forgot Random Monday!

2011-11-08T04:52:00.000-08:00

I remembered it actually, but there were many things on my mind:

Ok, not so random as I had to go to the 'Alex" specific area. Alex is on the left, his buddy Joe is on the right. Dressed up as Organization 13 from Kingdom Hearts game. BTW - if you want to make this for yourself - use the "Neo" coat pattern.

My dear son Alex was 19 yesterday! He seems a bit contemplative about it, more than I was at that time. Happy Birthday Son!!

2011-10-31T13:32:00.000-07:00

I had a topic already in my mind but forgot it. Um. Oh well. Yesterday I was parked permanently on the recliner sleeping, shivering or aching. The dreaded Flu found me. Today I am much better, but taking it easy just to be sure.
Random Monday instead:

Hmmm interesting choice. This is a picture of the display down at the library about a year ago. Made by one talented knitter, it was great to see. I remember now that she was standing beside me as I took the photo and invited me to Monday morning Knitting Group. Unfortunately, I don't have a car to drive into town for that.

Furnace Finished!

2011-10-26T19:27:00.000-07:00

Well, the furnace is replaced. The old one is gone and we're basking in 68 degree warmth. The fuel oil tank will be replaced tomorrow. That one will be a challenge, but I am sure that the fuel oil dude will get it done.

I was taking pictures outside this morning when the fire truck went by. The town nearby is 2 miles to the left of this picture, and highway 81 is about 2 miles to the right of this picture. So my road is a shortcut. Oh and this road takes a 90 degree turn about 1/4 miles down the road. Many people don't negotiate it very well.

2011-10-25T16:15:00.000-07:00

If I try to snuggle up close to you in the next few days, it's because the furnace is broken and they're going to have to replace it. Apparently furnaces just don't last 70 years. This is another time when I am very grateful that I rent this farmhouse and don't own it.

Also a good thing I knit a lot of warm things, right?

Random Pic Monday

2011-10-24T16:15:00.000-07:00

Let's just make this a weekly thing; random picture from my 'family' picture folder. Don't worry, nothing in there is inappropriate for children/adults/goats.

So I closed my eyes and selected this one. It's a nice picture from my front porch taken in late spring. There's the marigold bed in front, and the wagon wheel with the bird feeder attached to the fence in back. The County Road going through the picture is nicknamed "Roller Coaster road" for the large hills that make it a lot of fun to drive down. The field across the road was a hay field, turned to soy this year.

Somewhere in my picture files I have a photo of a fox jumping in that hay field. It was just fascinating to watch the fox hunting whatever rodent was in the field.

It's a dark and stormy night.

2011-10-23T20:01:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we are back from the In-Laws'. It was 2 1/2 days of relaxing and celebrating. My husband's uncle Chuck and Aunt Carrie celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. It was great to see them and their family; a more easy-going portion of the Brauners.

Back at home there is the same 'ol same 'ol. Sewing to do, food to cook, knitting to get finished. Preparations are underway for winter, and I fear it will be a downright cold one. More knitted socks will be in order, I guess.

And, I'm guessing that my next real design will be for me:

It's a Red Angry Bird Earflap hat. I saw one at Kwick Trip for sale. I just could not justify the $17 for it. That's when Dave said, "I know someone who could probably knit that." Yeah...............
.

2011-10-20T08:02:00.000-07:00

River Tam is finished. There is a test-knitter copy of the pattern for those who want to test-knit the pattern. If you wish to test knit, please let me know of any errors. And, PLEASE let me know of any issues with the directions BEFORE you attempt to knit further. It just causes less grief that way.

CLICK on this link to go to Google Docs for the pattern.

Enjoy!

Just a quick quote

2011-10-17T20:24:00.000-07:00

"It's my estimation that every man ever got a statue made of him was one kind of sommbitch or another. Ain't about you, Jayne. It's about what they need." - Capt. Malcolm Reynolds 'Firefly'
Episode: Jaynestown.

Random

2011-10-16T20:20:00.000-07:00

I closed my eyes and randomly selected a photo from my "Family" photo file. This one is of my Husband, Dave and my Sister, Tami watching a bonfire at our house. Taken about a year ago, since it was one with a bunch of other pictures that had Alex and his Girlfriend (now EX-GF) in them.

How time has flown since then. Oh my Sister is fine. So is Dave. There's another big pile of branches and leaves to burn soon as the wind dies down.

Going on a Project Diet

2011-10-15T11:21:00.000-07:00

Well, actually I've been on the project diet now for about a week. What's a project diet? No new knitting projects will be started until the 10 or so are done. So two are finished, but they were pretty close to being done. The next ones to be done are going to be more of slog.

That stupid Featherweight in Hunter's Orange needs a collar and arms

The Gloucester Coat is miles of endless stockinette to finish off the back, THEN onto sleeves and collar

The Dockside sweater: 7" of k1p1 ribbing....endless ribbing. I've got like an 1" done.

Bee Fields Shawl: 2nd motif 3/4 done. Need to count repeats then start the last one.

Aoelian: Like on the 2nd part, need to finish + get more beads. NEVER try to bead this whole flipping. You'll regret it.

Silk Shawl: frog or finish? If I try to finish I will need to spin more silk.

Well that's about it for knitting. The family went to the apple orchard last week so I've been baking pies and apple crisp all week long. MMM apple pie..............

The trials of living in the country

2011-10-13T07:54:00.000-07:00

So for most people, taking a shower is a quick and easy thing to do. Here in the country, it's a bit more of a chore:
1. Sweep floor clean of bugs, leaves and litter (the litter box is in the bathroom)
2. Divest yourself of clothing and head on over to the shower.
3. Open shower curtain, fluff it a bit.
4. Walk over to toilet, grab a few squares of tp and head on back to shower.
5. Use tp to grab whatever creepy-crawly thing is in the shower stall. Today it was a worm-like creature but could have been in the centipede family as it had many legs.
6. Flush creepy crawly down toilet.
7. Take shower.

Which creepily reminds me of the time I inadvertently took a shower with one of those icky long legged centipedes. Good thing I am legally blind without my glasses on, or I would have seen the 3" thing crawling up my thigh. That would have led to screaming, hysterics and probably a destroyed shower curtain.

Out in the country, humans are the minority. You learn not to get all freaked out at every single insect that crawls into your house.

kitty pile

2011-10-11T20:31:00.001-07:00

kitty pile
Originally uploaded by ruddawg

Ah the good old days when all 3 cats would stick together. Now they are grumpy, old and Tigger looks like he has mange.

I'll be glad when the fleas are all dead. Every. last. one.

Warning: This might piss you off - but I'm already there

2011-10-10T05:39:00.000-07:00

When I was in High School, many years ago, MTV WAS music videos. And one of them was Bruce Springsteen's War. Before the music starts, Bruce says, "In 1985, blind faith in your leaders or in anything, will get you killed."

Let me repeat that quote: "In 1985, blind faith in your leaders or in anything, will get you killed."

Here it is, 2011 and it is still true. Still there are those who will just do whatever someone on TV, Newspaper or Radio tells them to. Those media people do not know anyone whom they are attacking personally, and they've got their own agenda. Their agenda is to divide this country into 'us' and 'them'. Why? Well, it's easier to kill the 'them' when you can convince a group of people they are less-than-human.

I miss my friends. I miss those friends that I found funny, intelligent, and great to hang around with. I can't hang around them anymore because they chose to believe some nameless, faceless entity who told them that I was lower than a piece of shit simply because I did not embrace their political ideology. Instead of questioning that entity, they simply nodded their heads and did what they were told: useful idiots. And yet, I still believe they are intelligent. I cannot divine why they would handily accept the opinion of someone they've never met over their own, but they do.

Not one of them has stopped and said, "But I KNOW Brenda! She's not evil! She's not racist, homophobic, moron bent on stealing all my money!"

I miss family. I miss those family members for the same reason I miss my friends. That nameless, faceless entity told them that we are then enemy; evil and not to be tolerated. That entity whispered in their ear that we were out to steal everything from them and to hold closer to their beloved belongings.

Not one of them has stopped and said, "But, Brenda does not steal! She's helped me out a lot of times! She's not evil!"

Each of these family and friends have been lost to me because they could not refrain from calling me names that I would never dream of calling them. I feel frustrated, angry and bereft. I WANT MY FRIENDS BACK!! and I want these people to stop listening to someone tell them how to think and how to view others.

And if you've gotten this far: learn a lesson. The experiences you have of another trump what 'someone' says about them. STOP BEING A USEFUL IDIOT and THINK for yourself. Blind faith in your leaders, or in anything will get you killed.

Two Words

2011-10-09T20:37:00.001-07:00

Packers, Undefeated!

My lap robe moves and meows

2011-10-08T12:57:00.000-07:00

This is Tyler 'Spud', our youngest kitty. He's a spud all right. Today he's been hanging out on my lap while I spend the day resting. My asthma started up last night and would. not. stop. At 3 am I found myself on that same recliner struggling to breathe while I coughed up a lung.

So any effort to do something well, productive went out the window at 3 am. I've decided on a project diet when it comes to knitting: no more projects started until the ones I've got on the needles are finished. Two out of 9 are finished but there are three sweaters in that queue.

Movie Review? Let's try that

2011-10-07T07:03:00.000-07:00

So Dave and I watched the third movie in the Transformers line last night. If I were to give it a star rating, it would be 2 stars out of 5. Why? Well, let's go through those:

Megan Fox IS the chick in the Transformers. This other lady? Well first of all, you look like you could break her in 1/2 with a strong wind. OK, so I didn't even know who Megan Fox was until like last year, but she made the Transformers movie.
And who runs through an entire battle scene in high heels? So lame
The battle scene was like, 9 times longer than it really needed to be. So much so that 1/2 an hour into it, I was like, "Are they going to be done now?"
Having a good guy AND a bad guy (this time in 2 different machines: the Primes) with the same color scheme really confuses you when you're watching the battle scenes.
Okay *** Spoiler ALERT *** This pylon/column thing glowing red is the key to destroying the bad guys. So ah...why is every GOOD guy NOT EVEN SHOOTING AT IT?!?! They're fighting the bad guys. EFF THAT, GO FOR THE RED THING!! That would've saved like 45 minutes of the battle scene.
** Another SPOILER ALERT ** Physics Law: To things with mass cannot occupy the same space. How in the heck are 2 planets going to occupy the same space?

Not much I liked about the movie. Visually, very quick action -good but very quick. Slow the heck down. The characters that were from the first 2 movies are still great. Some cameos in this one were very nice: Wash from Firefly, The crazy Asian guy from The Hangover, Spock as the voice of the bad Prime. Wash -ah Alan Tudyk - is a seriously underrated comedic actor.

I'd recommend seeing it once, just to continue the Transformer series. I wouldn't buy it though. I'd re-watch the first two.

Life in the not-so fast lane

2011-10-06T06:04:00.000-07:00

My Friend, Vicki started this - made me aware of nablopomo which is National Blog Posting Month. The challenge is to blog once a day. Yeah, I am aware that I missed like....4 days. Is my life that interesting to blog once a day? I'm pretty sure some of it might be, but mostly no.

Yesterday's work was done quickly, so I decided to clean up my spot in the living room. The recliner won't retract and I am sure Dave will need to take a look at it. I'm a nester. My end of the couch has everything needed for a decent 4 hours of life without having to get up.

So it needed cleaning. What led to me organizing yarn, what led to me cleaning out the whole yarn stash. I found many skeins of yarn I did not know I had, including lots of bits for the hexipuffs.

I feel obligated to add pictures to my posts, you know. This was a sunrise a few weeks ago taken from my front porch.

Hexipuff madness

2011-10-05T05:36:00.000-07:00

Hexipuffs are the new thing going in the knitting world. Why? Well everyone who has knitted a sock has bits of sock yarn left over from them. What do you do with them? My first effort to get rid of them is the sock yarn blankie which I started on a very late night a few years ago. I blame the late hour for the fact that I'm knitting it wrong: Instead of a garter stitch blanket, mine is stockinette. That makes it look like fish scales. Well, take a look:

It gets the job done at using up scraps too small in yardage for anything else. Right now it's big enough to use as a throw on the couch. But now we've got the bee keepers quilt: This blanket is made from little separate puffs stuffed with stuffing. I'm using wool to stuff mine, since I've got like..tons of it around (read the last post)

My total puff count right now is about 45. The consensus is to make a throw is about 300 puffs, a queen sized blanket would be 900+. This is never-ending.

Fleece to yarn

2011-09-21T16:45:00.001-07:00

The weekend before last was the WI Sheep and Wool festival. This is the one day a year where I go just absolute bonkers for anything fibery. This year, I snagged a fleece from WhataviewFarm in Phelps, WI that is a Polypay/East Friesian/Dorset cross. It's got a great crimp with about a 3" staple.

I confess to enjoying the process of turning fleece to yarn, so this was a great thing to find such a nice fleece to work with. For the last few weeks I've been washing, carding and spinning up yarn in the hopes to get enough to knit a sweater.

So on to pictures!

This is the fleece drying after a wash in hot soapy water with a hot water rinse.

The washed and dry fleece in a paper bag waiting to be carded.

Now I usually just use that pet brush to open up locks to spin with my most beloved spindle; the mini-Bosworth. This is the spindle that I want with me at all times. I estimate that I can get about 125 yards on a spindle before taking it off.

After about a week, what I have are these balls of singles waiting to be plied into 2-ply yarn. I'm expecting to do that during the Packer game on Sunday.

The Dogbone Pillow

2011-08-09T16:37:00.001-07:00

You ever have the problem when you flip back in the recliner that it's just too far back for your head? I get that all the time. After too many large pillows that just make my head too hot in these summer months, I've devised the dogbone pillow.

The design is pretty simple: Take a tube and make the ends puffier than the middle. I took some yarn that I spun up in a wool/cashmere blend from WoolyRhinoceros and spun it to a fingering-type yarn (also could be called sock-weight)

Want the pattern? Here it is:

Dogbone Pillow
by Ruddawg Designs

Yarn: Handspun wool/cashmere blend in yellow : fingering weight
Needles: Size 4 double-pointed needles
Other items needed; Stitch markers (10), yarn needle, scissors.
Gauge: We don't need no stinkin' gauge. It's a pillow for crying out loud!

The wider ends keeps the pillow in place and keeps your shoulders from shrugging and getting sore. The pillow can be stuffed with whatever is good for the knitter: The original was stuffed with excess wool fiber, but bamboo, cotton, polyester or anything else can be used. While knitting the long middle part, I stuffed the one end and continued stuffing the bone while knitting. At the end, I used a knitting needle to stuff more fiber into the little hole. Once done with stuffing the pillow, use a bit of yarn and a yarn needle to sew up the holes on either end of the pillow.

CO 9 sts.: JOIN, place stitch marker at beginning of row.
Row 1: knit
row 2: kfb; 9 times (18 Stitches)
row 3: knit
row 4: kfb, k1 : 9 times (27 stitches)
row 5: knit
row 6: kfb, k1, kfb : 9 times (45 stitches) [at this point, I put stitch markers in between the 9 repeats so that I could keep my place]
row 7: knit
row 8: k4, kfb :9 times (54 stitches)
row 9: k5, p1: 9 times [I took off the stitch markers between the repeats here, as I could see the knits and purls pretty well.]
row 10: k5, pfb : 9 times (63 stitches)
row 11: k5, p2 : 9 times.
Row 12: k5, pfb, p1 : 9 times (72 stitches)
Row 13: k5, p3 : 9 times
Row 14: k5, pfb, p1, pfb : 9 times (90 stitches)
Row 15: k5, p5 : 9 times
Row 16: k5, pfb, p3, pfb : 9 times (108 stitches)
Row 17: k5, p7: 9 times
Row 18: k5 p7 : 9 times
Row 19: k5, ssp, p3, p2 together: 9 times (90 Stitches)
Row 20: k5, p5: 9 times
Row 21: k5, ssp, p1, p2 together: 9 times (81 Stitches)
Row 22: k5, p3: 9 times
Row 23: k5, p2 tog, p1 : 9 times (63 stitches)
Row 24: k5, p2: 9 times
Row 25: k5, ssp: 9 times (54 stitches)
Row 26: k5, p1 : 9 times

Continue knitting the k5, p1 rib for another 7” (approximately 65 rows) then start with the other end of the dog bone:

row 1: k5, pfb : 9 times (63 stitches)
row 2: k5, p2 : 9 times.
Row 3: k5, pfb, p1 : 9 times (72 stitches)
Row 4 k5, p3 : 9 times
Row 5 k5, pfb, p1, pfb : 9 times (90 stitches)
Row 6: k5, p7: 9 times
Row 7 k5, pfb, p3, pfb : 9 times (108 stitches)
Row 8: k5, p7: 9 times
Row 9 k5 p7 : 9 times
Row 10 k5, ssp, p3, p2 together: 9 times (90 Stitches)
Row 11: k5, p5: 9 times
Row 12: ssk, k1, k2 tog, ssp, p1, p2 together: 9 times (54 stitches)
Row 13: k3, p3: 9 times
Row 14: k1, k2 tog, p2 tog, p1 (36 stitches)
Row 15: k2, p2: 9 times
Row 16: k2 tog, p2 tog: 9 times (18 stitches)
Row 17: k1, p1 : 9 times
Row 18: k2 : 9 times (9 stitches
BO 9 stitches.

River Tam

2011-07-09T12:34:00.000-07:00

The third installment of the Ladies of Firefly series actually was not intended to be River Tam. I woke up from a nap on Easter to think to myself what if I knitted cables with a laceweight mohair in the shape of the Clapotis? What would it look like? So I made some notes and started knitting. I had purchased this skein of Cascade Kid Seta just because it was soft and pretty.

Knitters will tell you, sometimes you get yarn and it sits in your stash until it speaks to you. Well that Kid Seta was screaming to me I guess! After the first skein was finished, there was some question as to whether or not to extend it for 2 skeins. It actually needed it, but I just didn't feel like knitting on it any more.

Now I've gotten into a 'I should finish stuff' mode. There are about 4 projects that have been hibernating in project bags waiting for me to finish them: The featherweight sweater, the Gloucester coat, the River Tam and another Strawberry Hat. I frogged the hat. Screw that stupid thing. The other stuff will be finished though.

River Tam looks like this:

Once I am done with the knitting of the stole, I will be sending it off with a friend of mine so that she can dye it a more water-y color.

How hard is it to break a treadmill anyways?

2011-06-27T06:40:00.000-07:00

The family has been experiencing a lot of changes lately, and I've not been knitting nearly enough! Our son Alex has graduated from High School and was preparing to enter Tech School for a welding degree. Everything was all purty and quiet here and then he got a text - from his girlfriend - who broke up with him - in a text. So 2 years of relationship ends in a text (can you tell that's a real annoying point for me, the text?) and my son is left bereft, hurt and without a real need to stay in this podunk little town.

Two weeks ago, he announces, "I want to go into the Navy."

Okay! This option was floated about in the last few years for many reasons: 1. We've got no real $$ saved up for college. 2. His grades are not really indicative of ambition towards a college goal. 3. This kid can code computer programs IN HIS SLEEP, and needs a place where he can expand on that knowledge is a more structured environment than college. College has too many distractions (girlz and booz)

So now Navy is on the table again. We go to the recruiter and discuss his options. His only downside right now into joining is his need to get into shape. Mom decides this is the perfect time to join a gym and get into shape herself. The Brodhead Health Club has a 3 month membership that is perfect for our needs. Each day Alex and I get up, and get to the gym for an hour to 1 1/2 hours of real workout with weights and cardio.

This ol body is not liking it one. single. bit. I'm sore, I'm tired and I keep falling asleep in the afternoon. Of course, that might just be the lack of Pepsi going through my veins. Our goals are modest and attainable as long as we keep on them. If I get to my goal, I thought another Tat might be the reward. Alex gets a snappy new wardrobe and a new career.

Prayers are needed to keep us focused. I'm going to try something I've never tried before: Jogging. My ~ahem~ chest rack has precluded much running as I don't want a bruised eye, but with new spandex technologies, I think I can tame them enough to jog. I used to say I only ran when chased. I guess I better find someone to chase my treadmill at the gym then!

Updates galore

2011-06-06T16:36:00.000-07:00

Let's start with Mango. Mango's taken on the personality of a cranky wild-child. He wanted to go planking, so sure...we went planking. Ok, he planked, I took pictures. He then noticed my frustration at a certain child who is on the cusp of graduating High School. That child has become so unfocused that he's almost useless. If you tell him something, you might as well staple a post-it note to his forehead.

NO, I won't staple it...maybe some duct tape?

Mango insisted on head butting him to remind him for the 4th time to take the compost bucket down to the heap. That's when Mango lost his button eyes. So I sewed them back on. Mango then announced that he needed a friend. Stuffed animal creation is actually ideal for stressful situations. Great for ADD:

Mango and Papaya aren't really that chummy yet. Mango's ticked because I haven't given him a tail yet. Papaya's eyes are embroidered so they won't fly off in a fit of anger.

Graduation: Yeah. It's a big step that has long been a distant goal. Now that it's almost here, well it's been less organized that I had hoped. That's mostly because the cost. A hundred bucks for announcements? Who has that kind of cash. And that's without the cute little name cards. UH! Forty bucks for a graduation gown? He's wearing it one day! UH. With my sales being 1/2 of what they used to be, and Dave's hours being cut....well there's just not a lot of disposable cash for this.

Did I mention that his girlfriend persuaded him to get his hair cut? It might have been mean to laugh, but Dad and I did anyways.

Good thing I have skills. His announcements are printed at home. We got the gown and I'm less than happy about the fit. I could've sewn a better gown! Grad party? We'll be having ours in August to let Alex go to as many of his friends' parties as he wishes. That also gives us time to do some outside sprucing-up.

In the design aspect of life, I was presented with a challenge by a Ravelry user. She showed me a bag created to hold 2 skeins of yarn and allow a knitter to knit 2 socks at once. Sounds fine right? The trick is that the bag holds the skeins in such a way that a person can run the yarn right off the top and keep the skeins from rolling around. Now that's the hard part!

The design is much like compartments sewn from quilted fabrics.

See the two diagonal lines? What is not seen is the compartments under those lines. Each separate from the other. The slit is to allow the yarn to come out while the yarn is snug in their own little apartments.

Oh, and I've met the most talented weaver who is weaving shoulder straps for the KIP Bags. She has an inkle loom, which is used pretty much exclusively for weaving very sturdy straps.

The straps come with installation hardware and instruction and can be woven in two primary colors. I chose black and red so I can show the design simply. They are great! Sally gets all the $ for them, so grab one for your bag today.

Mango

2011-05-21T07:53:00.000-07:00

I whipped up Mango in about a week. Yes, making a stuff animal is fiddly and involves a lot of attaching. That part would've gone better with a yarn needle, but I couldn't find it. I used a crochet hook.

Mango and Dave.

My relationship with Mango has caused a bit of concern with Dave and Alex who think I've totally lost it. Maybe I have, but not without good reason: The wrist is inflamed and that means doctor visits. I can't knit, sew or do anything else with a bum wrist. I can however, play with Mango:

Mango is planking on the roof of the car.

On the bird feeder.

Sitting for his glamour shot.

I talk to Mango, and I tote him everywhere. At least I'm not sleeping with him....

Distractions

2011-05-14T10:53:00.000-07:00

My right hand/wrist has been swollen and achy now for over a week. It's an aggrivation of an old injury that won't get better until I stop using the stupid hand as much as I do.

So...distraction will come in the guise of a giraffe.
"Mango the Giraffe from KnitPicks.com Knitting"

Go get a copy of your pattern today. I'm working on Mango's head right now..slowly.

The Mystery of the Big Damned Bird

2011-05-11T10:34:00.000-07:00

Every day we drive down the same road to our home. This road goes up and over hills, through fields of hay and corn and soybeans and then into a stand of trees. For the last month or so, I've seen these large nests way up high in the trees about 200 yards back from the road.

Now screaming down the country road at 60 miles per hour, there's not a whole lot of time to get a real good look at these birds. From the passenger side of the van, I knew they were big, with long legs and neck and were dark. The nests looked huge and were perched on the top of what looked like ancient oaks.

Today I decided to walk the 1/2 mile over to this stand of trees to take a picture of this mysterious bird. It's been nagging me; what in the heck is this bird? I took along my husband's expensive, but so worth it Nikon camera and the telephoto lens. Hey, he spent some of his retirement on the gear, so who am I to argue? It's still so worth the $ he spent!

The big damned birds are Herons. Great Blue Herons if Wiki is correct. Not a real sparse bird, but not real common here in WI. I did capture some very nice hi-res stills of males, females and infants. It's a hot day here in Wisconsin, so I really should've taken some water with, but it was worth it.

The mystery is solved!

Ice Dragon

2011-04-21T15:59:00.000-07:00

This pattern was in the Beadwork magazine in the Feb/Mar 2011 issue. It was so intriguing that I hunted down the issue and then got the beads to make the bangle. Mine is more of a bracelet, since the bead shop didn't have enough of the magatma beads to make it longer.

It was my first ever attempt at making a beadwork bracelet. Oh sure, I flirted with a bead loom in my younger years, but only made a small thing. The pattern was well written and I managed to figure it out by myself.

If you're wanting to do this for yourself, I would recommend getting out some plastic clay to seat the first row in while working on the 2nd row. It keeps things from moving around so you don't have to feel like you need 5 more hands to get it off the ground.

A Singular Focus

2011-04-17T16:55:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it is good to find a focus and stick with it until it works. A few weeks ago, my friend Sue and I were reminiscing about good Jewish food. That got me thinking about Challah - that wonderful braided bread made around Passover. Wouldn't ya know it, but Passover is this next week!

So I've taken one day each week to attempt to perfect my recipe for Challah. The first few tries were uh....tragic. Not enough flour led to something that looked like a pie crust and too much yeast led to something that resembled a 9 x 13 brown rectangle.

The last few have been more successful. This last one was made entirely by hand and tasted very good: not too sweet, yeasty with great chewiness.

That is what it looked like after the first rising and before the next rising. Like the 95 year old pan? I swear, it's from my Grandmother's stash. It very well could be 95 years old!

The last Challah will be made for Thursday. Perhaps I will find another focus. I'm thinking something less...doughy.

Random Stuff about me

2011-03-30T08:18:00.000-07:00

Random stuff. Why? because I can:

1. I've got asthma. Had it for over 30 years. It's biggest triggers are cold air and exercise. Pushing a car out of a snow bank has almost killed me once.
2. I've never watched a reality show. Survivor? American Idol? Big Brother? Bachelor? any of those I've never seen. And yet....I still live. How weird is that?
3. I've never seen an episode of Sex in the City nor Desperate Housewives either. Still living too!
4. I wear socks like 99% of the time. My feet are almost always cold.
5. I use handkerchiefs regularly. I'm probably the last woman who does so.
6. I read abnormally fast. I've read 700+ page books in one week. I'm glad for ebooks now, because I would not buy books with less than 300 pages. It just wasn't cost effective for me.
7. I think that apple cinnamon toaster strudel is crack in a box. I can eat the whole box in one sitting.
8. I speak English, French, Spanish and am learning Italian. My next goals are Norwegian and German. I know enough of them to knit patterns written in those languages.
9. Show me a painting of a woman from the last 300 years or so, and I could tell you what the date was within 10 years. I have studied the history of costume that much.
10. I make my own hazlenut mocha latte every morning. I've got my own espresso machine. Cost per latte is like...$1.25

10 for now is fine. I'm currently working on some screen printing of silk and patiently waiting for a semi-warm day to rake the leaves out of my flower beds.
Picture:

Some nice cloud formations from my front lawn.

What do I read?

2011-03-27T08:29:00.000-07:00

My friend Sue, or as we call her Cashmere Sue suggested a book for me to read a few weeks ago: The Name of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. Mr. Rothfuss is a Wisconsin Boy, a true Browncoat, and a great writer.

I recommend the book. And when you're done with the 700+ pages, read the next one. A Wise Man's Fear is just out. I am a confessed speed-reader: I finished the first book in a week. I am now on 350 or so of the 1100 pages of the 2nd book. They are fast reads as a book goes. The story is linear, which is so unlike some of the other Fantasy novels I've read that have so many story lines going on at one time that it is difficult to keep track. *and YES, that means YOU, Terry Goodkind!*

And for a picture? There's gotta be a picture, right?
Um....

"Hot tub bunnies" From Last Year's Easter.

Blowing off Steam

2011-03-18T13:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I had a bit of a familial meltdown earlier. It was over 2 weeks overdue. Now I am back to my old self, working and reading odd stuff on the 'net.

I have to share though, my time-consuming project. Over the last few months I've been slowly working on a custom-order for 60 bags. They are all the same fabric, all small KIPs and all going to one very lucky group going to Maryland Sheep & Wool festival from Pennsyvania. They will be enjoying these!

I've been keeping them secret so that the knitters will be surprised when they get them. I have to do my touchdown dance, though. I am finished sewing them! Now they all get their strings and the final check before shipping. But I'm done sewing!!!

And..I'll be getting more of this fabric for regular customers to the shop. It's just too cool not to!

Ash Wednesday and the FB Fast

2011-03-09T07:48:00.000-08:00

Today is Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent. So the thoughts turn to what to sacrifice for Lent to make my life more 'like God'. Now I thought about giving up Pepsi. Everyone I know will agree: Cut me I bleed Pepsi. But as I was in church last Sunday my choice became clear. I have decided to give up Facebook for the 40 days. Why? Well let me try to sum up.

Three weeks ago I get an invite from my sister to come and see their new home. They moved the end of January to a home nearby. She called, said she had some things for me and wanted help with her webcam. I go over on a Wednesday night and say hi to her and my Brother in Law. His first comment to me was, "I suppose you support that evil Walker." (I live in Wisconsin BTW) My short response was "Yes, and I don't want to get into it." I repeated it 4 times while fixing the webcam. I then went with my sister to take the grand tour of the new house.

When I returned to the living room, my brother in law just kept on. I tried to change the subject to ANYTHING else. Then he just got nasty. There was more name calling. I'm evil, I'm stupid, I'm greedy, I don't know how evil this governor is. I'm nothing but scum on the floor of a bus. I'm trying to ruin their family, etc....

He's a union worker, albeit in a private union. He's not worked a full week in over a year. His hours are such that the union has cut off his health insurance and his pension deposits. When I asked, "What are you paying your dues for if they cannot even guarantee you a full week's work?" I got "Well they need to train journeymen." "How can you hire MORE people if they don't have work for the ones they have?" I got a response of "It's the Republican's fault." (Read: it's my fault he's not working)

So I flee, crying and angry from a home where I was invited. I felt attacked and abused. I was past upset into a panic state; I just wanted out. And when I get home, my sister calls, claiming I should apologize. She says they did nothing wrong. I said, "If you cannot see what you did wrong, there is nothing to talk about." and I hung up.

The assaults continued on Facebook. Outside of this immediate family, everyone has resorted to unwarranted personal attacks. What the hell did I get myself into? How did a simple visit to my Sister turn into an all-out war? When did it become acceptable to invite persons to your home and then attack them? I was taught to treat people that come to your home as guests, especially family. Heck, you have to live with them forever!

While sitting in church, it came upon me. For MY mental health, for MY sanity, there will be no more Facebook during Lent. My Sister, her kids and the rest of the family can sit there and discuss how evil I truly am without me being privy to it. I will use my time to knit baby sweaters for the Stateline Pregnancy Center, who helps out families during crisis pregnancies. I am sure that they will be accepting of some sweaters.

Moral of the story: Take the time in your life this next 40 days to evaluate how you deal with people who don't agree with you. Do you treat them badly, ignore them, or talk to them anyways. This entire drama has taught me an important, but sad lesson. People out there will feel justified in treating others badly - be on your guard.

Uh Yeah...I have a blog right?

2011-02-27T10:41:00.001-08:00

I've been doing a lot of knitting, a lot of sewing, and a lot of meeting. Let us start with knitting:

The Janesville Area Knitting Guild's Annual Knit-In was last weekend. Anyone who knows me know's I am the Door Prize coordinator for that event. Usually that keeps me from taking classes. As a help to vendors this year, we asked for less donations and gave them to the first 50 registrants. I got to take a class! I took steeking. Really, it's not as frightening as you think it is, once you know how.

BUT, we need pictures!

(Note to self: STOP TAKING PICS WITH YOUR CELLPHONE!) The pictures don't really turn out well when I do. My entrant into the knitting challenge is a Christmas Stocking done in colorwork. The yarn is entirely handspun, and the designs came from a book called "Aran and Fair Isle Knitting" and is part of the Harmony Guide Series from Britain.

Sewing? Oh I'm in a Amy Butler phase again. Pop on over to the store for a nice bag while they are still on sale. This design series is called Soul Garden and it's just captivating.

I've met with the vendors at the Knit-In and the members that attended. It was all in great fun and I got to show off my newest thing, the Tattoo.

It's been two weeks now since I went and got it. Did it hurt? Yep, it did. Is it real? Yep. Where was it done? Alkali Tattoos in Janesville, WI. Is my Dad jealous? Oh, heck yeah.

The Divine Strawberry

2011-02-01T13:25:00.000-08:00

As a member of the Knit-In committee for the Janesville Area Knitting Guild, I am privy to information that others might not have until later. Being an honest lady, I knew that this years' competition challenge would be a cabled accessory. I make it a point never to start my project until January to give everyone a sporting chance.

I thought about it and knitted the Divine Strawberry. Divine because I knitted it while attending my class at St. Augustine on the Apostle's Creed. I have become aware of the fact that I listen more intently when I am knitting, so I bring something that I can work on that does not need much attention and can be placed low on the lap. That way I can knit and not draw attention....mostly.

It turned out a bit snug for my head, but cute nonetheless. Last week was the first time in over two months that I could make it to the yarn shop to discuss the Knit-In and such. That's when I found out that the challenge had been changed due to changes in our speakers. Now it's colorwork. So the Divine Strawberry was made for sheer fun. Ah well...now I have to find something to knit for the challenge that has colorwork in it.

I confess: I'm a Packers Fan

2011-01-24T05:53:00.000-08:00

The year was 1996, and fresh out of Tech College I landed a cushy job as a Maintenance Mechanic at a local Potato Chip Factory. Maintenance Mechanics by the way, make some tall cash and earn it about 30% of the time. The rest of the time is just piddly work. I'm digressing here....

My beloved Packers made it to the Superbowl!! I felt that this endeavor was enough to warrant a Father-Daughter tattoo. I was ready, willing and able to pay for Dad and I to get a tattoo of the Packer Helmet + 'Superbowl Champs 1996' written underneath on our upper arms. I had made the appointment. My Dad, he chickened out. He called and said, "Bren, I don't want the tattoo. Spend your money on something worthwhile." Oh GEEZ Dad! COME ON!!! So I did what he said, and I am left tattoo-less.

Fast forward to 2011. Here we are at the brink of another Packer trip to the Superbowl (BTW, if that's got some trademark infringement thing going on if I say it, I'm sorry. The Bowl belongs to us Fans so there :P) and I'm dreaming of a Packer Helmet with 'Superbowl Champs 2011' on it.

My Dad? He can pay for his own flippin tattoo this time. Ain't no one gonna stop this tat from getting on me if they win!!

That's the chicken-livered Daddy-O. He'd look great with a Packer tattoo don'cha think? Eh. Dad...If you're reading this, I STILL LOVE YA!! and GO PACK!!!

2011-01-19T15:53:00.000-08:00

Not much new going on. I'm laid off of the temp job, so I'm back to sewing full-time again. I just figured I wanted to see some green...........

The lady walking with the bag in the picture is my Mother-In-Law.

How to knit backwards without turning your work

2011-01-09T13:01:00.001-08:00

It's a presentation for our Knitting Guild; how to knit without turning your work. To that end, I've taken pictures of how I knit both forwards and back.

I guess I'm a thrower. I wrap my yarn around my right index finger, stick the needle from front to back into the stitch, wrap the yarn from under to over, then pull the loop through. So that will be what you will see in the first pictures:

Now, to knit backwards competently is mainly practice and noticing how you knit forwards. In order to knit backwards, I slip my needle from forwards to back in the back loop of the stitch, I then wrap the stitch around the needle from the bottom up
and use the needle to pull the stitch to the front. So it's like the whole process is opposite of what is done as I knit forward.

The Pictures: The yarn I'm knitting with is orange and the stitches on the needle are green.

Now to purl backwards, the main thing to remember is that the yarn starts out in front of the work, just as before. It's actually kind of easy: Make sure that the yarn gets between the needle and the stitch on the needle, and just use the left needle to pull the loop through to the back.

Practice, practice, practice is what comes next. I started doing this because my right wrist could not stand the contortions of purling when doing the stockinette stitch. It took about 3 months to get good at it, about a month of consistent practice to get it to feel comfortable. Like any new skill, the more you do it, the easier it becomes.

Top 10 Good Things of 2010 3 through 1

2011-01-01T06:56:00.002-08:00

3. Marti and Leslie's wedding: Or The HS Reunion without the drunks.
Marti and Leslie were High School friends of mine that met on FB and then got hitched last summer. It was a blast! Many of my friends that I've not seen in a while attended and some of the other people I went to High School were there also.

Heck, I remember seeing Leslie dance in the Nutcracker when I was 12.............

Mr. and Mrs. Johnson.

2. AFC Conference at Chula Vista.
Americans for Prosperity is one of those groups that was born from the frustrations with the way Government is run. We joined the group to add our voices and strengths to theirs. At the Conference, we discussed the Global Climate religion with Lord Monckton, Rules for Radicals with Vicki McKenna, Listened to a group of talented singers sing all 3 verses to the American Anthem, and chatted with the likes of Scott Walker, Ron Johnson, Dave Westlake, Rick Richard, and that Neuman guy I didn't care for.

That's Vicki McKenna giving us the lowdown on the book, "Rules for Radicals" By Saul Alinsky, also know as 'Obama's playbook.' Chula Vista? Sucked: Too big, too expensive, sucky food at the kiosks. You can keep it.

1. Friends we've met along the way. OH MY GOD we have fun!

Not all pictured have become close to us, but there are a few notables: Lonna, Jason, Evan, Will, Amy, Rick and all of their families. I'm sure I missed a few but I give them a big smile each time we see them.

The photo was taken at the Milton 4th of July Parade. Dave, Alex and I were also in the Labor Day parade in Janesville, the Tea Party get-togethers in Madsion, Prairie Du Chien, Milwaukee, and Janesville. I can say that I've met and spoken to the Governor of Wisconsin, and other newly elected officials and they are all genuine, and eager to represent.

SO..........that's my year in a nutshell. Hope 2011 is just as much fun, or better!

Top 10 Good Things of 2010 6 through 4

2010-12-31T08:45:00.000-08:00

6: Trans-Siberian Orchestra Tix Won!
Vicki McKenna runs a talk show on 1130 Am out of both Milwaukee and Madison. We are regulars listeners as well as have her on FaceBook. One day she ran a FB contest: whomever could show her a large, ugly mass of Box Elder bugs won TSO tix. I sent over a picture of our mass of Japanese Ladybugs. Yeah, I was never good on details. Well, she was so horrified by my picture she gave the tickets to us anyways! So off to the Kohl Center we went:

A visually stunning show, great seats, we had a great time.

5: Lunches and Open Knitting On Thursdays
Both of which I miss. When Alex was going to the International Academy, I'd go into Janesville early on Thursday and take him to lunch. We'd end up at places like Subway or KFC, and talk for an hour before going to knit with the ladies. Open Knitting at the Dragonfly is a blast! Whomever would drop by would stop and knit, critique new knitting magazines, show off our stuff, and use some good ol' peer pressure to try new things. I do hope that after my stint as a temp worker, I get to go back to open knitting.

The picture is of Alex at Subway taken during a cell-phone camera fight.

4: AuTrain 2010
Our vacations run like this: One year a BIG vacation to somewhere like Mesa Verde. The next year, it's a week at a campground chilling, fishing and kayaking. This year was AuTrain, Michigan. The campground? Eh, the lake, too big for kayaking. The AuTrain River? AWESOME for kayaking! It snakes about 2 miles to the west and turns 2 miles to the east.

You drop your kayak in, have someone hold it, drive up 1/2 a mile to drop your car off. Then walk the 1/2 mile back and paddle for about 4 hours before getting back to your car. It's more like a large creek than a river. It empties into Lake Superior and is great fun for the last 1/8 mile.

People gather at that spot after the bridge and let their kids play in the sand and the current on the river is such that if you can float, you can float on the current to Lake Superior. It was fun!

Top 10 Good Things of 2010 10 through 7

2010-12-29T17:20:00.000-08:00

I'm going to remember 2010 by the good things that happen. Be ready for some funky memories:

10: Gall bladder surgery. Yep, that's a good thing. This stupid gall bladder has been invading my nighttime peace for about 3 years now. It's time that Fred and George the gall stones get a new living quarters of a plastic jar.

9: Firefly and Zoe. Two Shawls that I have designed all by myself. A learning experience to say the least! The easiest part is knitting the buggers, charting however.....

8: After a few years of messing with an old well pump, pressure tank and water heater, I THINK we're done now. Everything has been replaced. Next spring we'll have to do some landscaping where they dug the 4 foot trench but hey....I wanted to plant some new flowers around here anyways.

7: Alex is 18!!!!! My dear son has made it to be an adult! There's minimal scars, no juvenile record, no grandchildren, no rehab bills. We've made it!

New Job Makes Life just that more interesting

2010-12-26T20:00:00.001-08:00

So I picked up a job doing some data entry/mail sorting for a few months; mainly to pay off the debts on that junker of a car of mine. If possible, I'll save up enough for another decent-running yet used car.

The bag selling enterprise is still running, albeit with less inventory. I can still do some sewing after work and on weekends, so I will be doing more fabric buying online. Which is good actually, since I get the better designer fabrics that way.

Christmas is over, and I'm glad of that. The crappy Wisconsin winters make driving a stressful experience and for some reason, I do not do well physically at my In-Law's. I always wake up feeling as though I've been crumpled like a piece of paper. My sinuses were screaming and I could not deal with the lights at church. I ended up looking downward at the Nativity Set during the service.

Our gift giving between Dave and I involved exchanging top-shelf liquor: Bourbon for Godiva Chocolate Vodka. I think it was a great idea, since we've already gotten into our respective gifts.

Tigger had some issues with hurling for a few weeks and I was worried he had gotten some bad disease. He's 13 years old; not a young kitty any more. We switched his food back to the usual stuff and started feeding him less. He's stopped throwing up, which is a relief.

And yes, he does a wonderful impression of Jabba the Hut.

Knitting wise; I'm starting the Gloucester Coat from Interweave. A cabled coat with an intricate collar. Since I'm working on the body right now, I'm still debating whether or not the collar is going to happen or if I will put a simpler hood on instead.

Mine is knitted from Patons worsted in a dark green color. I'm working on the front left side which is about 1/2 done.

Out here in the black

2010-12-06T16:13:00.000-08:00

The other day, I was posting on some forum or another about how things were different 'Out here in the black.' which is a term from Firefly. It's amusing how idioms from favorite shows sneak into your every day language. I've been watching NCIS for years, and now things that are just not-right have become, 'hinky'.

But out here in the black means something that is just more than being in the middle of nowhere. Out here in the black...20 miles from the nearest moderately large city...we make do for ourselves when things go hinky.

Like when your well pump goes dead and you have no water. Dave's been teasing me about my obsession with putting gallons of water on the back porch/laundry room. It's not really a porch per se...more like a mud room. I stash gallons of water back there just in case and last weekend we used all 10 of them up plus refills.

But out here in the black, we learn to deal with minor crisis with a calm stubborness. We will not let it get us down, and we will survive. Even if it means dipping water from the pool to flush the toilets. We survive...and get on with life.

So as not to go all wishy washy, I've added a cute pic of the stuffed moose that I perched on my leg at my Aunt and Uncle's weekend.

Zoe is Finished!

2010-11-13T07:32:00.000-08:00

Zoe is one of the ladies of Firefly. She's a complicated woman, with great loyalty and skills with guns:
"Zoë:(looking at a dress in a shop window) Too much foofarah. If I'm gonna wear a dress I want something with some slink.
Wash: You want a slinky dress? I can buy you a slinky dress. Captain, can I have money for a slinky dress?
Jayne: I'll chip in.
Zoë: I can hurt you."

Wash is her husband and Jayne is a guy that lives on the same ship that she does.

That is my interpretation of Zoe's 'Slink.' It's light as air and has just enough beads to make it shiny. Knitted from Misti Alpaca, it's knitted so that the diagonals work one way, then the next. I've added a beaded edge to the stole, much like the heavily decorated pallaus of a sari. The wardrobes in Firefly tend to mix Chinese and Indian styles in a very eye-catching way.

Recovery from the surgery has accelerated in the last week. I feel much better and more like myself. I do find myself taking more naps, but what can be wrong with that?Dr. Surgeon has given me the go-ahead to get back to normal life. With the exception of a terse scream emanating from my liver every time I attempt to eat something with fat in it, I'm doing well.

My Brother-In-Law got a deer Thursday, so Dave and I spent yesterday butchering. We have enough venison burger, roasts, loins and sausage to last at least 1/2 the winter. That was the 3rd deer we've butchered ourselves and I do think we're getting quite efficient at both getting as much meat as possible, and getting it packaged as quickly as possible.

Dave's been experimenting with new recipes for sausage and jerky. This time he's mixed up an Italian sausage and a Polish Sausage. We tried the Polish this morning with breakfast and it's very tasty.

I'm without stones!

2010-10-30T07:47:00.000-07:00

Yes, that is what I look like to day. Not bad for a woman who had her gall bladder surgically removed yesterday eh? The saga of the gallstones is at an end. Yesterday I went to the hospital and Dr. Surgeon took them out. Actually I requested them too. Dr. Surgeon was giggling, but did plop them into a jar for me! We've decided to call them Fred and George. Yep, my stones are the Weasley twins.

Today, I feel like the loser in a boxing match. I am very grateful and lucky to have a hubby who is taking excellent care of me. The laptop is perched on my reclining lap while I sip my first latte in two days. AHHH Latte.

Ok, really this was to say yeah I'm ok and to show off the Ptarmigan. I felt a need for a get well knitting gift, so I bought the ptarmigan pattern by Jared flood. I like his designs; they are classic and not overly frilly.

So I knitted this cowl in a few days from some recycled cashmere. I frogged a 50's style sweater for the yarn and it is so soft. I extended the cowl by one lace motif because I find things close to my neck confining.

A moment of Zen

2010-10-03T20:23:00.000-07:00

I don't remember where I found this picture online the first time, but it is a cute pic! Lots of the usual stuff going on around here: Knitting, sewing and harvesting. Hope all is well with you!

Shh, it's a secret!

2010-09-25T18:07:00.000-07:00

That's your hint of what will become Zoe. Forgive the graininess of the pictures; my cell does not like low light. I'm still knitting and charting. It's part of a new frenzy of creativity that I'm having. I've been creating new knitting patterns. The other patterns in the works are nook-kindle-ebook reader covers.

About a month ago, I got myself a nook. I've loaded about 30 books onto it, some trashy romances, some Stephen King, some Diana Gabaldon. This is the wi-fi version. The browser is a bit fiddly, but I can spot-check my email quickly and get back to reading. The last book I read was "The Colorado Kid" By Stephen King. We've been watching the TV Series "Haven" on Sy Fy and I wanted to know how close it was to the book.

It's not really close to the book, but I don't really mind. The book is such a short story, that it does lend itself to being like an introduction to the town of Haven.

Update on the Gall Bladder: The surgeon says I have to have my gall bladder out. There's 2- 2 cm stones in there. It's been a running joke in the house. Mama's got stones! Preliminary scheduling puts me under the knife the first week in October.

2010-09-12T09:28:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of Genesis Ultrasound.
For the last 2 years or so, I've been battling a cranky gall bladder. In the dead of the night, I would wake with a gnawing pain right in the middle of my chest. It would gain in strength for a few hours and then subside, usually with a gurgling sound coming from my right side under the ribcage. I did some research and realized that it was my gall bladder and most likely these instances were when I passed a gall stone.

Last Thursday, I had another episode that was different than the others. It was earlier in the evening and it would just not go away. I asked my hubby to take me to the emergency room. There, they took some blood, set up an appointment for an ultrasound the next morning, and gave me pain medication. There's really not much else they CAN do for a gall stone. I get my results on Monday, and I do hope that the gall bladder is empty or is filled with only a few more stones. If that's the case, I hope to persuade the doctor to give me a few pain pills to get me through the next few passings.

Now if that gall bladder is full of stones? That's going to take an operation. Problem is; I have no health insurance. The state-run Badgercare kicked me off of it last December - I made too much money.

ahhhh fall!

2010-09-04T06:01:00.000-07:00

OK, so it might not be the real fall, but it sure is much cooler outside. I am convinced that my 40+ years of living in Wisconsin have made me more attuned to warm than cold. I hate being too hot. There's only so much clothing I can take off before offending the public. I can always put more on though.

The knitting is going well. I snagged a few coveted yarns at stitches: A skein of Kauni and a cone of Habu textiles silk/stainless steel. Stainless steel you ask? yes. It's a very thin yarn and I am knitting it on size 2 needles. I'll have to post pictures when I am finished with it.

I had to knit another firefly to work out details in the chart.

Tigger is modeling the firefly, knitted in one skein of Crazy Zauberball I got in a trade. I've ironed out the details, I'm polishing up the charts and I should be releasing the pattern to the knitting public next week. I do hope it goes well...

The Firefly

2010-08-11T19:26:00.000-07:00

I couldn't write about it, until after I gave it away....

About a month ago, I started knitting a shawl based on what I thought was a lace pattern from a magazine. It's a common thing for me; see a pattern, picture the lace chart, then start knitting. This time, I was wrong...so horribly wrong. But it turned out cool!

I present the mistake that I call Firefly.

The yarn is a 50/50 mix of wool and silk in a great crimson color. I beaded the end with black beads. It turned out a lot better than I thought.

Currently, there are three test-knitters testing the pattern for me, then I'm going to offer it for sale. It will be my first effort at writing my own pattern, which means...I'll be a bona fide designer!

2010-08-02T06:46:00.000-07:00

Camp Washcloth

While unpacking at the campsite during our last vacation, I realized that we had forgotten a washcloth for doing the dishes! So, while my husband was fishing off the back of the canoe, I knitted a washcloth in the front.

Materials: Size 3 needles – I actually used two dpn's as they were the only ones I had with me.
Yarn: Sample of Color Changing cotton by Wolle's Yarn Creations
Gauge: Um, not really an issue with this pattern. A larger needle/yarn would only yield a larger washcloth or a more dense washcloth.

CO 2 sts
Pattern Row: K1, yo, k to end
Repeat pattern row until there are 33 stitches on the needle.

Now:
Knit stockinette stitch for 6 rows
knit Garter stitch for 6 rows
Repeat 3 times, ending with stockinette rows

To decrease:
On Right Side: ssk, knit to end
On Wrong Side: K2 tog, knit to end
Repeat these two rows until two stitches remain, then bo 2 sts and weave in ends.

The Queen Anne Shawl - Finished!

2010-07-21T08:15:00.001-07:00

Some day I'll learn how to add a to do list to my blog....

Last year, I offered to donate one knitted lace shawl to the Catholic Ladies raffle. Each year, during the Church's Harvest Festival, they hold a raffle to raise cash. Usually it's a very nice handmade quilt and a few gift baskets.

I decided to knit something that could be used as a shawl, a Christening blanket or a tablecloth. So I picked the Queen Anne's Lace shawl by Mmario. It took about 9 months to knit, with many week's off for other projects. Now, it's done and blocked.

Cotton

2010-07-13T11:01:00.000-07:00

I've been spending time revisiting an old skill: Spinning cotton. I've misplaced my brass supported spindle, so I made myself a new one. This one is carved from a chopstick with a whorl of poly clay. The trickiest part of the construction is the hook on the top of the spindle. If you cut too much off, you have nothing but a frayed point.

The deal with spindles like this is that they are supported spindles. That means that they need something to spin on. My spindle cup has a divot in the middle for spinning. It is really a pretty cup; I got it from Mielke's The cotton is from cotton clouds and it is a naturally green colored cotton. Spinning cotton takes practice, much practice. The major jist of it is that it is essentially 'double spun.' As you spin the takli (supported spindle) the first time, you draft the cotton loosely. The second spin of the takli is faster, and gives the cotton thread strength.
It takes a lot of practice. I've been watching the series Firefly on Netflix while spinning. Good Series, and it keeps me sitting still for just long enough to practice without getting cramped up and sore from spinning too long.
About 5 years ago, I managed to spin, ply and knit this from cotton:

It is the feather and fan comfort shawl, knitted in a mixture of brown and white naturally colored cottons. It is uber-soft and pretty warm for cotton!

New Look, Same Knitting

2010-06-23T09:21:00.000-07:00

Hey, blogger got some new bling! Yay!

The knitting continues. A few High School buddies are getting married in about 6 weeks, so there is some covert knitting going on. Something befitting of the couple....

Summer is a time for kicking back and relaxing. So I've decided to stop sewing until many of the bags are gone. Problem is, they aren't getting out of here fast enough to suit me. So I put them on clearance. Go over to my shop to buy a bag dirt cheap.

The ladies that meet on Thursdays have been encouraging me to continue on the featherweight. It's mindless knitting: stockinette for hours and hours.

But the brandywine is finished! I was nervous about not having enough handspun for it, so the body is 13 repeats of chart B instead of 15. But It did turn out stunning.

Difficulty-wise, I'd give the pattern about a middle of the road in difficulty. I did need to keep the chart with me all the time, and there was one time I had to tink back about 5 rows due to a huge blip on the left side. I would recommend the pattern for intermediate lace knitters.

still updating

2010-05-31T08:19:00.000-07:00

This blogger does not like me at times.

The next few things on the needles are a bit easier and great for keeping my hands busy while watching TV. The featherweight cardigan is part of the KAL that the ladies have started. A number of us ladies gather at the Dragonfly on Thursdays for open knitting. When I work by yourself all week, it is good to get out and chat with others to keep my sanity.

My featherweight is in orange: Tiger Lily by Malabrigo.

The last item on the needles that is new is the Brandywine Shawl . The initial idea was to knit this using some Malabrigo Sock yarn that I bought specifically for it. I started that things SIX TIMES using that yarn and each time, it would screw up before row 20. Finally I got the idea that this yarn did not want to be that shawl. I picked up a hank of handspun in a beautiful combination of violets and oranges and started knitting with that. It's been easy-peasy since!

Updates on projects

2010-05-31T08:06:00.000-07:00

First of all, let Americans take a moment out of their day off to reflect on those who serve in our Military and gave their lives in defense of the United States of America. Without them, USA would not be as Free and Wondrous as it is.

There are times in my knitting journey where I am direction-less. I will start things and then frog them. I will start different things and just leave them alone. It usually happens after I complete a large project. The last episode was about a month ago. During that time, I started some 5 or so projects because the 6 or so that are in progress were not enough.......

The Bee Fields shawl was giving me fits. I had an inkling that the size 7 needles were too big, but was too stubborn to frog the darned thing. It took about a week, but I mustered up the ooomph to do so and then restarted it.

It does look better now. The yarn is a handspun silk that I had custom dyed for this shawl. I wanted a honey colored silk. Kerri at the Dragonfly was happy to help out.

Question

2010-03-31T05:25:00.000-07:00

I've got a Kundert Drop Spindle. It spins beautifully and I do like it a lot. HOWEVER.....if I drop the danged thing (and it does happen) while spinning, the cop (Spun fiber wrapped on the shaft) pops off.

HELP!!

I have emailed the maker of the spindles who replied something like, "Hey, I just make them. I don't spin with them. Ask a spinner." Oh OK whatever.

If you have any answers, please let me know!

The picture is of Vicki, with her I MUST KILL YOU NOW! look. Which is just added for fun. Dave is in the background doing...........something.

History is knowledge

2010-03-08T05:02:00.000-08:00

I recently was talking to a very knowledgeable person about my reading material in the restrooms of my house. Yes, I have reading material in them....sometimes it is the only place I can get a few uninterrupted minutes to read.

One of the books is the "Great Mortality" about the Black Death plague that hit Europe in the mid 1300's. This visitor to my home enjoyed the downstairs reading: A book about how famous persons died and where they were buried, and asked about the one upstairs.

"It's about the Black Death."
"The what?"
"The black death: the plague that decimated 2/3 of the population of Europe in the 1300's"
About this time I'm reminded of the ex-boyfriend who didn't know what Stonehenge was....
"I've never heard of that."

Ok, what are kids being taught in school these days? Not even that, but the History Channel digs out their documentary on it at least twice a year and shows it. In the scope of humanity, the Black Death was an awful thing, but it caused a major shift in culture, economics, and how society works. When 2/3 of the people around you die in mere months, things are bound to change.

Peasants were given more latitude in negotiations with landowners. The apprentice-type market was altered when millions of craftsmen lost their journeymen or their teachers. Relationship dynamics changed. The arts were given a macabre twist.

And yet.....they don't teach that?

There are many lessons to be learned from the Black Death: whatever causes mass death is one thing, but the changes to the lives of the living is another. Think about all of those incidents where millions of people have lost their lives: The Holocaust, Stalin, Pol Pot, Rwanda....and think about how those who have survived have changed their lives.

2010-02-19T11:56:00.000-08:00

What the words say to the right: " In this Feb. 21, 2008, file photo, Holocaust hero Irena Sendler is seen in her home in Warsaw, Poland. Poland's lawmakers have unanimously adopted a resolution on Friday Feb. 19, 2010, marking the 100th birthday of Irena Sendler who is credited with saving some 2,500 Jewish children from the Holocaust. Parliament says Sendler dedicated her whole life to children and was 'good, modest and concentrated only on helping others.' When Poland was occupied by Nazi Germany during World War II Sendler worked as a social worker and organized an effort to smuggle out Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto. The children were given new identities and placed with Polish families and in convents. For her efforts Sendler was made an honorary citizen of Israel and held the title of 'Righteous among the nations.' She died in 2008."

Courtesy of the AP News. Irena Sendler spent WWII in Poland, smuggling Jewish infants, toddlers and children out and placing them with families who raised them. She listed those she saved in jars buried in her yard.

The really sad part about this story is almost never told by the media: Irena Sendler was nominated for the Nobel Prize in 2007. That year, Al Gore won.

Oh look, I knitted a torch!

2010-02-10T15:24:00.000-08:00

The Janesville Area Knitting Guild has their Knit-In the first weekend in February. Now, I've known for 8 months what the knitting challenge would be. The challenge this year was mittens. So being a studious person, I waited until I had 2 weeks left to start my entry.

I came across this funky looking fingerless mitts that I thought might just be eye-catching enough to win. So I started knitting and ended up with this:

The basic pattern can be found here
be forewarned: A lot of it is in German. My mitts ended up with a different shape. My cat wouldn't get off my lap long enough for me to check the website to see if I was doing it right. I just winged it.
The pair looks like this
with the right one being the first one done. It got a bit out of hand.

And I won Most Creative! YAY!!

2010-02-01T14:22:00.001-08:00

Remember the pyramid bag?
Yep. It's cool all right. But I found a flaw. The yarn can get stuck around the zipper pull.

I was using it at my Wednesday class last week. It's handy to secretly slip your hat-in-progress out and start knitting during class. I am pretty sure that the teachers wouldn't have a big fit about me knitting, as I was paying close attention to what they were saying. BUT, I am thinking that some of the other students may be either bothered by it or fascinated by watching a woman knit without looking. So I kept it pretty much hidden on my lap under the table.

The next day, I pull out the hat and yarn and it was stuck in the zipper pull! I had to break my yarn to get it out of there. I KNEW there was a reason that the KIP bag doesn't have a zipper!

New type of bag?

2010-01-13T04:57:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, one of the ladies in our guild had brought along a nifty bag. It was in the shape of a pyramid. She showed it to me and jokingly said, "I bet you can make that." I boastfully replied. "Yeah."
I should learn to shut up once in a while.

It's taken me 2 months. I've made 3 prototypes, all disasters. Then one night I could not get back to sleep. That's when it hit me: I was overthinking the design. Yesterday, I picked up a few scraps and tried out the revised design. It worked!

Sorry about the craptastic pictures. My cell phone does require a very steady hand.

The fabric is upside down, the zipper is too short but it works! The outside is the cows print, with quilt batting middle and an orange fabric on the inside. No pockets. There is a zipper down the middle of the front and a carrying strap.

What I like about the design is the fact that there's this small opening above the zipper pull when it's closed. That is handy to pull the yarn through while you're walking or just sitting. That pesky yarn ball isn't rolling around the floor tempting cats.

To make this ah...professionally done, I'll trade out the quilt batting for peltex. Peltex is a stiffer fabric, but thinner. The zipper will need to be longer, and for Pete's sake...get the design upright! Size wise, I think it's just right for sock knitting. It's about 10" Long by about 8" wide.

New Year's Goals?

2010-01-10T19:04:00.000-08:00

I was thinking recently about goals for the New Year. Yep, it's January 10 and I'm not really working on goals that are widely accepted: Lose weight or stop smoking. Mine are more along the lines of things I'd like to learn or experience.

Knitting-wise, I'm working on a few things that I'd like to finish: A sweater for me, a shawl for the church, and a freaking pair of monkey socks that are celebrating anniversaries on the needles. Other than the projects, I want to try my hand at designing and publishing a few knitting patterns. There are a few patterns I've devised along the way that simply need to be written down: a shawl, a pair of slippers, and a few hats.

I've also joined the Rav group 10 shawls in 2010. The goal is to knit 10 shawls in the span of a year. I've gotten one down:

That's the Travelling Woman Shawl. I knitted it in worsted-weight Malabrigo so it would keep me warmer.

Work-wise: I don't know. I'm torn between learning screen printing to create custom printed KIPS or designing a few new totes. Perhaps a bit of both. There was one tote that I tried that I never did sell that is more like a purse with pockets on the outside. I use the prototype all the time. Perhaps I will revisit that bag, see why it didn't work and fix it.

And the Winner is...............

2009-12-01T04:57:00.000-08:00

MINOU14 selected by a random number generator (an almost awake 17 year old) "Quick, give me a number between 1 and 21"

"One and 21"

"Ha ha, try again. "

so the bag will be sent off to Minou - I've added a selection of gourmet hot chocolate mixes I bought at Fibergarden last weekend. Deb has a very beautiful shop/home and runs a great Holiday retreat Thanksgiving weekend.

Congratulations!!

1000th Feedback!!!

2009-11-24T19:26:00.000-08:00

KIP Bags by Ruddawg has gotten their 1000th feedback! In honor of this momentous occasion, I am giving away a One of a Kind KIP Bag filled with goodies. The stuff? A sampling based on the idea "A Few of my Favorite Things."

What are a few of my favorite things? Well, KIP bags, of course. This one is red velvet, 10" high by 7 1/2" wide. A red velvet wrist strap allows for knitting and walking at the same time. It has a decorator fabric bottom and fancy stitching at the top to give it a more festive look.

What is in the bag?

The top fuzzy item is a pair of socks. Not just socks, but a pair of those fuzzy and oh so soft socks. I am a fiend for socks! I ask for a new set of socks every year for my birthday.

Next is a skein of Alpaca yarn - Caramel in color. I love, love LOVE alpaca! This skein is from Blue Sky Alpacas, 120 yards of Sport Weight Yarn.

The red item is my most useful tool for knitting, sewing and everything else. It's a small swiss army knife that goes on a set of keys. It's got a small pair of scissors, knife, nail file, tweezers, and toothpick. I've had one myself for many years and find it so handy.

I will provide a list of my most useful websites. They will be of free knitting patterns, and useful websites for those who knit socks and such. As these are not my knitting patterns, please make sure to follow their copyright instructions. They are my "go-to" patterns for quick gifts.

Moisturizer pretty much speaks for itself. Somehow, it always seems as though knitting takes the moisture out of my hands. With my asthma, perfumed moisturizers can set off an attack pretty quickly. This moisturizer from Gold Bond is effective, long lasting and fragrance free.

There will be chocolate added to the bag, but I haven't gotten it yet. It's just too much of a temptation to leave out in this house.

NOW - The details:

To enter to get this KIP Bag giveaway, Leave a comment. Comment about whatever you like, but make sure I can get a hold of you in case you win. The first winner will be selected next Wednesday, December 1st at about 8 am CST.

Thanks to all who have made the KIP Bag a success!

awwwwwwwwwww

2009-11-17T04:59:00.000-08:00

My Sister and Brother-In-Law live about 3 miles away from here. On some days, they bring out their puppy dog, Mattie to run the back two fields. Mattie gets so excited about it that sometimes she just does not want to go back home.

One time in September, she got out there and didn't want to come back when called. My Brother-In-Law was hunting and finally just gave up. It was cold and rainy. I told him that when Mattie came back in, I'd take her into town and drop her off. She came ambling back about 5 minutes after he left.

I put her in my car and drove through to town and she stood on my passenger seat looking out the window the whole way. I had to take a picture!

2009-11-11T08:51:00.001-08:00

"Isn't it strange that Princes and Kings
And clowns that caper in sawdust rings,
And just plain folks like you and me,
Are builders for Eternity?
To each is given a bag of tools,
A shapeless mass and a book of rules,
And each must make ere life is flown,
A stumbling block, or a stepping stone."

- So............what'cha making?

phat fiber has landed!

2009-10-21T11:38:00.000-07:00

First of all, let's give props to the mail lady for braving my front porch:

Those are Asian Ladybugs, MILLIONS of them! Once a week during the soybean harvest, we get inundated by them. We end up having to use the back door to keep them from invading the house too much.

Anyone want a free Lazyboy? Bugs are yours to take care of though.
OK onto the package:

Oh Fiber-y goodness is just ooozing out of the box!
I laid all the stuff out on my stove.

Close up of the upper part
And Close up of the lower part:

I then put it all carefully back in the box so that I can take it to open knitting at the Dragonfly tomorrow so the ladies can see all the cool stuff.

Gotta go. I think there's an Asian ladybug crawling up my leg!

2009-09-30T08:50:00.000-07:00

Is this the best pairing of fiber and bag ever seen?!?! Photo is courtesy of Into the Whirled which is giving this away to some lucky person.

Just in case you missed that: CLICK ON THIS LINK TO GET INTO THE GIVEAWAY

The fiber is from Into the Whirled: Click here for Etsy Shop
and the bag is from Jessalu: click here for her site

Is the Baby thing over yet?

2009-09-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

Three of my good friends have decided to enjoy the thrills of parenthood. I'm excited to see them reproduce! You see, these friends have seen Alex grow from a little kid to a tall, lanky, deep-speaking teenager. I do not envy them dealing with toddlers in their 40's, but hey, better them than me!
But their education into parenthood gave me some funny memories. I was explaining the need for nursing pads my friend Ang, and she looked as though I slapped her across the face. As the little offspring have made their entrance into the world, I've made some nursing shawls so that child can eat in privacy.

That's a swallowtail shawl knitted from Misti Alpaca for the infant I called Survivorbaby. This one was given last weekend while we were in Milwaukee. Mom was curious at why I gave her a shawl until I explained what it's used for. Then she promptly tried it out.
This one was given to the babe we'll call "Sweet Pea" Sweet Pea was the first baby born and I was chatting with Mom and told her she needed a nursing shawl. The problem was that the first one I gave her was wool, and I realized that it wasn't machine washable. So I gave her this one which is acrylic.
The third one was made from white superwash with a lace pattern that I ripped off from a shell pattern.

I gave Mom a little pamphlet about how to dye it with kool-aid if it gets stained. I figure that she might be able to use it for longer if she could do that. This one is still waiting for its baby.

Kitties and Cat Beds

2009-09-05T10:22:00.001-07:00

I made the Kitty Pi for out largest cat, Tigger. It was a great way to use up some more handspun that my sweetie found in the back of the pantry. Looking at the pattern, I made some revisions due to the huge girth of the intended feline, and to stabilize it against the intended feline.

Sorry for the blurriness of the photo. It was taken in low-light and I guess I flinched. But there lays Tigger, over-running the kitty Pi with his ...furriness. Darn, I will have to start again, with a larger bed.

OH, and I got a new laptop. It's very nice and comes with a number pad!

This one was about 32" across before felting. The sides were strengthend by doing the following:

row 1: sl 1, k1, -repeat
row 2: knit all around
row 3: k1, sl 1 - repeat
row 4: knit all around

I repeated these rows 3 times.

I think my next Kitty Pi will be larger around. I'll extend the sides by a few more repeats of the 4 rows so that it can cover Tigger better.

Go to Plan B

2009-09-01T07:39:00.000-07:00

Sometimes things just don't go the way you've planned. The other night, a power surge took out my laptop's screen. Well, darn. It just won't light up! Ok, it does for a second, then you get butkiss. So, bring in the spare monitor.

That's my setup for now. A monitor, placed on the kitchen chair right next to the laptop. Kinda makes that thing less portable too.

Since May?!

2009-08-19T13:01:00.000-07:00

I am not the best blogger in the world, since I haven't posted anything new since May. Certainly things have happened in the ruddawg household. We spent two weeks traveling around Utah and Colorado. Dave, Alex and I saw Great Sand Dunes National Park, Mesa Verde, Arches National park and Dinosaur National Monument.

We learned that camping one night on one spot then another in a totally different spot just is not our cup of tea. Next vacation we will plan less destinations and more relaxation time.

My Nephew was given the task of watching the cats here, but was called to AIT for the National Guard 3 days after we left. He'll be back in two weeks. My sister cared for the furballs. This summer has proven to be a very slowed-down summer when it comes to work. I did not realize how much actual 'babysitting' a 16 year old needs.

I liken teenagers to two-year-olds with better verbal skills. You need to be agonizingly detailed when telling them to do something.

School will start soon, and hopefully this new charter program will pique his interest enough to keep him engaged.

And, so we have a visual; me snapping pictures on our vacation. At this point we were driving from Arches National Park to Dinosaur National Monument along the Colorado River. For a Wisconsinite, this is some pretty foreign scenery!

2009-05-17T09:02:00.001-07:00

I'll admit to it; I'm a Rennie. I like dressing up and going to Renaissance fairs. My son usually goes with me. Janesville, WI has a weekend Renaissance Fair and it was this weekend. I took Alex to see the sights and learn some new swordfighting techniques. I'm also trying out the photo section on my video camera. I've never used it, and I do think it makes good snapshots....just don't expect great quality shots.

Ah Fridays

2009-05-15T11:20:00.000-07:00

Fridays here at the Ruddawg compound mean vegging-----hard core vegging. This is what I see from my vantage point here on the couch. The Santa dude is Dave and the long-haired dude in the back is Alex. I sit here on the couch with my laptop on it's Tablemate. Dave and Alex are at their respective computers. We're a family of geeks.

I like to search Ravelry or play Runescape on Friday afternoons. Dave usually is listening to an audio book and messing with Photoshop. Alex is playing some sort of game or another. It's an odd kind of family that is comfortable being in the same room as each other without having to actually talk.

2009-04-01T19:03:00.000-07:00

These are some of the things listed as my favorites from Etsy. Notice a lot of roving? I like spinning...and colors!

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade
ruddawg.etsy.com

Phat Fiber Contribution for this month

2009-03-03T19:48:00.000-08:00

This month is the "Celtic" theme. Well, that is just down my alley! So I went out to the fabric store and tried to find a good fabric for these sample KIPs. This is what I found. The spirals end with what looks like little clovers. There are 48 of these sent off to be stashed in the sample boxes offered this month. I was a bit late in getting them there as at the last minute I had an inspiration. The inspiration was to add 2 small-sized KIP Bags into the group to be given away at random to a couple of lucky people. Call it the Luck of the Irish!

So if you get a PhatFiber box, look to see if there's a bag with balloons on it.

Here, the lucky balloon bag is shown next to a sample KIP.

2009-02-14T10:17:00.000-08:00

This bag was a comission from a customer who requested a bag large enough to fit her 25" square needlepoint. Her requests were that it was big, and had lots of pockets.

My design was a divided bag, with sets of patch pockets that were divided into sections. The outer fabrics are a wide-wale cordouroy and a quilter's cotton in an oriental design. Inside, the quilter's cotton is the patch pockets sewn to a dark navy quilted fabric. There are 6 sets of patch pockets, each being about 20" wide and 10" high. I sewed channels for things like patterns, scissors, pens, pencils and stuff.

There are 3 outside pockets that are sewn of the oriental fabric also. They are all large enough to carry full-sized magazines. There is 2 carrying options: Large handles on the top and one strap on the side. The side strap has a buckle and a ring to make the strap longer or shorter. Since there is that side strap, I had to put a zippered cover over the top of the bag to make sure that items don't fall out.

one side

second side, that is a full-sized magazine in the pocket

The zippered top.

The inside showing the divider and pockets

carrying it right side up. For reference, I am 5'6". It covers me from armpit to calves.

Get a Sample of Goodies

2009-01-30T06:42:00.000-08:00

I was contacted a few months ago about providing some samples for a sample sale. Kinda hard to explain but I will try. Sellers of fiber, yarn and anything knitty-handy can provide samples to Phatfiber and all the samples will be boxed with each other and sent to people who buy them. I ripped off her store sign, thanks Jessie! This month, I have sent the sample KIPs with a valentine motif on them. My sample box from January looks like this:

I've been using the samples of sock yarn, which come from bunkybobos

and Actual Size Creations

and oh lots more but I tore off the labels (WAHHH). I'm knitting a mitered square blanket (shawl? , table topper?, oh I don't know yet) from the samples. Pictures after a bit of work.