Way out in the Middle of Nowhere

Summer vacation! YAY! or..ugh? Well, the truck took it's last straw and died on me last week. I was DONE with dealing with that stupid thing! The tow truck driver and I were getting too friendly. Dave and I talked about it. Test drove a few cars and then test drove this PT Cruiser. I bought it...mainly because for a 2002, it had less than 70,000 miles on it. It's in really good condition for its age. I hope it runs for a few more years without issues. And it better, considering I'm now making payments on it. Which means I need a job, right? HA! What's with this  apply one week/ interview the next/ let me know 2 weeks later? WTH? I need a job NOW! I've been off school for almost 3 weeks and NOTHING? UGH BTW: 3 B's and 1 A...I'm surprised. I expected more C's.  It was a brutal semester. This upcoming one ought to be brutal as well. Knitting? I'm knitting washcloths. I've got knitting ADD.  All I can focus on is something small. It's ...

I've been searching high and low for my unfinished projects. Some are a complete surprise to me. Some aren't. For the Finish Part this time: As I come across stuff, I wonder...do I know this thing? Do I have more yarn for it? What in the hell was I thinking? Well this next one is known, and I have more yarn for it, I just don't like the colorway. BUT...it was on sale so.... [Image retracted, just an entrelac thing..trust me] It's an Eleanor Shawl, in Lion Brand Amazing color way Joshua Tree. I think it looks hideous so I tried to frog it. Nope, no go. The yarn is very clingy. So I guess I'll slog on through to the end with this one. I've got another 4 skeins of it left to go. They make nice gifts as nursing shawls for new moms. Owlie sleep sack was not in the For F 15, but was made on impulse for my Godson's new baby, William. I wanted to give this pattern a shot for a while. I made modifications to it, like the bottom is buttoned so you can c...

My usual feeling on Christmas is dread. I used to despise Christmas with a passion. Not for it's meaning, but for the fact that it meant we had to schlep all over Wisconsin to see family. Lumpy beds, hours upon hours driving in bad roads, people with uppity attitudes, bullshit galore. Yeah, not a great way to spend the holiday, but we did it anyways. After the big blowout shortly after Christmas before last, we've been freed. Dave's family finally came out of the closet and told us how they truly felt about us: We're stupid, horrible, evil people because we're not Libs. In fact, that apparently is the very reason WHY they felt it important to tell us so during a visit to our home. Yep, I invite them as guests into my home only to get called a stupid, evil bitch.  Bitter? Me? HELLZ YES! I'm still bitter about that, and will be until my death. I'm SO much better than that! I know how to be an excellent guest in anyone's home. But that's why I'...

Is it safe?Are all the integrals gone? I'm also sporting a Deephaven Cowl that I finally finished! I will never have to take another difficult math class again! Yes, I advanced far enough to pass Calculus 2 with a dip into Differential Equations. That is, unless I bombed the final. I would not recommend that someone decide to abandon their course in University two weeks before a final. You find that your give-a-shit busts in every way. I wanted to do well in Calc, and I didn't even take the Circuits final, because..there was just no way that I was going to get anything other than an F in the class anyways. And If you are in WI, thinking of taking the UW Platteville "Collaborative" course in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering, DON'T. FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT'S HOLY...................DON'T! Mango, made for a couple who sat next to me in Calculus. They have a daughter who is young. It's a ruse: They take your money, show you a decent la...

I supposed to be studying Circuit Modeling, and yes, I'll get back to it. That in itself is at least a 12 page rant. The book I was supposed to be using sucks, the Proctoring is bullshit, and I've got at least 5 supposed professionals from the UW who are annoying me with their inability to think outside the procedures. If one more person sends me the 'procedures.doc' and insists that I peruse it again..I'ma throwing a brick at them. Yes, I know the bloody 'procedure' and I know you're hiding your inadequacies behind them. These people couldn't fight their way out of a wet paper bag without their ever-loving, vaunted 'procedure' And here's the kicker for all 5 of them: I DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT YOUR PROCEDURES! I DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT LAME EXCUSES!! And their inadequacies has made me rethink my college of choice..maybe NIU has a better program... Onto knitting: Three people in one week let it be known they have cancer. Three...

Ok, one thing first: I have become the mother of a gosling. She hatched out last Friday. We've taken her everywhere this last weekend as she is very needy. I'm in negotiations with Luna, one of our gals to see if she will watch the gal outside for those times when I'm needed to be inside. So far..so good. Luna is very shy but very taken with the baby. She'd love to be a Mom to her. OK before my computer dies again:  I've knitted 6 of these hats so far. Of all the yarns I've used, I like the Patons Kroy best. It's thicker yarn than the other sock yarns which makes a nice, warm hat for 3 seasons out of 4. I find myself wearing hats a lot lately to keep my hair out of my eyes when doing chores and to keep warm.  The upside to them is that they also make good pouches to keep baby goslings in. The babies like to feel as though they are under Mama's wing, so I will pop them into a hat, roll down the brim and let their noses peek out.  Do I need 6 more ...

Classes start again at the end of the month. I'm using the time to rest . Usually that would mean not doing much, but in my case it means doing what I want to do instead of have to do. So....I'm knitting, spinning and sewing. The first up is the baby quilt fresh off the sewing machine. It's a zig-zag pattern that is inspired by something I saw on Pinterest. No, really! I actually DID something I saw on Pinterest! The pattern is a bugger though. In order to get the zig-zag lines to come out right, you need to put a solid color between the patterned pieces and keep the same solid color throughout. I sewed a top last Saturday that was just tragic because the lighter stripes were not consistent. The gray thing is a sweater. It's from the book Men's Knits: 20 New Classics  . It's the one called the Tweed Cabled Sweater.    It is one sleeve short of completion. I was knitting this for any male in my house, but a preliminary pre-blocking fit test showed that I...

I made a hex sign. Sometimes they are called a barn quilt, but I call it a hex sign.  When I get done putting that last layer of clear on it, I'll have Dave put it on the coop. Right now it's sitting propped up on the hedge in the front yard. The fun part is that 2/3 of the paint on this thing was free.  I had to pay for the quart of pumpkin, but the purple and cream were free quarts from Ace.  One day a year they have a free quart of paint in the color of your choice.  Dave came back with the cream, I went down for the purple. The design is called 'flying geese'. I thought it was appropriate. It was the first day we tried butchering ducks. Yeah, no more raising ducks for food. Next year it will be chickens. The ducks are too hard to butcher, pluck and dress. It takes about an hour a duck. School started.  I had two classes, Calculus and Multicultural Lit. The Lit class was an online class. I was in the process of gathing the reading materials, readin...

I seem to have lost my ability to write a coherent thought and extrapolate on it, so I'll do random thoughts today. 1. New Years' goals: Work out for one hour with our new Wii every day.  So far, so good.  Even Dave was bowling and doing archery on it yesterday. The tennis part is kicking my butt, but I've got plenty of time to perfect my swing. 2. Another goal: Pay attention to serving sizes on food.  For instance, this is one serving of cereal.  I've been serving myself way too much of everything.  Time to get into the habit of looking at serving sizes. 3. Our Son has made a decision about the military. More when I get concrete proof this is the real deal. 4. Every Morning since it's been so cold, I schlepp out to the animals 3 gallons of water in the morning and in the evening. Odd thing is that I think they prefer that water to stuff from the faucet. They don't get let out of their pens until the thermometer reaches 10 degrees Farenheit.  Tod...

Usually I don't throw down the pre-Christmas rant until closer to the actual day, but what the Hell.  According to the Mayans we'll be dead by then. In 2007, I made all my Christmas gifts.   In fact I spun and knit two of them from soft wool and gave them to my Mother and Mother-In-Law.  So lets roll on some photos, shall we? This one actually was taken before I washed it. The color changes were actually *dirt*. It came out snowy white with green glass beads on it.  I gave it to m Mother In Law. She folded it, put it away and I've never seen it again.  She said it would make a lovely table runner.  *facepalm* it's a STOLE! Onto #2: My Mother's shawl, Mystic Waters I think it was called.  Also spun from Targhee, with no beads. My Mom doesn't do that frou frou.  She opened it, Dad said, "Oh look, it's an old lady shawl!" and that was it. Mom keeps it on the back of her chair in the sewing room.  Hey, at least SHE didn't throw it out...

 Oh hey there! Sissy says Hi.  She was especially talkative today and wanted attention.  I think she's just adorable! It took her a few minutes to realize the rest of the flock -er gaggle- had moved on to a different grazing area. She caught up in typical Sissy fashion: All honking and waddling around.  Her defective left eye means she relies on the responses from her family to tell her where to go. So I finished off another Cavallo Point the other day. and  this one is in white. I was not happy with the ending in the pattern as I thought it was too abrupt, so I attempted to make one that would resemble the borders. Not bad, I think. The scallops were made in a short-row fashion. I knitted the same shape as the outer border with the increases and decreases, knitting the last of the group from the scallop + one from the shawl each right side.  It's a charity item, one to be raffled off at the Church's Harvest Festival in September.  I'll ...

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...

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 ...

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 ...

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.

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 c...

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...

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. I...

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....