Friday, April 11, 2008
Rain, Rain Go Away!
It stays light longer these days but it still feels like there isn't enough time to accomplish anything. I spend more time during the day wishing I was knitting, crafting and spinning and then by the time I get home to do it, I'm tired, have to do laundry or just plain wanna veg on the couch. It is very frustrating!
I have managed to finish a few things lately though. I finished the felted clogs I was making for a friend and popped them in the mail today. Hopefully they fit! Also I made another hat for the SO, the fair isle one that he loved so much. I made some mods to the pattern including making it smaller and making the hem longer inside to cover the stranding. Of course it's probably too warm for him to fully test it but if we get the weather they're calling for this weekend he may get a few wears out of it yet. Also the toddler sundress I was test knitting has been done, I just need to get it ON my niece to take some pics.
I played around with making a mohair wrap on my knitting machine, but frogged it (gotta love frogging mohair) to make it longer and somewhat narrower. I think I have it mapped out in my head how I want/need to do it this time, including incorporating a type of ribbing along the longer edges to prevent rolling and I will throw in some beads for added interest. I just need to sit down in front of the dang thing and crank it out again.
I'm also working on a wrap from my Autumn Colors handspun. It's the Frida poncho pattern and like others have done on Ravelry I am bypassing the poncho portion of the pattern and knitting the main panel longer in order to have a wrap. I'm going to New York in a few weeks and I want to have a couple of different wraps to tuck in my bag as we will be attending the theater twice while we're there. This should be a very exciting trip and can't wait to share pics of all the great sights we saw!
My lovely daughter recently proclaimed "I have nothing to knit" so I promptly fished in my stash, found her some sock yarn and a pattern and she is merrily knitting along on a pair of socks, for me, that I have not taken the time to make myself. How lucky am I?
On the work front, lately it has seemed that my company is caught up in some kind of Bermuda Triangle of the utility companies. Between having water issues, and being grossly overcharged for gas AND water, and having intermittent phone and internet services, it's amazing that anything can be accomplished with my regular duties. In the last several months, for our phone and internet service we have lost service TWICE because idiots have dug up the buried cables and cut them to sell for the copper. I did learn recently that they caught ONE idiot, because he had a fire pit in his back yard and was melting the plastic off the wires and a neighbor called in to report a fire/smoke. TWO times our phones got knocked out because delivery trucks ripped our wires off the pole when they were making deliveries to our neighboring party store. And now another problem is some sign was partly demolished by another truck making a delivery and pieces of the broken sign were rubbing against the wires causing sporadic service. Will this ever end? At what point does this become ridiculous and we say enough is enough. In light of all the wonderful things going on in THE CITY as it is, it's no wonder that all public services are in the shitter! Had less time been spent on say, text messages and more on actually improving the city, we wouldn't be where we are today.
I don't mean to complain, this is not what I like to use this blog for, but sometimes I just have to vent.
Also, in the name of venting, isn't it a shame that MagKnits just shut down? I am really sad to see this free publication just GONE. The pattern archives simply vanished and there is nothing left of that site. Was this because of uncontrolled slamming of the magazine on Ravelry? Who knows. It's just a shame that someone can't post about a legitimate problem without countless people jumping on the bitchin bandwagon and tearing someone to shreds. The original complaint seemed valid, Kerrie even attempted to resolve the problem by addressing the writer's complaint, but it was too late. She, personally, got attacked and accused of stealing people's designs and there was no coming back from it. A small can of worms got opened and turned into a giant frenzy of bashing by people that were looking for someone to bash. Are we that frustrated in our own lives that it's pure entertainment to look for an opportunity that may not even apply to us and use it to gain some form of relief or reprieve from our own real problems? While it seems Kerrie and others involved with MK will carry on with new ventures and get thru this relatively unscathed, is it fair to the rest of us, who enjoyed this magazine, submitted designs AND properly got paid for them, to completely lose this as a resource for current, stylish and more importantly FREE patterns? It just so happens the Frida wrap I'm working on is a MagKnits pattern, and fortunately for me, I have several printed copies of this, so I'll be able to finish this project without any trouble. I don't have any hard feelings for the people of MK for pulling the plug on the archives, it seems that couldn't be helped. But do the bitchers realize how much they may have inconvenienced those knitters that were counting on those archives for future projects? Was it worth it to them? Do they even care, or have they moved on in search of their next bitchin bandwagon to hop a ride on? This got longer than I intended, but it really saddens me when people can't find the good in something and have to amplify the negative, even if it doesn't directly impact their lives. To bitch just for the sake of bitching. Very sad.
Well, I need to find something positive to think about now, so I'm going to fondle my stash and dream of future projects and hope I already have the patterns printed for the stuff in my queue.
Take care, enjoy the weekend!
I have managed to finish a few things lately though. I finished the felted clogs I was making for a friend and popped them in the mail today. Hopefully they fit! Also I made another hat for the SO, the fair isle one that he loved so much. I made some mods to the pattern including making it smaller and making the hem longer inside to cover the stranding. Of course it's probably too warm for him to fully test it but if we get the weather they're calling for this weekend he may get a few wears out of it yet. Also the toddler sundress I was test knitting has been done, I just need to get it ON my niece to take some pics.
I played around with making a mohair wrap on my knitting machine, but frogged it (gotta love frogging mohair) to make it longer and somewhat narrower. I think I have it mapped out in my head how I want/need to do it this time, including incorporating a type of ribbing along the longer edges to prevent rolling and I will throw in some beads for added interest. I just need to sit down in front of the dang thing and crank it out again.
I'm also working on a wrap from my Autumn Colors handspun. It's the Frida poncho pattern and like others have done on Ravelry I am bypassing the poncho portion of the pattern and knitting the main panel longer in order to have a wrap. I'm going to New York in a few weeks and I want to have a couple of different wraps to tuck in my bag as we will be attending the theater twice while we're there. This should be a very exciting trip and can't wait to share pics of all the great sights we saw!
My lovely daughter recently proclaimed "I have nothing to knit" so I promptly fished in my stash, found her some sock yarn and a pattern and she is merrily knitting along on a pair of socks, for me, that I have not taken the time to make myself. How lucky am I?
On the work front, lately it has seemed that my company is caught up in some kind of Bermuda Triangle of the utility companies. Between having water issues, and being grossly overcharged for gas AND water, and having intermittent phone and internet services, it's amazing that anything can be accomplished with my regular duties. In the last several months, for our phone and internet service we have lost service TWICE because idiots have dug up the buried cables and cut them to sell for the copper. I did learn recently that they caught ONE idiot, because he had a fire pit in his back yard and was melting the plastic off the wires and a neighbor called in to report a fire/smoke. TWO times our phones got knocked out because delivery trucks ripped our wires off the pole when they were making deliveries to our neighboring party store. And now another problem is some sign was partly demolished by another truck making a delivery and pieces of the broken sign were rubbing against the wires causing sporadic service. Will this ever end? At what point does this become ridiculous and we say enough is enough. In light of all the wonderful things going on in THE CITY as it is, it's no wonder that all public services are in the shitter! Had less time been spent on say, text messages and more on actually improving the city, we wouldn't be where we are today.
I don't mean to complain, this is not what I like to use this blog for, but sometimes I just have to vent.
Also, in the name of venting, isn't it a shame that MagKnits just shut down? I am really sad to see this free publication just GONE. The pattern archives simply vanished and there is nothing left of that site. Was this because of uncontrolled slamming of the magazine on Ravelry? Who knows. It's just a shame that someone can't post about a legitimate problem without countless people jumping on the bitchin bandwagon and tearing someone to shreds. The original complaint seemed valid, Kerrie even attempted to resolve the problem by addressing the writer's complaint, but it was too late. She, personally, got attacked and accused of stealing people's designs and there was no coming back from it. A small can of worms got opened and turned into a giant frenzy of bashing by people that were looking for someone to bash. Are we that frustrated in our own lives that it's pure entertainment to look for an opportunity that may not even apply to us and use it to gain some form of relief or reprieve from our own real problems? While it seems Kerrie and others involved with MK will carry on with new ventures and get thru this relatively unscathed, is it fair to the rest of us, who enjoyed this magazine, submitted designs AND properly got paid for them, to completely lose this as a resource for current, stylish and more importantly FREE patterns? It just so happens the Frida wrap I'm working on is a MagKnits pattern, and fortunately for me, I have several printed copies of this, so I'll be able to finish this project without any trouble. I don't have any hard feelings for the people of MK for pulling the plug on the archives, it seems that couldn't be helped. But do the bitchers realize how much they may have inconvenienced those knitters that were counting on those archives for future projects? Was it worth it to them? Do they even care, or have they moved on in search of their next bitchin bandwagon to hop a ride on? This got longer than I intended, but it really saddens me when people can't find the good in something and have to amplify the negative, even if it doesn't directly impact their lives. To bitch just for the sake of bitching. Very sad.
Well, I need to find something positive to think about now, so I'm going to fondle my stash and dream of future projects and hope I already have the patterns printed for the stuff in my queue.
Take care, enjoy the weekend!
Labels: Felted clogs, Hats, Machine Knitting, Ravelry
Thursday, January 31, 2008
I love Michigan!
I keep saying this over and over. What's not to love? 7 degrees one day, 40 the next. I can't figure out why everyone keeps getting sick!! I {knocking on wood} keep a full bottle of Zicam at the ready for whenever I encounter someone with sniffles, sneezing, coughing or if they just look germ-y. I even discovered that Meijer is cheaper than the drug store or Kroger, so I'm in Zicam heaven. Faced with the potential of 6-10 inches overnight, I'm partly excited and partly bummed, since I may still have to make the trek to the West side in the a.m. to get DD to school. Please pray that we get all 6-10 before 6:30 a.m.. Kay?
I am the proud owner of an Ashford Traditional wheel. Oh, does this sound like deja vu? Let me correct that. I am the proud owner of TWO Ashford Traditional wheels! Whoo hoo!! I love craigslist, and my pal Miranda, she's the bestest enabler I've ever known. She found the listing but couldn't swing it, so I snapped it up in a New York minute (that means super fast!). And let me tell you, the seller, Mary is totally awesome. She was great on the phone, super nice in person and I got an excellent deal. Turns out she travels up north quite a bit (sounds familiar) and needed a portable wheel, so her hubby bought her a Schacht Ladybug. Very cute in person I may add (the wheel, didn't see the hubby). And so she was faced with the dilemma of having to divide her time between two wheels, shun one as it sits lifeless and fiberless in the corner, or sell it for a great price to ME!! Guess which one she chose? She also spoke very highly of Beth at the Spinning Loft in Howell so this is yet another reason I need to make the trip out to her store.
Of course it would be selfish of me to claim BOTH wheels for my own, since my daughter does spin and knit, so I'm selflessly giving the second one over to her, so she'll quit trying to kick me off MINE!!
In spite of the deep freeze I have managed to get a few things done. I finished another thicker hat for SO, since he's lucky enough to work outdoors in these frigid temps. Of course the day I gave it to him, we warmed up to 30's and 40's. Go figure. I need to ask him if he's worn it yet. He HAS been wearing the cowboy style safety hat I got him for Christmas. He loves being a spectacle and he's been getting lots of comments and attention for his safety gear. Hey, whatever gets him to protect that noggin I say. Kinda like it to stay in one piece. Better for pictures and hat wearin and all.
I bought some yummy new yarn from Artisan's in Grosse Pointe recently and promptly casted on for another pair of socks for me. Of course I bought 2 skeins, one for me and one for SO. As long as there is constantly something being made for him, he gives me less grief about my obsession. I need to cast his on but have to decide on a pattern first. Any faves for your men?
I'm also stash diving to test out a simple (I hope) fair isle hat pattern by a guy on Ravelry. I've wanted to try fair isle and this hat spoke to me, especially when I remembered I might have the perfect yarn in my stash. I hope to cast on for this hat this weekend, while we're again up north attempting to play in the snow. We've had a terrible spot of luck with our snowmobiles and poor SO deserves a tiny break. As in, maybe the sleds could STOP breaking for a couple of days so he can actually play with the snow that's up there. Before we know it, it will be mud season, and not good for snowmobiles. We'll see.
Anyway, that's about it for now. Get your shovels ready, drive carefully and remember, winter is very short but some of us still like to play in it!
I am the proud owner of an Ashford Traditional wheel. Oh, does this sound like deja vu? Let me correct that. I am the proud owner of TWO Ashford Traditional wheels! Whoo hoo!! I love craigslist, and my pal Miranda, she's the bestest enabler I've ever known. She found the listing but couldn't swing it, so I snapped it up in a New York minute (that means super fast!). And let me tell you, the seller, Mary is totally awesome. She was great on the phone, super nice in person and I got an excellent deal. Turns out she travels up north quite a bit (sounds familiar) and needed a portable wheel, so her hubby bought her a Schacht Ladybug. Very cute in person I may add (the wheel, didn't see the hubby). And so she was faced with the dilemma of having to divide her time between two wheels, shun one as it sits lifeless and fiberless in the corner, or sell it for a great price to ME!! Guess which one she chose? She also spoke very highly of Beth at the Spinning Loft in Howell so this is yet another reason I need to make the trip out to her store.
Of course it would be selfish of me to claim BOTH wheels for my own, since my daughter does spin and knit, so I'm selflessly giving the second one over to her, so she'll quit trying to kick me off MINE!!
In spite of the deep freeze I have managed to get a few things done. I finished another thicker hat for SO, since he's lucky enough to work outdoors in these frigid temps. Of course the day I gave it to him, we warmed up to 30's and 40's. Go figure. I need to ask him if he's worn it yet. He HAS been wearing the cowboy style safety hat I got him for Christmas. He loves being a spectacle and he's been getting lots of comments and attention for his safety gear. Hey, whatever gets him to protect that noggin I say. Kinda like it to stay in one piece. Better for pictures and hat wearin and all.
I bought some yummy new yarn from Artisan's in Grosse Pointe recently and promptly casted on for another pair of socks for me. Of course I bought 2 skeins, one for me and one for SO. As long as there is constantly something being made for him, he gives me less grief about my obsession. I need to cast his on but have to decide on a pattern first. Any faves for your men?
I'm also stash diving to test out a simple (I hope) fair isle hat pattern by a guy on Ravelry. I've wanted to try fair isle and this hat spoke to me, especially when I remembered I might have the perfect yarn in my stash. I hope to cast on for this hat this weekend, while we're again up north attempting to play in the snow. We've had a terrible spot of luck with our snowmobiles and poor SO deserves a tiny break. As in, maybe the sleds could STOP breaking for a couple of days so he can actually play with the snow that's up there. Before we know it, it will be mud season, and not good for snowmobiles. We'll see.
Anyway, that's about it for now. Get your shovels ready, drive carefully and remember, winter is very short but some of us still like to play in it!
Labels: Artisan, Ashford 2, Ravelry
Monday, November 05, 2007
I HAVE MADE IT!!!
No, I'm not a millionaire. No, I'm not going to be on reality tv any time soon, thank goodness for that.
I am FINALLY on Ravelry. I'm OCD Knitting, shocker, but don't get your hopes up, there's not much there yet. I have to get busy!!
Whoo hoo!! {happy dancing all over the place}
See you soon!
I am FINALLY on Ravelry. I'm OCD Knitting, shocker, but don't get your hopes up, there's not much there yet. I have to get busy!!
Whoo hoo!! {happy dancing all over the place}
See you soon!
Labels: Ravelry
