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| Alliterative Post |
| 04.30.05 (1:23 pm) [edit] |
Remember the term alliteration? Well, I have been Wasting my Weekend Working With Widgets!
What is a Widget, you may ask? If you have a Mac, you probably already know this. Mac just came out with their Tiger version of software, and we installed it last night. Widgets are little sticky things that hang in the background of your desktop and can be called magically by hitting F12. They provide all sorts of goodies at your fingertips. Now, let's count; so far I have:
Weather
Calculator
Time
Calendar
Countdown Calendar (yeah, only 43 days till the Lynne Vogel Workshop)
Yellow Pages (Local)
Dictionary (and yes, I used it to make sure "alliterative" was really a word)
A scrolling RSS feed reader, on which I have Yahoo Top Stories
I Tunes Controller
And, a Day in History Calendar
Here's a picture of my desktop:
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| Ice Cream Anyone? |
| 04.29.05 (11:14 am) [edit] |
Who needs sherbert, when I have this?
This is Blue Faced Leicester, extra fine, dyed and hand combed. I used Gaywool Bush Blend Dyes. What am I going to do with it? Good question. I am in the process of dyeing several different hues in hopes of doing some complex blending at one point or another.
I am working my way up the sides of the bag to be felted. The bag is getting rather heavy and not-all-that pleasant to handle, especially with all the 90 degree turns my knitting is having to take. It is shaping up though.
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| A Week Without Spinning |
| 04.22.05 (10:54 am) [edit] |
And I hardly knew what to do with myself... Actually, I reinjured my ankle, which was broken about 9 years ago, so I have tried to be good and not do any treadling. I did manage to get in some charkha time, but since I do that standing, I didn't get a great deal accomplished on that front either. So, what DID I do, you may ask.
1. I am still furiously knitting on the felted bag. I am on the last big square of the bag now. Then, I will only have to do the U-shaped patterns that connect front and back, decide on what I want to use for handles (commerial ones, like in the pattern, felted ones or braided ones) and, of course, felt the thing.
2. I visited The Beaded Lizard that is in our very own downtown (she doesn't have a website, or I would link it). No, I haven't succumbed to the beading craze, but the owner is also an avid knitter, and carries a little bit of yarn. The best part, though, is that the yarn she does sell is Brown Sheep, and I have been looking for a good local source for this. Sooo... last Friday, it was the Orchid Lamb's Pride for the felted bag, and this Friday it was some red and black Wildfoote sock yarn. (Phillip is starting to feel left out since I have knitted 3 consecutive pairs of socks for Jessie, and he mentioned that he wanted a black and red pair - hey, I DO have to be a good mother, don't I? :twisted:)
3. I cleaned out a beatiful basket I keep on my dresser in the bedroom. It is supposed to be mainly for jewelry, but had ended up being a catch-all for almost everything.
4. I dyed about a pound of BFL yesterday. I did immersion dyeing and am planning on trying some blending "a la Menz." I did pink, buttercup yellow, mint green and light turquoise. Despite all efforts to the contrary, the dye struck unevenly, so now I am combing it to homogenize it, before I actually start mixing and matching colors.
5. Tomorrow I travel to Jacksonville to meet with my knitter friends. It has been awhile since I have been to any meetings, and I already know I will be missing May and June.
6. I thumbed through a 1968 Sears Catalog we had bought at an antique store at one time or another and got a good chuckle from the yarn ads, which I will be sharing from time to time here.
Well, back to those combs (but wait... I have some blog reading to catch up on first).
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| Say What? |
| 04.19.05 (6:15 am) [edit] |
Thanks to Catherine
Your Linguistic Profile:
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45% General American English |
30% Dixie |
20% Yankee |
5% Upper Midwestern |
0% Midwestern |
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| Lumpy and Bumpy |
| 04.18.05 (8:29 pm) [edit] |
But here it is... See, the gauge is not quite the same for these three yarns, but I think once it is finished and felted it will be okay.
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| Mesmerized! |
| 04.17.05 (5:57 pm) [edit] |
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Thanks to your encouragement, I am almost finished with side one of the bag. I added another color to the mix - a cornflower blue (some yarn I had spun much earlier). I will try to get a picture up tomorrow. Just throw my blues, turquoises (spun from the awesome roving Donna's husband dyed) and purples in front of me with some mindless knitting, and I am totally happy. Then, add a mix of yummy tea (I had some vanilla almond), and it is almost idyllic. It also didn't hurt to have a nice trip to Jacksonville where I bought some of this at World Market. I cannot wait to try it!
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| Hmm... I Wonder |
| 04.15.05 (11:23 am) [edit] |
This made out of this:
What do you think?
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| Imagine That! |
| 04.12.05 (7:18 am) [edit] |
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You're Virginia!
Part of the old school, you like both historical sites and crazy
amusement parks. You like saying the word Commonwealth but couldn't really explain the
concept or how it applies to your life. You like five-sided shapes, five-cent pieces,
and possibly anything else having to do with the number five. Every now and then, you
discard chaff from yourself that you just don't feel you need. And since you've been
wondering... yes, there is a Santa Claus.
Take the State Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.
Thanks to Bess for this bit of fun. I'm glad I'm Virginia. I like it there.
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| Yes, I Know it's Ridiculous! |
| 04.11.05 (5:13 pm) [edit] |
Have you ever heard of diapers for birds?!?!? Well, I bought one at the flea market. It even comes with a leash, but so far, I have been afraid to take Skippy outside for a walk. We did go for a short drive in the car, which she really seemed to enjoy. The suit is just adorable - it looks like a tiny Hawaiian bathing suit. And don't worry, the suit is both Animal Planet and National Geographic approved, as well as veterinarian approved.
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| Captain, There Be Dyed Cotton! |
| 04.08.05 (2:31 pm) [edit] |
My apologies to James Doohan for the misqote there, but I am so glad to be finished with this, I just can't tell you. Okay, it looks like a mess, but it mainly turned out the depth of shade I was shooting for (except for the parts that did not dye at all - that's okay, I like to use some white and lighten some of the color while carding).
Disclaimer: Kids, Don't try this at Home
Things to remember when dyeing cotton:
1. You must be in a near manic state well-caffeinated (thanks to Catherine for this highly apt term) to even think of attempting this.
2. It is a good idea to really, really tease and fluff the stuff up before soaking and adding to dye pot.
3. It is NOT a good idea to do this on a day when it might rain, especially if you don't have any newspaper for using inside.
4. It takes twice three times four times as long as you would expect to dye cotton.
5. Cell phones don't need to be anywhere near rinse water.
6. It is a BAD idea to rinse cotton in your kitchen sink after mishap with #5, unless you want some nice stringy, colored, almost- impossible- to- remove cotton lint hanging around in there.
I sure hope I have more fun carding and spinning this than I did dyeing it.
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| 100 Things About Me |
| 04.03.05 (2:15 pm) [edit] |
Well, gulp, here they are:
1. I love birds and birdwatching.
2. My birthday is on St. Catherine's Day. St. Catherine is the patron saint of handspinners.
3. I would love to visit every state in the USA.
4. I went to high school with Elvis Presley's stepbrothers.
5. I love pineapples, but detest pineapple upside down cake.
6. I never knew either one of my grandfathers.
7. I had an aunt who looked so much like me, that when I showed a picture of her to Elayne, she thought it was of me.
8. I love to sing.
9. I love to play the piano, but am not good at it.
10. I have been married almost 30 years.
11. Once, I filled a prescription for Dolly Parton.
12. I worked the switchboard part-time at the dorm in college.
13. I hate snow.
14. I love the beach.
15. I live across the street from a river.
16. I live 30 miles away from Florida.
17. I don't like to talk on the telephone.
18. I love getting e-mail.
19. My two favorite cities are Boston and San Francisco.
20. I had cosmetic dentistry to close a gap between my 2 front teeth.
21. I once won a sewing contest.
22. I HATE to sew.
23. I am of Scot-Irish, English and German descent.
24. I don't care for reality TV.
25. I love to read.
26. I love to travel, but hate to travel with my work.
27. I enjoy driving.
28. I don't enjoy grocery shopping.
29. My dad used to call me "Dutch".
30. I have a cockatiel.
31. I hate public speaking.
32. Orange looks crummy on me.
33. A pig once "ate" the buttons off my shirt when I was a child.
34. When I was little, I was afraid of tires and turtles and had nightmares about them.
35. I rarely take naps.
36. I would love to have an alpaca.
37. I would also love to have a studio for teaching knitting, spinning and dyeing.
38. I love Italian food.
39. I hate curry.
40. I keep a sore foot from a previous ankle fracture.
41. I still eat Lucky Charms cereal.
42. I can take TV or leave it.
43. I can't stand having sticky hands.
44. So, I don't like to peel an orange.
45. And, I don't like to "spin in the grease".
46. I hate clutter.
47. I like electronic gadgets.
48. I do not get mad easily.
49. I like to play Nintendo.
50. I love the Harry Potter books.
51. My middle name is Patricia - I hate to be called Pat.
52. I am clumsy.
53. I love the smell of wet wool.
54. I generally tend to do everything the hard way.
55. I am allergic to honeysuckle (and a host of other things).
56 I can't stand for lights to be left on in an empty room.
57. I like being friends with people of different nationalities.
58. I don't like to cook.
59. I love logic puzzles.
60. I was once an "employee of the month" at a 200 bed hospital.
61. I grew up wanting to ride the "Teacups" at Disney, and when I finally got to do it, it made me sick.
62. I look terrible in hats.
63. I wear my wool socks even in the summertime.
64. I never want to see a UFO.
65. I love beignets.
66. I detest coffee.
67. I don't like being invited to parties where they try to sell you something.
68. I don't like seafood.
69. I had rather go to the dentist than go to the doctor.
70. I have flat feet.
71. I don't like football.
72. I like baseball, but I don't like to watch it on TV.
73. I have read [u]Gone With the Wind[/u] 3 or 4 times. I am tired of it now.
74. I have eaten rose petals in the past.
75. Banana Pudding is my favorite dessert.
76. I wish my husband liked to travel more.
77. Some of my favorite comedies are [u]Groundhog Day[/u], [u]Vegas Vacation[/u], [u]As Good as It Gets[/u] and [u]It Happened One Night[/u].
78. My favorite inspirational book is [u]Hind's Feet on High Places[/u].
79. I have drawers filled with clutter.
80. I am bad at organizing pictures.
81. I was never popular in school.
82. I learned to drive with a '62 red VW Bug.
83. I went to work the day my son was born.
84. My son is a great artist, but I can't draw.
85. It takes me a week to recover from Daylight Savings Time.
86. I once went in a house built in a cave.
87. One 4th of July, I watched fireworks from the top of a lighthouse.
88. I don't like to fish.
89. I [u]won't[/u] clean fish.
90. I can't fry chicken.
91. I have those kind of eyes that change color with what I wear.
92. I hate to dust.
93. I wish I knew what my bird "thinks" about.
94. I am really, really afraid of snakes.
95. I hate hairspray and styling gel.
96. I also hate lipstick.
97. I am not pretty (see #95 and #96).
98. I like winning ribbons for my handwork.
99. I love fiber festivals better than yarn shops. AND...
100. I have never been on a cruise.
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| It's Spring |
| 04.03.05 (12:48 pm) [edit] |
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And I am hooked on the Birdy Cam.
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| The Fun Day Which Almost Wasn't |
| 04.02.05 (7:29 pm) [edit] |
Today, I had an absolute blast. But for awhile, it looked like plans would fall through. Donna and I had made plans to finally meet at the Sheep to Shawl Festival at Oatlands. Last evening, we had a horrific rainstorm (think sheets of rain pouring at an alarming rate causing our backyard to magically transform into a lake), and it looked doubtful that either of us would make it to Savannah today. But, the weather cleared beautifully, except for the excessive wind and created a marvelous day to be outside. The Sheep to Shawl was really a rather small one, so we, along with Donna's husband and daughter, headed to our favorite place in Savannah, Wild Fibre, where we knitted, spun, had show and tell and ate lunch. Donna's Market Square Bag is truly a thing of beauty, and her husband had spun some silk that was beyond gorgeous. (Now, another goal to reach for). Of course, we could not leave without buying somthing. I came away with some blended wool/mohair and a multicolored cheese of pencil roving in blues, reds, pinks and turquoise. Donna's husband (who teaches spinning classes there) gave me a great rundown on the best way to handle the pencil roving. I am just dying to get started on it.
Here's to good friends and good times...
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| Progress |
| 04.01.05 (1:28 pm) [edit] |
I have now done 1/2 of the Backyard Leaves Scarf, and here is the progress:
The pattern is really pretty easy once you repeat it a few times!!!
I am thinking of doing that "100 things about me" list, but I am not sure I even know myself THAT well. What about it, those of you who have made one. Is it worth it?
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