Crafty Nonsense

I'm currently knitting this improvised drape front cardi.  I've done the first front panel and am working to the back section (think rectangular, knit side-side).  Going well enough.  Then I have the blue jean shawl otn.  I also have a 198 Yards of Heaven shawlette otn using my hand dyed cormo yarn (the yarn was from MelissaSpata from MOHS group on Rav-she got it from her co-op and sent me this skein and one other that I have dyed).  Plus the pair of socks otn for mom (this is a different one-I finished ONE pair, now I'm doing this one).  So.  FOUR projects on needles.

I have been browsing patterns in my search for a good armhole setup for this cardi and saw the pattern, "Ecuador" and "Pole" by the same designer.  $6.00 for each pattern.  Throw in the overwhelming urge to purchase the "Beekeeper's Quilt" pattern for $5.50.  That leaves my PP empty.  Haven't bought anything yet, but that's where the brain is at the moment.

I HAVE patterns here for stuff that I want to make ("Silk Ribbed Corset", I'm looking at you here) but don't have the yarn requirements, and then there are the two Christmas things for Nikki (the hat she asked for and a Mario Mushroom I think she'd love).  I keep looking at my spinning wheel and the fiber I COULD be spinning, but right now I want to KNIT.

I should be making soap, too.  I could be expanding my Etsy store with pretty smelly stuff and instead I'm perusing Rav instead.  It doesn't take long, it's not HARD.  I would rather wind off mini skeins from my full ones for the silly hexapuffs.

I did buy a share of KP tonal sock yarns!!  They won't be ordered until after the 13th, so I MIGHT have new minis around the end of the month to play with.  If I can just remember that I need to be PATIENT.

Not complaining...just getting this out of my head so I can get a new perspective.

Oh, and someone has shown my munchkins the purpose of the Heimlich maneuver....

My shop

So we scheduled today as a "work outside" day.  Dropped the munchkins off at grandma's so they wouldn't be underfoot.  Got gas for the mowers and trimmers.  Came home and plowed into the gardens for the last harvest (cherry toms and carrots) minus the last row of onions that we'll pull for winter storage.  I got the last cauliflower out of the ground and was carrying it to the chicken run for a chickie treat when I hear "GAWK!!"

Scott, already headed into the house, turned and looked and both of us said essentially the same thing-"Is one laying an egg?!"  I stopped where I was in the driveway until all five birds were visible in the run, then we ran over to open the door to the nest box and found

THESE!!

One was cold, must have been from yesterday.  The other (clean one in this pic) was warm, fresh out of a chicken!!

Back in the Saddle Again!

The two littles and I got back from a week-long visit with mom on Monday.  We enjoyed ourselves immensely!   Aunt Pat and Uncle Charlie came up from Kentucky Wednesday night to spend the night and go to the Newport Aquarium with us (Mom, Don, me, Raina, Ryan, Jordan, Allen, Chris) on Thursday.  That was worth every bit of the 2+ hour drive one way from mom's house and almost worth the 9 hour drive to Indiana!  I think my favorite single exhibit was the snake-neck turtle.  The favorite grouping of exhibits would have to be the jellyfish room.

We were surprised by a visit from my cousin, Nick, who Ryan so resembles when he's wearing his glasses :D  I didn't get the camera out to snap a pic of Nick, though, so no comparison shots.  I visited with Jimma and Lisa as much as sleep and work would let us.  I discovered that Jim and Jordan play Rift exclusively now.  I just cancelled my subscription for the summer.  Figures.  Aunt Pat taught us how to play Train with cards, Mexican Train and Chicken Foot in Dominoes, and then the boys and Mom taught me how to play Cornhole.  I still need help with scoring that one.  I sucked.

Mom let me borrow her juicer long enough to know that I must have one.  We juiced up all of the tomatoes and peppers that I brought (along with one small onion and carrot) with her store-bought carrots and celery.  LOVE the flavor.  Brought the juice home to make soup with.  So Tuesday I made beef stock with soup bones and about a pound of stew meat.  Used part of the stock and half of the stew meat to make beef vegetable soup with the tomato juice, a quart of last year's tomatoes, a pint of corn from a bit further back than that, this year's green beans and onions.  I didn't get pictures of that but it looks like a red vegetable soup.  Trust me :D  Tasted AWESOME out of the pot.  I got about 4 quarts out of that, and another quart and pint of beef stock.

I made egg rolls out of my cabbage and the remainder of the stew meat, threw in a small onion and one cooked egg.  For the record, I HATE the smell of hot frying oil in my house.  The cabbage and grease don't really agree with my digestive tract, either.  But these egg rolls taste SO GOOD!.

I made banana bread today using my Amish Friendship Bread starter and 5 medium-sized overly ripe bananas.  Waiting for after dinner to determine whether these are a win or a miss.

I still need to make pesto to freeze for the winter.  I've got to do something with this mess of basil!  Not to mention all the *other* work that needs doing around the house.  Have pine nuts, parm/romano cheese, olive oil, and basil!  Need a bit of time in the kitchen.  Tomorrow.

I'm knitting again, though.  Spinning took a back seat while I plow through some knitting.  This is going to be a draping wrap.  Hopefully.  I'm not following a pattern, just an idea.  Knit a front panel, armhole slit, knit the back panel, armhole slit, knit the other front panel.  The two front panels have random cables (random size and placement) to give it some visual interest and to keep "drape" from becoming "sag".  Love the colors in this yarn, the yarn is nice-has a terrific sheen but is not next to skin soft, and I am not loving the pooling and flashing.  This is the Tintagel yarn in "Olives" that Kay sent me for the Summer Swap.

Thanks to the LSG thread, I must now own boots.  I'm heartily lusting after some Fluevogs.  Damn it.  We just got the news that our cow AND pig went to the butcher, so those two usually-spaced-out bills are now dumped on us at the same time along with the CC payoff and the property/school taxes.  Sigh.  No money for boots :(  Or to replace the Kindle that Raina broke yesterday (GRRRR!)

School started for Ri on Tuesday, Little Boy had his first preschool session this morning and Little Girl goes in for her first session of preschool this afternoon.  Yay, she graduated out of the Intermediate Unit!  Here she is with a bug bite and the cutest yard-sale-found jellies!

Yippy, Skippy!!

I woke up this morning to a sale in my Etsy store!  Traffic has been slow and sales were...well..."dead" pretty much sums it up.  I sold the solo skein of self striping "Broken Honeyed Peacock".  I hope that the buyer read the whole description thoroughly and understands that this is really a yarn that should be used for toys-it's not OMGDON'TTOUCHIT rough, but it isn't skin-soft.  I also had some dye breakage resulting in some pink spots in the brown stripes.  It's a pretty cool skein of blue, yellow, and greeny-brown (with pink spots).   I'm thrilled at the sale and wish that I could sell out of the whole store.  I'd love the money, sure-but ultimately it's that sense of "...you like me!  You really, really LIKE me!"

I made fried rice for brunch.  Surprisingly, the kids liked it and asked for more.  There are rice grains on the floor now, though :(  I'm waiting for them to dry up and then I will vacuum.  It wasn't my mom's fried rice, or a restaurant's, but it was certainly edible!

Yesterday I cleaned the kitchen preparatory to my leaving for mom's next week.  It got a more thorough cleaning than it has had since we moved in.  I got rid of all of the clutter and JUNK that has accumulated on the countertops (pennies, nails, screws, bits of metal, mouse poop, crumbs, coffee grounds, bits of paper, bits of unopened mail (credit card offers), recipes, instruction manuals, stuff like that).   There's still not enough counter space or storage for all of the things that a kitchen needs to hold, but it's much more tidy.  The room looks so much brighter and it's a pleasure to go COOK in there again :D  Crazy, I know!

I should make soap again.  I really want to order supplies online though.  More scent and butters.  I have a small bit of jojoba oil, some coconut oil, about a gallon of olive oil...really want some shea butter.  Colors I have.  Some scents.  I just want more variety.

I think that should be all for now.  I need to bug out to the PO so I can mail this yarn! In order to do that, I have to get the munchkins ready for public.  Yay.

Catching UP

My, my, my-how time flies.  The chickens have a coop and run and are a very good size.  They're healthy and happy.  We've seen the odd cat and fox prowling around the run and, once, a groundhog got into the run with the girls.  No one was really thrilled about that situation.  I thought it was very funny but only because nothing bad happened. 

Last month was the Tour de Fleece on Ravelry and I got a few things spun up.  My craft room is still overflowing with fibery goodness, though, and I'm not moving through it quickly at all.  I spun a whopping 743 yards of 2-ply, 22-24 WPI yarn out of 4.2 ounces of merino/silk that I obtained from a fellow Raveler.  I listed it in my Etsy but don't really expect that it will ever sell.  I am working through 4 ounces of Finn roving that a different Raveller sent me for test spinning.  I find it slightly coarse but still LOVELY to spin.  I am not sure what my next project will be.  I have over a pound of BFL to spin for a sweater.  A Cormo fleece to finish flicking and then spinning-also a Merino.  Then there are the expired braids from my Etsy.  Maybe they'll sell better as yarn??  Probably not.

Last month began the joys of potty training two preschoolers.  It progresses.  I'm over that shit in a big way.

I finished one of my mom's sock pairs and I may have rediscovered my knitting mojo.  I very quickly started the other pair (well, it is in it's fourth incarnation) and I think this one may be the final one.  Toes are done and I'm into the foot (toe up, taat magic loop).  I finished the Crest of the Wave tank that was begun last (2010!) April.  I have a shawl started from the mohair/glitz blend that Jen sent me months ago and I spun in a denim gradient.  Then plans for at least one more top before Winter sets in.  

I started using Curly Girl method for my hair last month, too!  I'm using Suave Naturals Conditioner plus intensive scalp massage for the wash, then Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition for the condition and a leave-in.  Plopping in a t-shirt and air drying.  Just today I added in Aussie Tizz no Frizz gel to hold the curl.  We'll see what happens there.  Three weeks ago now I went to Shear Madness II here in Warren and got an allover color (matching my natural brown) with blue streaks along the frame of my face.  The blue STILL bleeds in the shower and right at the front has gone purple, but I LOVE it.  As to the CG-three weeks later and my hair feels so healthy!  

I had one gas station attendant laugh openly at me (The fucking NERVE!  Jerk.).  


I got new glasses (yay) with the help of the nine year-old SS.  Optometrist told me that bifocals were in my future but not necessary at this time.  Shit.


Going to visit my mother next week.  Yay!  Yes, I know it's all about her wanting to see the grands but I still get to see her and that part of my family :D

The girls on 12 May, 2011. Frick and Frack are 4 and a half weeks old. Nan, Pippa, and Rosie are 2 and a half weeks old.