Today's Plan B

I had plans today. Nothing major...just do some school with Natalie, go to the library, do some laundry and house stuff. I didn't have to be anywhere; I just had things I wanted to do. Greg had a meeting that I didn't know about, which is really no big deal since he spends most of the day in his basement office anyway. He left and I helped the kids get dressed so we could head to the library.

A few minutes later Greg called. Enter Plan B. When he got in his truck, he noticed this on the Explorer:
Hm. It wasn't like that when we came home from church yesterday. We don't know what happened, but there was a definitely entry spot here:
And a chunk had fallen out on the opposite side:
Thankfully, we have full glass coverage with no deductible on our auto insurance. Definitely a bright side. I called our insurance agent, who called the glass company, who called me back right away and the glass man came and replaced the window this afternoon.

Of course, all of this meant that I couldn't use the car until the glass man left, so Plan B also included the bonus of spending the day outside on a lovely day! Yes, we could have stayed in and done school and laundry (and the huge pile of laundry still sitting here indicates that perhaps I should have), but I figured that we might as well spend a much time outside as we can since it will soon be too hot, humid and mosquito-ridden for me to want to do so.

So our Plan B included a little bit of this:
Followed by playing "construction site" in the dirt (no pics of that) - and then lunch outside in the shade:
The kids happily entertained themselves and I sat out on the deck and worked on my Bible study lesson. Now my arms are a nice shade of red. I even grilled myself a hot dog for lunch. As frustrated as I was early this morning, I can see now that I really needed Plan B. Mentally and emotionally, I needed a day to just be.

And besides, how can you stay grumpy about Plan B when you look up from your reading and see this?

Natalie's 1st Craft Tutorial

Since I haven't done any knitting or spinning this week, I thought I'd let Natalie step up to the plate and try out her crafty skillz today...

Just Another Day At My House

Look! He sings & dances!

That is supposed to distract my fellow knitters from noticing that I still have no knitting to show you today. I'm almost finished with the bee hive section of the Bee Fields shawl, but it really doesn't look any different than the picture I shared a few days ago.

P.S. Thanks to those who responded to yesterday's post...I know I'm not alone in those thoughts, but it's nice to hear it sometimes.

The Cool Kids, or Where Do I Fit In?

I've never been one of the cool kids. And now in my 30's, I still want to be one. Jenni's post today got me thinking about this (so blame her for the contemplative, Debbie Downer post).

I have a sister, but we are almost 10 years apart, so according to the birth order people, I'm more of an only child. Because my sister was almost 10 years older than I was, I spent a lot of time around older people. It wasn't until college that I really had friends my own age. Adding to the problem, I started kindergarten when I was 4, so in school I was always the youngest.

I was always heavily involved in music as a kid, so I did have that common ground with a few people. Then again, I was fairly advanced in music for my age, so at age 12 I started playing piano/keyboard for the high school show choir. Yeah, a very shy 12 year old with very exuberant 15-18 year olds. Awkward.

In college I finally felt fairly comfortable with who I was. I was with other people who were also pursuing music degrees and had spent much of their lives practicing like I did. They got me. Suddenly, in my senior year of college, my whole life path seemed to change and I no longer had a burning desire to go straight to grad school - which of course caused several people in my little world (friends and faculty) to a) wonder what on earth had happened to me, and b) treat me a bit differently. Not in an overt way, but I felt it.

I got married and came to Nashville and have always felt that it's a bit odd that I'm a musician, but I've never tried to pursue playing professionally here. I have felt snubbed by a few classical music professionals here and yet I can't sit around and banter about touring stories or "you won't believe the dive I played in..." stories with other musicians either.

Like I said in my last entry, I played on the worship team at church on Sunday and at one point, I turned to the only other female on the team and said, "I'm SO not hip enough to be up here." Don't get me wrong...I really love my church and am so glad to be there - but I look around and all the cool kids are all fit and hip and trendy and I'm just...not. I know we all have our issues and that being fit, hip and trendy does not necessarily mean you are healthy, happy and emotionally stable. But it's so easy to assume, isn't it?

When I was 3 or 4, I used to tell my mom, "I like me! Do you like you?" I wish I had more of that mentality now. It just concerns me a little that at 34 I still want to be one of the cool kids. Will I still feel that way at 44? At 64? Yikes!

So what misconceptions do you struggle with? Are you one of the cool kids? Or do you want to be one, too? (note to any cool kids out there...we shall refrain from throwing things at you, for the sake of unity.)

Sore Fingers

So I played violin at church yesterday and today my fingers are a little bit sore. This would not be the case if I played every day, or even a few times a week. The truth is, I really only play my violin a few times prior to whenever I'm scheduled to play at church. I would like to play more often and have started going through my stack of violin stuff. It all comes back to my fingers pretty quickly - it's a matter of just doing it.

After playing yesterday, I was asked by more than one person, "How long have you been playing?" The answer is a little scary to me.

Thirty years.

3-0. GAH!!! When did that happen?? I started violin when I was 4 years old. Now I feel old. I was reminded of this little photographic gem, though. It was taken during a recital when I was 6:
I love playing at church, though, so the whole sore finger thing is totally worth it. And lest you think that what we're doing there is solemn, classical or boring...check this out. This was one of our special numbers from a few months ago.

Bear With Me

Bear with me as I indulge my whims and play around with different looks for the blog...eventually I'll settle on something!

A Long-Awaited Event Finally Happens

For some mysterious reason, Natalie and Ethan decided they would like to go bowling for their birthdays this year. I don't know why the idea of bowling was so appealing to them, but it was. Greg has been putting them off ever since (their birthdays are late January/early February), but he finally caved last week. He was in Indianapolis last week at WFX, where he taught a few sessions, did some demos and held a marathon three-and-a-half hour Q&A session - so when he came home we decided to surprise the kids with bowling.

They had no idea what we were doing and I wish I could have gotten a picture of their faces when they realized where we were. It was priceless! We picked a great time to go (Friday afternoon), too. There were a few lanes in use, so it was very relaxed and not as distracting for the kids.

We played three games and the kids loved it. Ethan did about as well as I did (bear in mind that I am a horrible bowler and also haven't bowled in at least 15 years). I also think bumpers should be allowed for all novice bowlers, regardless of age. I shudder to think of how low my score would have been without them.

Have you done anything fun lately?

Now I'm Just Curious

So my cool pastor has a blog. Take a look at his picture and you'll see what I mean. See? Cool. Plus, I suspect he's even more into his hair product than I am - which, my friends, is extremely impressive. Pete, care to share your favorite product with the world? I'm very curious.

Anyway, in his blog entry today, he asked his readers to go out on a limb and reveal their guilty pleasures. There was a wide variety of answers...one of my favorites being Jarrod's (our worship leader), who confessed to the TV show "Boy Meets World." I can't say too much because I've watched my fair share of that show myself. I went with Hulu and watching Bear Grylls, but technically, I don't consider Bear Grylls a guilty pleasure. It's a full-fledged pleasure.

Then I felt a little guilty about not taking it to the Boy Meets World level, so I had to go back and post again.

It's Peter Benchley's "Creature."

I am absolutely powerless to resist. If it is on TV, I will watch it. Come on - it's Craig T. Nelson and a shark/man. I'm supposed to resist that?? While I'm being honest, I'll also admit to a strong fondness for '70's disaster movies like The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno.

How about you? Care to share your guilty (or full-fledged) pleasure?

Progress

So last night I decided to go ahead and ply the Hot Rocks singles. Unfortunately, the singles broke several times while I was winding them, so I have 4 mini-skeins. And I do mean mini! They look great here:
But here's another picture to show you the scale:
(Yes, I do have a pinkie finger - it just didn't make it in the shot.)

I'd say the yarn came out heavy fingering weight. You know how it is with handspun...thicker in some places, thinner in others.

While the spindle was bare, I decided to try out some of the Spunky Eclectic roving Rosemary sent me a few months ago. It is a wool blend, according to the label. So far, the singles are nice. It's one of those fiber blends that just goes on and on forever, though, so what I think will be a nice little chunk of fiber to spin turns into a long process!

I feel like I have a lot of random thoughts bouncing around in my brain this week and yet, I can't seem to articulate any of them well. I hate it when that happens. It's like I'm right on the verge of saying something very profound, but all that comes out is, "Hey look. I spun some yarn."

Back in the swing of things

I think I've been in a knitting slump lately. I know I was in a spinning slump. I'm not sure what has changed, but I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things again. I even have proof.

After much deliberation, I decided to start Anne's Bee Fields shawl. I've loved the pattern since she designed it, but I was waiting for a lull in the knitting to start it. I currently have 2 of the 4 chart repeats of the first section finished. There's no rush on this, but I do want to finish it in a more timely manner than my last two big lace projects. Here's where things stand right now:
I decided to go with the Wooly Wonka laceweight merino (just as Anne did in the original shawl), but I went with "The Silk Road" colorway. The yarn is incredibly nice to knit with and I will absolutely consider it again for future lace projects.

After months of sitting on my desk, casting forlorn looks my way, I got my drop spindle out this weekend. I have 4.6 oz of 100% merino fiber from Copper Pot Woolies in the "Hot Rocks" colorway and I had spun just a bit of it right when it arrived. Then as I said, my poor lonely spindle has had to wait until now for me to get with the program. Here is the progress so far:
I have not done any plying yet with these singles, so I am eager to see how the actual yarn turns out. I'm loving the color though. And I have to say...as much as I would love to have a spinning wheel, I really do enjoy spinning on a drop spindle! A wheel would just be so much faster.

Maybe I'll have another progress report later in the week.

Finally, Some Knitting

Wow. With all the newfound freedom to branch out a little bit with my topics, I have amazingly little knitting to show you. I don't know why I haven't knit much this week. No good excuse, really. It would be so much more exciting to be able to say, "I would have knit a lot this week but I was afflicted with the plague," or "I would have knit more, but I had scurvy." I think those would be valid reasons...but I have been busy staying on top of Natalie's school work and trying to get the kids outside as much as possible before it gets too miserably hot and humid (which, I fear, is right around the corner).

I did start a new sock in the new(ish) Austermann Step Duett yarn "mit Aloe Vera und Jojoba Oil." Impressive, eh? I was happily knitting along and after trying the sock on I realized that it really needed a higher stitch count. Translation for you non-knitters: it was very tight. So here is where said sock stands now:
Clearly, I am back to square one. The yarn really is nice to knit with - you can definitely feel the effects of the aloe and jojoba. Interestingly, the colors of this yarn are a bit distracting to me because all I can think of is Trix cereal. You can almost smell it now, can't you?

I have also been (slowly) working on the Merino Lace Sock from Interweave's Favorite Socks book. It's an interesting pattern and I think the finished product will be lovely - but I only work on it in the evenings when I can concentrate on the charts:

I do actually have a finished object to show you...I finally knit my Jacobean pattern for myself! (see sidebar for free pattern ------>) These are knit in Socks That Rock in the Beryl colorway, which is darker than this photo shows.
I was really hoping to get some sewing or scrapbooking done this week, but so far, nothing. I suppose the week isn't over yet, but I feel like I need to get the house cleaned up before I can do either of those things. The house isn't terrible, but could use some sprucing up since both sewing and scrapbooking will involve dragging out supplies and having space to spread out. I am left wondering, though...am I letting the valid house-cleaning serve as a way to procrastinate about the crafting? I don't know.

A case of scurvy sure would make things a lot more cut and dry.

A Few Too Many, Cap'n Phil

*Another non-knitting post*

Dear Captain Phil,I am very concerned about you and your 11 Red Bull-a-day (plus coffee and nicotine) habits on the Cornelia Marie. Please stop and get in your bunk for a while to sleep. Falling asleep in your chair in the wheel house is not good. Granted, it's not like you are likely to run into anything out on the Bering Sea, but still. Get some sleep already.

Signed,
A Worried Deadliest Catch Viewer in Nashville

P.S. Jake does not need a birthday present from you. He bought that tv to trick out his bunk on your credit card, remember?

Too good not to share

I just posted this over at Posts From the Edge, but I simply must post it here, too. It is far too good not to share. Clearly, these people still get The Urge and I think it's pretty awesome.

Do you get The Urge?

Thanks to those of you who took the time to comment and share your thoughts on my last post. I plan to take each posting opportunity as it comes and see what I feel like writing. It may or may not be crafty, but I will try to include a disclaimer at the start of those posts that are not knitting/crafting-related. That way, the ball is in your court.

This post isn't specifically knitting/crafting-related, but about creativity in general. Do you get The Urge? You know...that overpowering need to create. I think it would apply to whatever your passion is: crafting, writing, drawing, painting, etc. The Urge seems to go in cycles for me and I usually feel it the strongest in the spring. It's almost a physical need sometimes and I'm curious to know if other people experience the same thing.

Right now, I'm knitting (of course), but don't have any major projects going on. The Urge is leading me back to scrapbooking (which I haven't done in...well...I don't even know how long) and sewing. I have fabric to make some valances for the windows in this room and have a few shirts that need some work. Realistically, I need to clean things up a bit before I can scrap or sew, since the desk where I used to do those things has now been taken over by Natalie's school things - but it wouldn't take much effort to set up a workstation of sorts on the kitchen table.

The Urge caused me to get out some of my old violin music and do a bit of technical work. It was somewhat disturbing to see that I was working in those books in 1984, but it is pretty amazing how much the brain retains. I would also love to get a (very) cheap guitar and learn chords. Oh, and start writing music again. Yes, I have a piano and don't NEED a guitar in order to write, but it suits that whole vibe better. Plus, it sounds way different.

Now I'm rambling. How does The Urge affect you?

Wondering

I've been thinking a lot about the whole blog thing this week, so bear with me while I ramble for a bit. My blog was created as a place for me to yammer on about knitting and other creative/hobby stuff, with pics of my kids thrown in on occasion. I never intended it to be a place for me to really write much or share deep thoughts. Sometimes I would like to, though, and I find myself hesitating and thinking, "Is that really a good idea? This is really supposed to be about knitting/crafting, after all..." I don't know. Technically, it is my blog and I can post whatever I darn well please. Then again, if I'm really, really honest, I sometimes find myself getting annoyed when people post about non-craft things on blogs that are "supposed" to be about crafting. Should I be annoyed by that? No, not really.

I have considered starting a separate blog. Is it worth it? Would I really post there? I know that some of the decline in posting on this blog has been a result of having Ravelry available. I can post photos and pertinent info about my knitting there, be part of different groups and have tons of knitty info at my fingertips. I suspect Ravelry has impacted many knit-bloggers, but the issue now for me is really this: do I want this to solely be a knitting/crafting blog or am I okay with mixing things up?

Any thoughts? Anyone?...anyone?... Heck, does anyone even read this anymore?

Always Better When I'm Sick

Bed head, I mean. I could get my hair to do this on purpose if I tried.

Enough With the Colds Already

I really thought I was in the clear with the colds/sickness stuff. It's warming up...things are blooming...yes, that means allergies will kick in, but a full-fledged cold?? Again?? Haven't I had about 14 so far this year?? Thankfully, no one else in this house has it, and really, it's far from the worst I've ever had - but it's enough to make me feel pretty gross.

Anyway, you know you look pretty rough when the girl who brings your drink at Sonic says a perky, "Hi! How are you today?" and then takes a better look at you and says, "Ooooh, you look...tired."

Last Supper on Clearance

Just a head's up...in case you needed your own commemorative set. It's at KMart.

Just Another Day...

...and I've been trying to savor it.

Baby Knits

A new friend is expecting a baby soon and while I don't know her well enough to merit spending a lot of money on a gift, I would like to give her a little something. Or a few little somethings. I decided to rummage through my stash and see what leftovers I have that might become fun baby gifts.

I've always liked the Baby Genius Burp Cloth pattern from Mason-Dixon Knitting...here it is in Sugar 'n Cream dishcloth cotton:
I also wanted to make a pair of fun booties. I've knit plenty of socks but never any booties - and besides, every girl, no matter how tiny, needs some fun shoes, right?
These are the Christine's Baby Booties pattern, knit in Socks That Rock fingering weight (colorway: Space Dust). These were so fun to knit - I'll definitely keep them in mind for future baby gifts!
I still plan to knit a few more little things to go along with these, so keep your eyes peeled...

Gust

Pattern: Gust by Anne Hanson
Yarn: Filatura di Crosa Superior, cashmere/silk
Needles: US sz 4

Yet another fantastic pattern by Anne...easy enough to memorize but not at all boring! This scarf will live at The Neighborhood Knit Shop and I'll be teaching a class on it in April.

If You're Looking For A Snack...

might I recommend these?



I have the Cinnamon Brown Sugar variety and they are most tasty. If you like almonds, of course. If not, find another snack.

Let's Just Say They're Kin

I have two FO's to share today. Last weekend I finished this Pinwheel Blanket:
Yarn: Berroco Comfort
Needles: US sz 7

I used Fibonacci sequence for the striping. The Pinwheel Blanket is a great baby gift and is easy knitting, but does get tedious toward the end. I'm very pleased with how this one turned out, though. The final size ended up being about 36".

Last night, I finished some plain stockinette socks, which I am calling Amos. It only seemed right since they are so similar in color to my ill-fated Cedric socks. Normally socks end up being twins, right? We hope for identical, but with handpainted yarns they often come out fraternal. These...well...I think there were issues in the gene pool.
Yarn: Gypsy Girl Creations/Stone Barn Fibers in Brindle
Needles: US sz 1

I do have another sock in progress, as well as a shrug, but no pics of them just yet. In the meantime, I knit on.

Trying to Keep Up

I don't know why I'm finding it so hard to keep up with the blogging. I wish I had interesting things to say every day, but I don't. It doesn't mean I haven't been busy, though.

I finished Anne's "That Little Scarf" recently, which is a very fun knit and makes a great little neckwarmer.
Yarn is fingering weight from The Knittery.

I'm currently working on a new Pinwheel Blanket for an upcoming class at The Neighborhood Knit Shop.
Also, Ethan thinks these are the best things EVER.
Finally, I was happily wearing my Fawkes socks last night and thought a few times, "hm...I can feel something cold on the sole of my foot - these must be getting thin." I wore them to bed and when I woke up this morning I was crushed to see this.
They were one of the first pairs of socks I knit. (can't remember if I started these or Jaywalkers first) There's no point in trying to fix them as the other heel is about 24 hrs away from doing the same thing and the ball of the foot area is close behind.

Truer Words Were Never Spoken

Overheard tonight from the back seat of the car...

"I am six, so sometimes I know EVERYTHING."-Natalie

Wing o' the Moth

Finally.

Pattern: Wing o' the Moth Shawl by Anne Hanson
Yarn: Sunshine Yarns alpaca laceweight, "It's Cold Outside"
Needles: US sz 5 KnitPicks Options

A Preview

More to come tomorrow...

Hanami

Sold Old Stuff

Thought I'd share a few old projects to distract you from the fact that I don't have pictures of any of my current WIP's. Sneaky, eh?

The first is a short garter stitch scarf, knit with the leftover Alpaca Baby Grande of another scarf I knit recently. This yarn is HEAVENLY and I thought it would make a nice little neckwarmer, even if it isn't very long or wide.
Then we have another pair of Sonoma socks (for my sister), knit in black KnitPicks Gloss. I'd never used Gloss before and will definitely consider it for future socks!
Sorry about the weird, washed-out picture...it's very difficult to photograph black handknits if you want to show details.

So there you go. I am thisclose to finishing the Hanami stole and I can't wait!! I'm holding out on pics until I'm finished with the knitting.

Preparing For a Takeover...erm, Comeback

We're plotting our return...click here to see what CraftBorg is up to.

Zoinks!

Holy shmoly! I can't believe it's been over 2 months since I last blogged! Christmas was very nice - we went to Missouri first, then headed to Illinois on the 27th, where I started running a fever as soon as we arrived. The fever morphed into strep throat, which morphed into mild sinus/ear infections and then I wound up with a large abscessed ulcer on my throat - all of which essentially left me couch-ridden (slept there, too) for nearly 2 straight weeks. Once we returned to Nashville, I was still too weak to be up doing anything, so I spent almost another week recovering in my recliner. Thankfully, I am now feeling nearly 100% human again. Oh, and let's not forget that in the midst of all of this, Natalie managed to get a terrible case of pinkeye, which she then gave to me. We were a hot mess, I can tell you that.

Otherwise, I don't have much to tell you really. I've only just started knitting again in the past few days - just didn't have the energy or concentration while I was sick. My goal right now is to finish some WIP's that haven't been seen in a while - pics to come later this week.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with the kids' Christmas picture. I meant to get "real" ones done, but ran out of time, so I marched them outside in their good clothes and did it myself.