Gasp...Pant...Grunt

There is a floor! I can't believe it, a floor! We have been painting, nailing, screwing, lifting, running to the hardware store, craft store, and thrift store, sweating, packing, unpacking, sorting, running to the hardware store...

And it looks great. Not finished yet, but great. Camera is camping with boys. I will hold pictures until the end. Which oughta happen when Ikea shows up with my cabinets. Nope, they didn't make it for the big weekend.

And did you know that paint will dry while you make a quick run to watch $ex and the City at the dollar movies? Hey, a weekend of all work would just be...

A normal weekend actually.

Favorite Things Friday: Sewing Room Organization

I'm a little one track minded today. I'm spending the weekend working on my sewing room. I have been shopping all week for the vision and I'll share my favorite ideas:

• My sewing table is a door. I purchased it from Home Depot for 25 bucks and it already has a hole for my electric cords. I had previously priced out doors without knob-holes and called my mom to see if she still had the drill bit she bought years ago to install a deadbolt. This I where I demonstarte how slow I am. Not only are doors without holes more expensive, but I wanted to put the hole along the edge (against the wall). Luckily I made the stunning mental leap and bought the cheap door.
• My cutting table: I bought 4 15" wide bookshelves which I am bracing together in pairs. I have castors for the shelves and another door to put on top to make a rolling table. The table top is being lined with corkboard (so I can put pins in it) and then fabric my mom found that has a 1" all-over grid with measurements and demarkations. I can't wait to see the end result.
• Art: I found the wooden bars artists use for stretching canvas and painted them white. I will nail the frames to my walls and then add pretty hooks to hang up my works in progress--voila! instant art.
• Fabric stash: I already own Ikea cabinetry for above my sewing machines. I cut foamboard into bolt-sized rectangles and wrapped my fabric stash around them and then slid them into the cabinets. It looks like my own fabric store when I open the cabinet doors.

Oh Yeah...Knitting.

Don't worry, I have been knitting. It's just that I have been driving kids around to their respective activities more.


This will soon become my winter coat. I am about halfway through the sleeves (two at a time--try it it's genius) and then I'll just need to seam it, edge it, and block it.



This is one of my finds from Estes Wool Market. A 50/50 cashmere/silk laceweight. Those are reeses pieces for reference. Each of those blasted diamonds is 44 rows. I love it though and I can't believe I've been so monogamous (well, I haven't started anything new anyway). I think I'm only about 10 percent done. I can't wait to see this blocked.

I Told You

I have a fear of snakes. A mind-numbing, crippling fear of snakes. They can be anacondas or baby garter snakes (or worms for that matter) and I will panic.

Remember my post about my husband wanting to take me for a hike in 90 degree weather. I didn't go. Look what they found:


That is a big ol' diamondback rattler. DH didn't take official measurements, but he was about as big around as my 2yo's calf, and much longer.

See, it's a good thing I can't function in this weather. I don't think DH would have enjoyed carrying my inert body all the way back to the trailhead.

Sewing Room Before Pics

The only things I LOVE about my house are 1) the deck and 2) the gigantic basement room that takes up half the floorplan AKA my sewing room.

I have meant to "Do" this room. It is in despirate need of an overhaul. I have no storage (my husband has taken over the two closets for his stuff) and I have been doing my projects out of moving boxes. Brace yourselves, because the following pictures are scary. I can't believe I have been working this way.

Behold my improv bookshelves.

Yikes! (Though that is a mirror, so the mess is techniclly doubled)

This one is nice--I'm storing my serger (which costs more than my two computers together) on a director's chair (which might look familiar to the Adnostic since I took it from her). You can also make out an attempt at organization in the back left corner. Those labelled boxes have preserved my sanity...barely.

Ah, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. I have spent a year going to thrift stores and garage sales trying to find suitable furniture, but last week I gave up and just placed an order with Ikea. And best of all, my boys are going camping this weekend and my mom is coming up and we are going to make a big push to find the floor.

See look, I've already started. I painted a wall and mounted some (pre existing) cabinetry. After my mom's clever idea, I bought a door to use as my table top (It's not quite in the right place, I need to paint the next wall). I bought some foam board and cut it into bolt-sized pieces to wind my fabric around--you can see some of it in the cabinet.

Cross your fingers for me--I need Ikea to come soon.

The Quilt

Apparantly, people prefer reading blogs with lots of pictures. Not being a shutterbug, I rarely have a camera and I'm convinced that the more pictures I take, the less fun I have.

But on occasion I must please my audience:

Behold my quilt squares. This brings me to six total.

The above is the worst. I hate hand sewing.

This one is okay (it's my second quilt ever, give me a break). Somehow, my final product made it a little under the 5" square size I need it to be. I'll deal with this later.

It's too bad my fabrics don't contrast much here, because this one turned out rather nice.

Hmmm...Boring, but finished.

Somehow my circle became squarish.

I try to do three a week to catch up with my group (who does two a week). But, as you will see by my next post, I have taken a break to do a much needed project.

163 to go!

Too Darn Hot

DH: "Let's get out and go for a hike"
Me: clinging to the A/C vent and eating ice cubes "It's 98 degrees outside"

Then I get the blank look that lets me know I don't belong in Colorado. The one that says "Um yeah, it's Summer. So do you want to go hiking or not?"

Um, not, unless you want to stuff my melting body into clothing, watch the sweat drip off me and then listen while I get nauseated.

I liked it better when I could say "It's hot" and everyone in a 60 mile radius would say "I know! We hang out at the grocery store because they have A/C." or "My neighbor just got an air conditioning unit, let's go take some lemonade over there." or "Let's turn on the sprinklers for the kids and eat a million popsicles while we sit with our feet in the kiddie pool and whine about cooking in this heat."

Or my favorite: "Let's day trip to the ocean"

You can't do that in Colorado.

Wisdom Woes

I finally had my last two wisdom teeth pulled. I have needed them pulled for years but avoid dentists like the plague. I finally cowboy-uped and got it done.

And I do not like percacet. I took a pill yesterday and got so loopy I taught my son how to dial 911 and asked my husband to call me every hour or so. I felt nauseated, faint and dizzy.

But there was no pain.

I decided it wasn't worth the side effects. Only Ibuprofin for me thanks. It's 24 hours later and I still feel icky.

Baby Jane Quilt

I have sewn five squares for my quilt. My camera cannot take good pictures, but I will do my best.

Just thought I might update.

Going Through My Head

Fictional conversation I may have with my mom:

"What's wrong with this sugar?"
"Nothing"
"Why is it a funny color?"
"It's organic."
**Nose wrinkle**

Yarn Shop Update

I was spending the day with my mom and we decided to drop by one of her LYSes.

After reading my last post I'm sure you will not be shocked by why I was annoyed.

We parked and walked toward the door. Mom said she thought they might be making sno cones. When we got closer we realized they were dyeing yarns. The instructor told us it was a class and we could watch but it might be better for the child if we stayed away. I understand but come on. They were on the sidewalk in front of the store. Where else should we walk, the parking lot?

When we entered the shop I barely had a chance to adjust my eyes when my child was swooped upon and led to the "children's area." Again, you know how I feel about this. This time I was treated like I had brought in an unpleasant bug and it had to be squashed immediately (attn LYS, they are not Moths, they are children). Fine, but was it neccessary to stare at him in horror when he ran through the shop looking for me because he had to go potty? Would you rather he piddle in the "Children's Area?" He stayed with me for the rest of the time. I wasn't really looking for anything (after my score the day before--another post) but I found a pattern I liked and purchased it. Only to learn that they frown upon credit cards for purchases of less than $10.00. Bite me. I frown upon carrying cash in my too-frequently-misplaced wallet...

...And being treated like "A Breeder."

Times Change

When I was a new knitter (age 7), and once my mom accepted this fact, I was taught a very important lesson--knit with the best materials you can afford. Yarn is expensive but you get what you pay for. That was long ago and generally this still holds true.

So step forward 15 years to when I started living on my own completely. I had a job that paid me no money and I scrimped for months so I could enter the yarn shop about 200 feet from my home. I finally had saved $150.00 for this indulgence. I didn't think I would need all of it, but I wanted to be prepared.

Imagine how I felt when I walked into the shop, was greeted by the employee (for her benefit we wil assume she wasn't the owner), given a once over, and ignored. I asked if she had Vogue Knitting--she haphazardly gestured toward a wall. I leafed through the current issue and found a sweater I liked and asked her if she had that yarn or something comparable. She glanced at me and sniffed a little. At this point I was annoyed, but the clicher was when I started poking around at yarn. I picked up a ball to check its fiber content and put it down when I saw that it wasn't 100% wool. She said--assuming I had seen the price tag-- "the craft store has cheaper yarn." I was mad but I still wanted a project. I ended up buying a couple small cones of a rayon ribbon to make a purse. I was prepared to spend over $100, and I spent $15. To this day I wish I had said something ala Pretty Woman.

I get better treatment now. I worried it was because I was looking old, but I'll assume it's because knitting is more mainstream these days. But I have noticed two trends that yarn stores are missing:

• Children are learning to knit
• Parents spend money on their kids

It seems a logical conclusion--sell to kids. And yet somehow they just miss it:

• Kids (and mothers of kids) rarely feel welcomed in stores
• There are few quality products (books, patterns, yarns, needles) that are age appropriate
• Products that are marketed to kids are cheap quality and do little to encourage creativity

Between the ages of 3 and 18, kids go through many stages. Rainbow acrylic yarn and plastic needles don't cut it. Don't be afraid to challenge kids--my first knitting swatch was intarsia because I didn't know it was hard.

My 5yo can knit. He has the attention span of granola, but he knows how the yarn works. He has claimed my Bamboo size 12's and has his favorite rainbow acrylic yarn (you win some you lose some). He made a blanket for a stuffed animal and is convinced he can make himself an alligator scarf. I dare a yarn store owner to show him the "toy basket" so mommy can shop. Who do you think I'm shopping for?

The best formula for a new child knitter:

• needles they choose themselves (or make!)--my son shopped from my needle vase
• Whatever yarn they want (alas the craft store may be the smarter place for this)
• Your time to teach them.

And whatever you do, don't tell them they can't do something. Everything is easy if you make the steps small enough.

Favorite Things Friday: Kids Books for Grown-ups

I love reading. I was the nerdy kid in gradeschool who actually read the whole book in the first week rather than just the assigned chapters. I read quickly too. I love kiddie lit because there really isn't a whole lot of deep thought required, they read quickly and there are usually sequals.

Many people knit while reading, but I find I read so quickly that I can only knit a few stitches before I need to turn the page. There is just too much hand movement going back and forth and it bugs me.


So I don't give myself much reading time. Because of this, I hate wasting that time reading books that I end up not liking. I'd rather read a beloved story 50 times than start a new book and get frustrated halfway through. And yes, I'll even skip to the end to find out if it's worth reading the rest of the book. So judge me.


My favorite children's rereads:

• Harry Potter (Duh)
• A Little Princess
• Anne of Green Gables
• Chronicals of Narnia (read all of them)
• Holes

Um...Another Hobby?

I want to make a quilt. Not just any quilt. This one.

And here is my first block:

Not bad for a beginner, huh? Don't mind the out of focus. It's just my camera.

The Wool Market

I wanted to love the Wool Market. I liked the wool market, I really did.

But I don't feel the need to go back next year.

Maybe I'm maturing. Last year I would have left with bags of yarn and maybe some roving and possibly a fleece. This year: Two skeins of yarn.

The majority of the market is devoted to animals. They were fun to look at. And I learned that goat kids yell and scream just like people kids, Paco-Vicunas will set you back $50,000, and I am still allergic to bunnies (but not thier fiber!). But I wasn't in the market for livestock.

I want yarn. There was some there. It's mostly local-ish independant vendors and they have beautiful things, but just not my style.

I've heard lace is the new socks; There was only one vendor who sold legit lace yarn in washed-out pastel colors. My goal was to find lace yarn in deep jewel tones. I bought two skeins of white. They're gorgeous, but I don't have my peacock yarn yet (and if you think I'm going to learn to dye yarn on cashmere/silk or angora/silk...). Either these vendors aren't quite in tune with the market, or they don't care.

There was a lot of bulky weight yarn and so much novelty yarn. And it's my impression that the knitters who learned to knit five years ago (you know, when the real rush started) now want smooth, fine yarns that will showcase their skills and create the garments that the unfortunately stereotyped grandmothers never did.

Growing/Hunger Pains

My mom and I went out for lunch this weekend after spending a morning petting bunnies and paco-vicuna (more on that later). We decided to eat at a little cafe in downtown Estes Park. I wasn't all that hungry and kmew going into it that all I really wanted was a small salad and a large water.

My mother was convinced I was going to starve to death:

They have veggie burgers, they have a veggie wrap--you could ask for no cheese. They have the California sandwich--you could ask for no bacon. There's pasta primavera, and alfredo.

Mom, I'm fine. I'm not going to starve. I'm not going to suffer from poor nutrition. I still love you even if tofu freaks you out. I'm just. not. hungry.

Favorite Things Friday: Vegan Recipes

I'm focusing on finding vegan recipes (though technically I'm a mere ovo-lacto vegetarian) because they are more interesting. I don't need a cookbook telling me how to eat meatless anything. It's the cheese and egg subs I'll need to make the full conversion.

Sin Dawgs: There's an excellent video on the site, print the recipe first. My husband loves these and has requested them repeatedly. Also a hit in my knitting group.
Vegan Babybacks: Surprisingly good. I suspect after a year of no meat I will think they are exactly like meat.
Vegan Bacon: When you add this to whole wheat bread, lettuce, tomatoes and avacados, it works. DH says it's better than some of the real bacon he's had.
Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Mousse Frosting: I bought this book because, really, who can resist a cupcake? Even my FIL liked it. Though he was mad when he found out it was tofu.

I'll post more as I find them. I ran into a "cheese" sauce I want to try.

Peacocks, Revisited

I got my pattern for my Peacock Shawl. Now I have a mission for Estes Park Wool Market.

Who wants to sell me the perfect yarn? Laceweight, a perfect bluey-green, maybe some sheen, maybe some gradiations. I'm a clean slate.

Eating Meat Makes You Deaf

I was talking to my mom yesterday on the phone while making my lunch.

Me: I'm making Herb Encrusted Tofu with mushrooms in a creamy marsala sauce. I'll put it over some polenta.

Mom: *pause* What's Urban Crusted Tofu?

Somehow, I know that if I had said "Herb Encrusted Chicken" she would have heard me. But, alas, "tofu" was in the sentence and the point was lost.

Lunch was wonderful however.

Wiiiiiiii

We are celebrating Mother's and Father's day this weekend due to circumstances beyond my control. I will be totally happy exploring this venue with free reign of the credit card (I have been yarn-dieting four months for this). This is mother's day to me.

So my DH felt bad about not doing anything on the real Mother's Day and got us a hotel in Estes Park. I can spend Saturday in my Nirvana. He can spend Sunday in his. Sounds like a great deal all around.

Then I found out my husband has been sniffing around an import store looking for bento boxes so I had to break the news. "Honey, I already got some, they're coming from Japan."

"How could you do this before Mother's Day? What am I supposed to get you now?"

"Um, a day surrounded by yarn with a credit card in my hands? I got you a Wii."

Silence. Pure, golden, silence.

Let the knitting god(desses) reign.