Blissful Stitches

It's been awhile

2009-02-14T05:34:00.001-08:00

Okay, it's been longer than awhile, it's been months. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I suck at blogging. I go great guns for a bit and then disappear. So here I am to give a little update.

Had a couple of days in court 3 weeks ago. Still trying to disentangle myself from the child molesting peice of crap who used to call himself my husband. He's still trying to take the house away from us. On the health front, I'm still leaking from three places and had a major bout of depression that hit me the end of October and didn't really let up until the end of January/early February. This week has been the week of the sinus infection. Not so much fun.

I retook the entrelac class at Twist last Tuesday. It went much better this time. 1) it wasn't on a S&B night and 2) the class was pretty small, just 4 of us and Laura. I managed to get through 2 rows and tried to get started on row 3. Hopefully I'll be able to pick up where I left off this afternoon at Twist.

So that's the long and short of it. Not really much to tell other than the slimeball has been indicted on Federal child porn charges and is facing another 40 yrs in prison. As usual, he thinks he's going to walk away from it even though they have more evidence than you can shake a stick at and the fact that he said some things at the divorce hearing that can be used against him. Idiot. I hope they tear his short ass up and spit him out.

Now that's really all there is for me to tell. Just keep us in your thoughts...

People Amaze Me!

2008-06-25T14:47:00.001-07:00

I had been planning a weekend out of town for a couple of months now and thought I wasn't going to be able to go because I didn't have anyone to watch Spike for me. Then someone amazed me. Nana Pam offered to have her parents watch Spike, but I didn't want him driving her father crazy. Spike is kind of needy and that would have driven Bill nuts. Then Pam Bishop, who is going to run the retreat, asked her hubby, Dennis, if he would mind watching Spike at their house while we were gone. He said no problem at all. They have a basset hound named Winnie and I think Spike will get along with her just fine. She's got the run of their sun room and I think Spike will do just fine with her there.

I have really needed this retreat. I haven't been out of town for fun in over three years. The last trip out of town that was supposed to be fun was ruined by the rat and his "pet". The last two trips out of town were definitely not fun. One was when Gran was dying and the other was to go back to help clean out her house so it could be sold. Definitely not fun.

So now I need to get my knitting stuff together to take with me. I also need to wash some undies and pj's. I think I'll wash my hair in the sink Friday morning. That will be easier than trying to do it while I'm away. I am sooooo excited about this trip! I know that it's to McPherson, but still, it might as well be to New York! It's not Wichita and it's not a trip that is an obligation, so it's allllllllll good!

People amaze me with their acts of kindness. As much as I hate to admit it, I've come to expect the worst from people in general. That's not like me at all, but when you look at the last couple of years, I think you can understand why I feel like that most of the time. The friends that I have made up at Twist have just been incredible. Last year, when I was in the hospital so much, many of them came up to the hospital to knit with me. When I don't show up to just hang out and knit, someone will call me to make sure that I'm okay and see if I need anything. I couldn't ask for a better bunch of ladies to hang out with...even if I tried to find them, I probably couldn't. Good things find you when you aren't looking for them.

Tomorrow, Mom, Vanessa and I are going to clear out the crap in the dining room and on the stairs. It's step two in clearing what's left of Henry Nelson out of my life. If I can get the living room and the dining room cleaned up, the rest of the house should be a snap. I went through part of the bedroom the other day and threw away two bags of crap. I know that I'm going to come up with much more than that from the dining room and the rest of the bedroom. I would like to have it all done before my birthday. Hopefully, we'll have it done and be ready to move on to the upstairs. Now there's some scariness that I really don't want to face. I'm not sure which is going to be worse: the upstairs or the basement. The basement was his domain and you wouldn't believe all the garbage that is down there. Anything that is mine down there can be put in storage tubs or space bags and moved to the garage.

I'm going to go and try to decide which project to take with me on the retreat. I'm thinking socks, socks and maybe more socks. *grins*

I send you all love, light and peace-
Tammy

Holy Crap!

2008-05-31T06:47:00.000-07:00

It seems that the weather gods are just not happy with us here in the Midwest. For a week solid, we had storms that started after midnight and would last until 4 or 5 in the morning. So sleep wasn't really an option when you are lying in bed listening for the tornado sirens to go off. Luckily, we didn't get the Oz treatment last week. We did have a couple of days where not much happened weatherwise. We got a little rain during the day a couple of days ago. But this morning...HOLY CRAP! It was one fast moving storm! The weather channel said it was moving at 38 mph. It just dumped a buttload of hail and rain on us and now all's quiet outside. It's the kind of weather that gives me a major case of the creeps. It's so much like the weather where a tornado just drops out of the sky when you least expect it...just like it was when I was a kid back in West Texas.

I've been up since right after midnight. I guess that's what I get for going to bed early last night. I think I woke up because I was hungry. Of course, by the time I got it together to go get something, just about everything but McDonald's and Burger King was closed. Apparently, half of Wichita decides that 1am is the perfect time to go get something to eat. There was quite a line at BK's drive through. I can tell you that their Steakhouse Burger is pretty tasty. I liked the crunchy little onion strings on the burger. It was better than most of the ones at Red Robin...and the onion strings were actually crunchy instead of soggy. I could do without their fries, though. I guess I'm kind of over fries for the time being. I'd rather have a good cheeseburger with plain old potato chips than fries.

I guess I should mention knitting at some point, since this is my knitting blog. I finished my first pair of socks last month. They washed up really well, too. I am glad that I spent the money for the sock blockers, though. I think I'm going to get the small set so I can block socks for Rhiannon. I got the Little Box of Socks the other day and I am in LOVE with some of the patterns! One of them is called Faceted Rib Socks. It's really a fairly simple pattern, if you can get passed the funky twisted German cast on. They did their model pair out of Lorna's Laces, so I know that just about any sock yarn that I already have is going to work with this one. I picked up a couple of balls of Panda Wool in a beautiful heathered purple the other day and started the cast on for the Faceted Rib socks. I figured this would make a great pair for Rhiannon. There's also a pattern for golf/athletic socks in the Box. Rhiannon loves those little short socks. The model was stitched with Fixation, so I picked up some fixation to see if I'm going to like the pattern or not.

I am halfway through the first sock of March's SotM. I'm having a hard time getting motivated to finish this one. I guess it's the yarn. It's knitting up nice enough, but it's just not something that I would normally go OOhhh-AAhhh over, you know? It's one of the Opal Zirrcus yarns and I swear it looks like something a Red Hat wearing cat hoarked up...all purple, red and cream coloured. It's knitting up better than it looked in the ball. Good thing or I would have tossed it day one!

I'm going to try to nap a bit before the nurse comes for dressing changes. Later today, it's off to Twist to see what's new and to pick up the issue of Simple Knitting that Shelly always holds back for me.

Hugs to everyone-
T

Let there be socks!

2008-04-24T06:41:00.000-07:00

Finally! After working on them off and on for 2 months, I have finished my first pair of socks! Something I can wear and say, "Hey look at these! I made them!" They aren't perfect, but they're mine. I can't wait to cast on for my next pair. But first, I have a little obligation stitching to do for a dear friend.

After that, it's on to more socks! Socks, glorious socks!

Almost there!!!

2008-04-20T00:49:00.000-07:00

For the last couple of months, I've felt like a little kid again. Constantly asking myself, "Am I there yet?" Have I been on some kind of strange trip? Well, not really. Not unless you count sock knitting as a strange trip, indeed. *grins*

I decided that I was going to learn how to knit socks since I had been collecting pretty sock yarns for several months. So when Twist started up their version of the Sock of the Month club, I couldn't help myself! So I paid for my club membership and then bought the yarn for February's SotM. I wrote down the pattern and put all my supplies in a cute little sock bag with little love monkey's all over it. It really didn't take me all that long to get sock number 1 finished, but then my health, or rather my bad health, reared its ugly head and set me back. I didn't knit much of anything. Anyway, back to the sock story at hand...or rather at foot. Last weekend, I took my second sock with me to Twist because I had a spot on the heel that I couldn't fix. Shelly, shop owner extraordinaire, was able to get the little ladder fixed and I sped right on through the heel flap. Of course, I boogered up the heel turn. The flap was great. The turn, not so much. That's where Connie, our official SockNut, came in. God bless her! She unknit my over-turned heel and got me back on track.

So Thursday, I picked up my sock again and got the heel turned and started working on the gussets. I zoomed through the gussets and now find myself in what I call the homestretch! I'm working on the actual foot part! I wrote down exactly how many rounds I needed to do of R1 and R2, and I am only48 rows away from the dreaded Kitchener Stitch! Wooohoooo! I should be finished with my first pair of socks later today (Sunday). I'm so excited that I can't sleep! I had to get up and let the dog out, so I figured that I might as well get some knitting in while I was wide awake and obviously not in dreamland.

I'll find a way to post a pic of the finished pair later on. Then it's off to March's SotM. I've got the pattern and the yarn just waiting. I even have April's pattern and yarn waiting most patiently for me to finally get to them. My mother, God love her, is waiting most patiently for the pair of socks that I promised her in January when she bought that yummy alpaca sock yarn and asked me to knit a pair for her.

Back to working on the last bit of Charade!

Socks!!!!

2008-03-17T20:55:00.000-07:00

After 2 classes on how to knit socks two at a time on the same needle, I think I just might have the concept down. Granted, the only thing that can wear the itty bitty socks that I have on my needles is my daughter's My Twinn doll, but hey, I've figured out that I can actually knit two of the little buggers at the same time!

I've really come to enjoy knitting socks. They scared the hell outta me for the longest time. I'm still not sure why I was so intimidated by socks. I guess for the same reason that starting a sweater makes me nervous. I guess I'm worried that I'll screw it up so bad that it's not recoverable. I really would like to get started on Mom's sweater but I need those stitch markers that Shelly is making me first. I tried starting it without them and quickly got lost so the markers are definitely a must have for me.

I did finish the first sock of the February sock of the month. The second sock is now on the needles and the cuff is done. I think this one will go MUCH faster than the first one since I've gotten over the fear of socks on DPNs. I have to admit that I absolutely *LOVE* my Harmony DPNs! I tried working with the nickle plated DPNs that the idiot bought me last year, but they just don't feel as good in my hands as the wood needles do. I think I just might be on my way to becoming a socknut like my friend, Connie. Now there's a serious socknut! I've only seen her knit one other thing and that's a shawl. She's started spinning and is really making some beautiful yarn. She's one of the most talented people I have ever met...and she's a phenomenal friend.

It's Spring Break and I'm trying to come up with ideas for things to do with Rhiannon that aren't going to cost me an arm and a leg. We've already decided that we're going to go to the movies to see Horton Hears A Who. We'll probably go to Cheddar's afterward for dinner. She seems to really like going there and I like their chicken strips. They're more like monster chicken chunks. I've never been able to finish them and always have at least half of the order to bring home. And their cole slaw is incredibly tasty. So maybe that's what we'll do on Tuesday.

I'll let you know how things go for the week. As always, stay safe, be happy and knit on!

I have the World's Coolest Mom!

2008-02-15T12:25:00.000-08:00

I have the most awesome mother on the face of the planet! She knows that right now my therapy is my knitting. She used some of her TradeBank bucks and spent $180 on classes, yarn and books for me and Rhiannon. Then Monday, she stops by the house and brings us each a Valentine. Inside Rhiannon's was a gift certificate for Twist for $50 and in mine was a certificate for $100! Needless to say, my momma ROCKS!

I now have the yarn for Wicked, Oblique and Bijoux Blouse for myself. I decided that I was going to change the yarn for Mom's Rusted Root. The cotton was just too splitty and was driving me crazy! So, it's now in the "maybe I'll use it someday" pile. Mom also picked up some yummy alpaca sock yarn for me to make her a pair of socks and she got me some Tofootsies yarn to make a pair for myself in the Learn to Knit Two at Once class. Jill, who's going to be teaching the class, told me that if for some reason I ended up back in the hospital that she would bring the class to me. Mom did buy me the book that inspired the class. I love the way the book is made. It's a hardback that is spiral bound...but the binding is covered.

My poor little knitted beaded bag. Somehow I managed to drop a stitch a row and a half before where my stopping place was! Could I pick up the danged dropped stitch? Not to save my rear end. I'm hoping that Tina can help me fix it. I don't mind frogging a few rows. I mean, it's just knitting and I'm good with that. I suck at frogging most knitting, though. I can unknit and unpurl but there are somethings that I just can't figure out how to unknit...like cables and beadwork. I really should email Tina and see what she says. I wasn't the only person this happened to. Connie told me that it happened to Mimi, too. Right about the exact same spot. I think Connie kind of got it fixed, but she was having a hard time getting the stitches picked back up. I should really try and get one of those teeny tiny crochet hooks. Maybe a visit to Hobby Lobby is in my near future. *grins*

For tonight, it's me and the dog and the tv. Okay, it's me and the dog and the tv AFTER Vanessa and I go have a girls night out early dinner. Then it's going to be me, the dog, the tv and probably my Charade sock. Now that's the life. *winks*

Arrrrgghhh!!! help???

2008-02-08T07:44:00.000-08:00

No, it's not Talk Like A Pirate Day, it's Tammy's frustrated with her knitting day. Last night, I finally got to take the Entrelac class at Twist. Things were going along great guns until class was over. I thought I knew where I was at on my scarf and that I could just pick it right up once I got home and keep on knitting. Apparently, I have become knitting challenged.

Laura, the really nice instructor from last night, said that I was my own worst enemy and that I needed to stop talking myself out of doing the right thing on this project. I guess it's because the knitting just looks all wonky and jacked up. So I'm on Row 3. I had the first to "rows" done on that one when class ended. We went to dinner and had some fantastic Chinese food to celebrate the beginning of the Year of the Rat and then came home. Some time between one and the other, everything I learned must have just leaked right outta my head. I sat down and picked up where I left off. Once I finished the last of the 8 repeats, I thought I had picked up stitches in the right place. But for some reason, it looks so wrong. I undid most of what I did and now, I couldn't even tell you what all I've got done! I think I'm going to have to head up to Twist this afternoon and beg for help. I feel like such an idiot.

And that's not all. My beautiful fair isle tam is no more a tam than I am the Queen of Sheba. It turned out to be a Rhiannon-sized beanie. I don't think I could get it to stretch over a dinner plate. I suppose I'll pick up one more skein of silk garden in #226 and maybe try a different base colour yarn instead of a Kureyon. I may even go up a needle size or two. Maybe that would make a difference. I would love to have a tam, scarf and matching mittens. They don't have to be all the same pattern (i.e. fair isle or entrelac) as long as they are all done in the same colourway. There's a great cabled mitten pattern in the newest One-Skein Wonder book.

I haven't had much luck in trying to knit a hat for myself. Every single one that I've tried for me has turned out to be itty bitty. Maybe I should just knit a Rasta hat for myself and call it good, but I really wanted something different. sigh...

And don't even get me started on the fiasco that my Lucy Bag has become. Between all of the binding off and putting stitches on a million different stitch holders, I am so confused! The pattern just isn't making sense to me. I know it has to be me, as there are so many on Ravelry who have finished their Lucy Bags and they look great. I got all 100 rounds knit up and them started the strap set up. I did the K19, BO 22. I K16 and put the 17 stitches on stitch holder A. The I did the next BO of 4, K16 and placed those 17 stitches on stitch holder B. Onto the next BO of 22, K16 and then those 17 went onto stitch holder C. I BO the next 4 but I am 7 stitches away from the BOR marker that it says to remove then K 16. According to the pattern, there should be 17 stitches left on the needle at this point. I have 27 stitches left at this point. I have ended up having nearly 30 stitches too many. How in the H did this happen? I stopped increasing when I hit 120, I even used stitch markers to make sure that I was on track.

Please tell me that I am not losing my knitting mojo. This is what happened a year and a half ago when I lost my cross stitching mojo. It just disappeared and everything I touched turned to crap on linen. I need some major help!

Holy Cow!

2008-01-31T06:14:00.000-08:00

Do I ever suck at keeping up with my blogging! I have sorely neglected my blogs in the last month and a half. I'm going to blame it on stress and the holidays and life in general just getting in the way. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

On the upside of things, I have now completed 5 Rasta hats that have all found happy homes and are currently keeping heads warm. I've started a new scarf if that yummy Love It! yarn from Twist and I've started the small Lucy Bag by Two Old Bags in the brightest, happiest yarn I could find: Kureyon's #209. I still need to do the finishing on my first pair of felted clogs and I need to get that darned Year of the Pig bag finished...especially since the Year of the Pig is going to be over next week!

Tonight I am going to attempt to wrap my brain around the elusive skill of Entrelac. For some reason, this particular knitting option has just got me so intimidated that it is pretty ridiculous! But what the heck! It's just another technique to learn and if I hate it, then I just won't do it any more. How's that for some resolve?

I am so thrilled that Twist is going to be open today and on Super Bowl Sunday! I had been a bit worried that they would close today due to Wichita schools closing for bad weather and that would leave me here at the house with an antsy 10 yr old who pretty much lives for her Thursday night Stitch'n Bitch. As for Super Bowl Sunday, I had been contemplating going up to Junction City to PTP for their Super Bowl sale...but had pretty much nixed that idea since I haven't been cross stitching for over a year now. Someone told me the other day that when I was ready to go back to it, a piece would speak to me so powerfully that I could not ignore it. I hope they're right.

I *FINALLY* chased down a bottle of Cherry Chocolate Diet Dr Pepper a couple of days ago. The verdict on this new drink is that if it disappeared off the shelves tomorrow, I wouldn't be overly disappointed. It's okay, but it's not what I was hoping for. And odd as this may sound, it's actually better at room temp than it is cold. You can actually taste the chocolate and the cherry that way and not just the "diety" flavour. It's definitely not one of those sodas that I can drink really fast and want more of like a good diet cream soda. Now that's something that I really would be disappointed if it was to disappear off the shelves!

I went on a bit of a Lexie Barnes buying binge when they discontinued my favourite print, Baja. I ended up with a backpack, a Gem and several Sweetpea's. All total, I think I now own 13 or 14 LB bags. I'd have more of them if I had more money and could find more places that still had some Baja pieces in stock! My quest for now is to find some of Mega's in the small and medium sizes. Those make great accessory kit bags when a Sweetpea is to long for the project bag that you are working with at the time.

Yeah, I know...having an accessory kit for each project bag is just a little AR but it definitely saves my bacon when I find myself snatching up a bag to take with me to keep busy. Of course, while I'm working on whatver project is in the bag at hand, I will need stitch markers or a pen and paper or a tapestry needle and scissors. So I just decided that it wasn't that expensive to put together little accessory bags to go in all of my projects bags. I can divide up stitch markers and tapestry needles and those cute little scissors that I like so much are on sale at Hobby Lobby for 40% off right now and so that makes them $2.99 a pair.

I think I'm going to go curl back up under the warm blankets and watch some frivolous home improvement shows on tv.

Hugs all the way around-
Tammy

Sigh...

2007-12-17T19:00:00.000-08:00

I've been back in the hospital since last Friday. I was smart enough to bring a knitting project with me. I started the Rasta Hat while I was waiting to be seen. I had most of the ribbing done by the time they got me moved into a room. I'm almost ready to start the decrease rows. I should have had it finished by now, but I have just been so tired. Did I mention that I had surgery on Saturday?

If the Knitting Gods are with me, I should have this one finished tomorrow and that should give me enough time to get the Orca Tails scarf finished by Christmas. I absolutely *LOVE* the Noro Silk Gardens yarn that I'm using for this project. I wish I could afford to use this for several projects. I think I might go ahead and use it for the Entrelac class. I want that scarf to be the yummiest thing ever!

Ever had really crappy customer service? Well, I had the best customer service ever this afternoon. A couple of weeks ago, while working on the Orca Tails scarf, one of my Harmony Options needles broke! I was so disappointed and sad. One of my pretty multicolour wood needles was now in pieces. I had been meaning to call Knit Picks to see about returning a cable that had a rough join and just hadn't gotten around to it. So today, when I got Knit Picks weekly email, I was reminded that I needed to call them. The woman that I spoke with was so incredibly nice! She's sending out replacements for both items and said that I didn't have to send the defective items back! Now that is fantatical customer service. It's service like the Old Viking used to give when Irwin Helford was still the boss. It's what all customer service should be, no matter what the company.

I've always recommended Knit Picks needles when someone would ask about interchangable needles. Now I can not only recommend them, but I will sing their praises from the highest mountain. Not often do you find a superior product with excellent customer service. Does my little heart good to know that it's still out there somewhere.

Finally! Snow!

2007-12-14T17:15:00.000-08:00

It's not really sticking, but it's actually snowing. Good sized, fluffy flakes. You know the kind that makes you want to stand there with your face tilted up towards the sky. I always looked forward to that first tasty bit of winter falling on my tongue.

I've got another rasta hat almost halfway done. I really am loving the way that this yarn knits up. Who would have known that Paton's made such a wonderful fiber? Such beautiful colours! So far I've worked with three different colours: Natural Plum, Natural Earth and Natural Geranium. I think I may have some Natural Violet, too.

Time for some knitting and snuggling down to watch tv, maybe flip through the new Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts issue.

Stay safe, warm and happy!
Tammy

Let it snow!

2007-12-14T11:18:00.000-08:00

They said we'd have snow today, so I want some snow! Anything to entertain me while I sit here and look out of this hospital room window. I should have been at the Embellishment class last night at Twist, but nope, I was in this darned hospital room. At least it's one of the new rooms and ironically, it's the same room I was in for one day during my last stay in November.

They are talking about doing an actual surgery to connect a couple of wounds and hopefully that will get them to heal faster. And they're also talking about putting a wound vac back on me.

So start thinking of something fairly quick and simple that I can work on while I'm here.

Come on, Snow! I need a little Christmas, right this very minute!

Wooohooo!

2007-12-08T22:58:00.000-08:00

I finished the first of a pair of clogs that will be felted. I really feel like I have accomplished something. The pattern for these definitely leaves something to be desired. There should probably be a bulletin board or a Yahoo group for people to compare notes on this one. It's a good thing that Jackie and Becca had already done one of them. At least they knew where the bugs in the pattern were and how to get around them. I'll try to get a picture of these once I get both knitted up and then one after they've been felted.

I've really been enjoying my knitting lately. If the weather hadn't been so cruddy tonight, I would have gone up to Twist and hung out. Rhiannon went with me to class today. Connie's daughter, Mimi, was there. She and Rhiannon really get along well. Rhiannon had her laptop with her and they goofed around playing the Sims. Mimi hadn't really played the Sims before and she was really starting to like it when she had to go home. Rhiannon had a chance to show off her artwork, too. She pulled up the Artsonia website and showed her stuff to Mimi and to Jackie. Jackie is thinking about sending her kids to Monart's Winter Drawing Camp which starts the day after Christmas and goes for three days. Rhiannon's thinking she might want to go to it. It would give her something to do for the time between Christmas and New Years Eve. I told her that we would go out for a special dinner on New Years Eve. For the last 4 years, I've gone to Kwan Court for their sushi buffet on New Years Eve. Even though it's a tradition that was started with my ex, I would like to keep it up with my daughter. The food is good and it's fairly close to home. Did I mention that the food was good? *grins*

Yes, I did say my ex. The divorce was final this last Monday. Property will be settled at a later date...most likely after the dirtbag is sentenced and in jail. But that's enough about that unpleasant bit of mess. Have I mentioned how much I'm loving my knitting lately?

I've finished a three hats (okay, two of them ended up being so small that my cocker Spike can wear them) and a clog. And that's just in the last two weeks. I'm on a roll! I have a decent yarn stash and there is a plethora of free patterns to be tromped through on the 'net. The hat that I finished was the Rasta Hat from Knitty Gritty. It was really a fun knit and I'd like to knit it again. I did this one out of Paton's SWS in Natural Plum. Wow! I love the way this knits up! It took almost two balls, but it was really worth it. I think I might make another one for Becky for Christmas. I have a scarf to finish for Chuck. It's a really neat pattern from Orcawinds. Kind of a fishtail thing, but really cool.

I'll try to update with pictures later on. So for now, I send you happiness and love and the hopes for a wonderful holiday.

Sore Thumbs

2007-11-24T22:22:00.000-08:00

Who knew that speed knitting through a hat with HiyaHiya circs would make my thumbs sore? They're almost as sharp as my KnitPicks Options. I sure wish that KnitPicks would put out a shorter cord so I could make 16" circs with the 2 sets that I have.

I spent this afternoon up at Twist hanging out with friends and knitting on a new project, Asminah's Hat from Kody May Knits. If you haven't checked out Kody May's blog and you knit, you really should pop over there and see what all she has to offer for free. She's a really talented designer and she likes to share, just make sure that you give her credit for the designs. I bought some incredible Berroco Jasper merino wool to use on this one. The colours are beautiful and the fibers are soft and pliable to the touch. And it isn't splitty! Wooohooo!

Becky bought some gorgeous Noro wool for me to make Chuck a scarf. I just have to find the right pattern for it. They only had 2 skeins at Twist, so I have to make sure that whatever pattern I choose won't take more than that. I also offered to make another Bowl of Spaghetti hat for Tamara's daughter's friend. I just need to get yarn amounts to her. She has a friend who collects Jester hats and she thought that this would be a great addition to his collection. I did go online to joann's and I ordered an I-Cord maker. They're having free shipping all weekend, no matter what size your order is, so I took advantage. I also ordered me a Mighty Bright LED clip on light. I've been wanting one and they never seem to have them at Hobby Lobby when I think about getting one. It was on sale, so I don't feel too bad there.

I also ordered a couple of Hannah Montana goodies for Rhiannon from Walmart. Did you know that you can have your order shipped to your local store free? That means I don't have to really fight the crowds for more than picking up my order. Anything that will keep me from fighting the crowds shopping, I'm all over!

I've had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday this year, in spite of the mess that is going on with he who shall not be named. We have court next week and hopefully, that will spur the divorce on. At least I hope it will. I'm ready to be free and clear. Not like I'm going to just jump back into the dating pool or anything silly like that, but I just want him out of our lives for good.

I hope this finds you all happy, healthy and safe-
Tammy

I suck at blogging

2007-11-23T22:08:00.000-08:00

Okay, I don't totally suck at it, but I seem to have a hard time remembering to get on here and write a little.

I started the Bowl of Spaghetti hat from Knitty Gritty while I was in the hospital a week ago. I swear that thing has never-ending I-Cord! It took me twice as long to knit the I-Cord as it did to knit the hat itself. I would *LOVE* to find something else to use some Misti Baby Alpaca on, but something that only takes a skein or two. It's so incredibly soft! I think I'm going to try the Suri Alpaca from KnitPicks. It's more affordable and looks so incredibly soft. If it's half as soft as I think it's going to be, it will make a great hat or even a sweater...should I come into a boatload of money.

I've found some really awesome hat patterns. They should knit up really quick so that I can give a new hat to each family member. One of the patterns is from Knitty. I saw Shelly, who owns http://www.twistyarnshop.com/, knit this one up and it turned out so cool! I think it's called Shedir. I've never knit from a chart before, so this is going to be a new one for me. The other pattern that I would love to do is from Kody May. If you haven't checked out her blog, you really should. She designs some really awesome stuff and she shares with others as long as you give her credit where credit is due. http://kodymayknits.blogspot.com/2006_11_15_archive.html It's called Asminah's Hat and it's just beautiful!

Well, that's me catching up on my knitting stuff. Next on the list of things to conquer is a crochet embellishment class and a class for those nifty knitted/felted clogs. I've already got the Cascade 220 for the clogs but I haven't found a sweater to embellish yet for Rhiannon. Hopefully I can find one asap.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Tammy

Ravelry!!!

2007-10-26T08:32:00.000-07:00

I *FINALLY* got an invitation to join Ravelry! I've been waiting for months. This morning I pop online to check email and lo and behold! There it was...an invitation from frecklegirl to join Ravelry! I am so jazzed!

I have been an exceptionally poor blogger the last several months. But, in my defense, since my last post I found out that my husband is lower than pond scum and actually belongs in jail (where he has been for the last couple of months) and I've been trying to get a divorce. Coming out as unscathed as possible is my primary goal right now.

On the upside, I have a nephew, Jackson, who was born July 7th, and a neice, Kylie, who was born October 18th. I now have two more little people who need handmade pretties! It's given me a reason to want to learn to crochet (gotta make those cute little booties!) and to start knitting like a fiend again. I do need to finish the Year of the Pig bag. I have the main body and it's little piggledy backside done. Now I'm at a part that I hate doing...picking up stitches to make this little pig's face. I still need to find a lining fabric and get the zipper and metal feet. I can get the feet from Shelly at Twist (the GREATEST LYS that I have ever been to) but I had to get the pink sparklie plastic bamboo handles from Angelika's.

I promise to be back soon-
T

How Funny Is This?

2007-08-27T16:46:00.000-07:00

I just found out that my birthday, July 25, is Threading The Needle Day. Now just how appropriate is that with all of my hobbies? *grins*

Somebody needs to take away my clicky finger. I have become entirely too friendly lately with Knitpicks and Jimmy Beans Wool. I better learn how to knit socks or I'm going to up to my well rounded rear-end in sock yarn! I picked up a few skeins of a discontinued colour from KnitPicks. They call it Meadow Multi, I call it Monster Mash. It's black, purple and green. Not very meadowish is you ask me, but hey...it made for a great discount on really nice yarn. I bought enough to make me and Vanessa each a pair. It's nice to have someone other than your family who appreciates the work and time that goes into making something from scratch.

I also got the first round of the books that I ordered on KnitPicks book sale. The Big Girl Knits hardback ROCKS! There are some incredible sweater coats and wrap arounds in this one. I cannot wait to take that sweater knitting class so I can get my sweater knitting feet wet.

I just realized that I have a couple more classes at Twist that I need to sign up for ASAP. Maybe Shelly will start something where you buy so many classes and you get one free. We are really looking forward to the learn to crochet class on Thursday. Then there's Final Friday Knitting...and of course, Saturday evening Prairie Home Companion. It's a darned good thing that I'm feeling better and managing to keep food down now. I'll just make me a big honkin' travel cup of iced tea or crystal light and bring a Kashi bar or two with me to nibble on to keep my blood sugar on an even keel.

Have I mentioned just how much I'm loving life right now? Good news works better than Lexapro!

Wow!

2007-08-17T15:47:00.000-07:00

The last few months have been something else! Not quite a month after my last post, I landed in the hospital for 9 weeks. No, that wasn't a typo, it was 9 weeks. Eight of the 9 weeks were spent taking IV antibiotics and recovering from surgery to remove the bone growth stimulator that Dr Mills left in my back.

So I've been home for a little over a month and I'm healing slowly but surely. I also found out that I am diabetic. Sigh. But hey, I'm learning to deal with that just like I'm learning to deal with everything else.

I've started knitting again and I'm really enjoying it. A new yarn shop opened up here in town and I just love it! Twist is the kind of shop that makes you feel so welcome. It just feels good when you walk in. In a way, it kind of reminds me of Cheers...you know like when Norm would walk in and everyone would turn around and say, "Norm!" You get greeted by your friends when you walk into Twist.

Tomorrow evening from 5-7, Twist has a listening "party" for Prairie Home Companion. They do it every Saturday. I missed their Thursday night SnB from 6-8. I've had the tummy ick and Henry had the car. I can't wait for Leather Camp to be over so I don't have to sit at home. I really am ready to get out of the house, even if it's just for a run to the grocery store or something. I just hate being stuck here with no vehicle.

So I'm working on a new handbag called The Lexi
It should really turn out cute. I'm having a heck of a time getting the links thing to do its thing without making everything a link.

I promise to get in here and blog more often.

WooooooHooooooo!

2007-03-25T14:30:00.000-07:00

I just got an email from my sister-in-law, Lauren. She and Richard are expecting baby #2 about the end of October! I finally have a good reason to knit a baby blanket! I didn't find out about their first baby, Thomas, until he was a month or two old. And of course I wasn't knitting then.

My neice, Taylor Grace, has informed her Aunt Lauren that this baby is going to be a girl. No if's, and's or but's. I hope that she's right. Lauren says she's been really sick this time around. I hope that she doesn't have as hard a time as I did. Rehydration by way of IV in the ER is no fun...and neither is not being able to eat much more than McDonald's cheeseburgers with no pickles. That gets really boring.

This is just the kind of news that I needed after last week at Gran's house.

I'm off to find the perfect baby blanket pattern!
Tammy

puzzled look

2007-03-13T19:01:00.000-07:00

I think I've got some of the tricks of that darned Rainbow Denise Bag figured out, but there are still some things that just have me puzzled as all get out. I figured out the Worked/Attached I-Cord on the top of the bag, but trying to get it round the handles is a whole other story. I'll bring it to Friday Night Knitting and see if someone can help me figure it out.

So while I'm waiting, I guess that I'll get started on something else. I do have my "emergency" scarf that I can work on, but I hate to finish it so soon. It's not like I don't have 40 skeins of yarn that I can pick from to start something new. *grins*

I need to get something together to take with me to Midland. Yep, I have to go again so I can get the things I want from Gran's house. I am really dreading that 12 hour each way trip. The only good things about going to Midland are Bob's Better Burger and Taco Villa....and the Rexall drugstore soda fountain. I don't think there's anything better than a fountain Coke with a shot or two of vanilla syrup.

I'm thinking about trying to knit a sweater. I may be getting in over my head with that one.

Yea! It's Knitting NIght!

2007-03-09T15:25:00.000-08:00

Finally! What the hell took Friday so long to get here? Even though I'm really achy and kind of want to stay home and curl up in bed, I am so ready to go hang out with my knitting girlfriends. Rhiannon isn't feeling great, either, but her Granny is supposed to meet us at Malaysia Cafe to pick her up. I'm still shocked that she called to see if Rhiannon was free for the weekend.

I'm taking the two purses that I have started. One, I need help on working with the waste yarn and the other, well...it's pretty much the same bag, different yarn. My I-Cord bind-off needs a lot of work.

I'll be on my own when knitting is over tonight. Rhiannon is going to be with my mother and Henry is shooting the opera and some goofy VIP party afterward. So it's going to be me, some grape kool aid and the remote control....and my knitting, can't forget that.

Well...she did it.

2007-03-08T14:27:00.000-08:00

I found out last night that my mother had put Gran's house on the market and had already gotten a contract on it for $165K. If everything works out, they want to take possession of the house in 4 weeks. That means that Henry and I are going to have to go to Midland and help Mom and Ron load a rental truck to bring home the things that we want to keep.

It really caught me off-guard. Mom had said that she was going to keep the house and move out there when she retired. She decided that the upkeep was just too expensive when you count the insurance, electric and all of the other little things. She's going to have some lady who does estate sales come and sell all of Gran's things. It just breaks my heart. It's really hit me that she's gone and never coming back. Yeah, I know...she's been gone since September, but there has always been that itty bitty iota of hope that if I were to dial her phone number she would answer and tell me that she had missed talking to me and that she loved me.

I don't know if I will every get over the loss of my grandmother. Damn, I mean, it's been 20 years since Grandpa died and I still cry for him. I would give anything to have them back, to hear Grandpa sing Goodnight, Irene...to have a one-sided conversation with Gran on the phone when she couldn't really hear me.

I'm going to sit and knit and try to take my mind off of things.

Why??

2007-02-26T15:37:00.000-08:00

Why do I torture myself with those damned little fair isle bags? I started working on the big skull & crossedbones bag and I think I just need to find cable needles with a shorter cable. A 29" cable is just too damned long. It dumbfounds me that the chick who wrote the pattern actually said she used 32" cables! I don't see how.

So I'm gonna frog the whole damned thing and find me some size 13 circulars with a shorter cable.

I hate that frog. Where's my frog blender when I need it?

AAAARRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

2007-02-21T21:57:00.000-08:00

No, it's not Talk Like A Pirate Day...that's not until later this year. But it is Pirate related. I started the mini skull and crossedbones bag a couple of nights ago. It's my first attempt at doing Fair Isle work. I am now convinced that whomever invented Fair Isle knitting is a complete and total SADIST!

I worked on it for about 7 hours and I finally gave up and went to bed. I felt like hammered poop today, so no knitting for me. I slept most of the day and this was after going to bed early at 10. I've been running fever, ranging from a low grade of 98 (my norm is about 96) to a high of 101. I ache head to toe in just about every joint, especially my hands and feet.

I missed going to the stash swap, dammit. I was really looking forward to it. So Friday at Panera, I'll bring said Sadistic bit of knitting with me and let the rest of you get a good giggle. I may even join you in the good giggle.

Tammy

What a great weekend!

2007-02-18T01:12:00.000-08:00

This whole weekend has just been wonderful! Friday we celebrated Henry's 50th birthday by going out for Peking Duck. It was so good! I had a really hard time trying to sleep, so I just stayed up all night and then went to Saturday Knitting at Panera.

This was my first Saturday Knitting and I have to admit that it was pretty neat. People came and went. It was truly a great girl's day! When it came down to it Gwen, Ingrid and I were the last three there, so we decided that we needed to go to Michael's and Hobby Lobby. Gwen gave me her Michael's coupon and I ended up with a new pair of Knit Lites! So now I've got a pair of 8's, a pair of 9's and a pair of 10.5's. Five more sizes to go! If I keep coming up with coupons to use, I should be able to round out my set in the next month or so.

There are a couple of bags that I would *LOVE* to make! This Mini Skull & Crossedbones bag is too cute! There's also a bigger one on that site that is too cute! And I cannot forget the Pirate Queen's Booty Bag!

It's about to be knit city around here!

One Skein Down....One To Go!

2007-02-13T16:59:00.000-08:00

I started a cabled scarf from the Lion Brand site a couple of months ago. I think I started the darned thing about 8 times before I really got going good. Then, the unthinkable happened. Christmas Day, I skipped a row. I ended up cabling on the wrong side. Carol worked on it and got it fixed, then I screwed up again. The Frog came to visit as I ripped out the whole damned thing.

So I started again a week ago. I'm through the first skein of pretty Grass Green Wool-Ease Thick & Quick. Now I've got to find the best way to join in the new skein. I think I've figured out the Russian Join, but it may be just as easy to slipknot it on at the beginning of a new row and weave it in later.

A Whole Yard!

2007-02-12T00:38:00.000-08:00

I started my felted needlecase back in December. I bought 2 beautiful skeins of Brown Sheep Merino in a luscious purple. This has been my in-between project. Well, the tough part is over! Both skeins have been knitted and now comes the felting part. I thought I would never finish knitting on this one! I'll post a picture after I get it felted and put together.

So now I'm going to concentrate on getting that cable scarf finished. Then I'm going to have to come up with another project. I'll ask the KIP Girls Tuesday evening. We're going to converge on a Starbucks and pretty much take it over. Should be fun. I do love my Starbucks caramel lattes and macchiatos. Maybe they'll have a good scone or brownie to go with the caramely goodness.

I think I may go to Hobby Lobby tomorrow and see if they have any of that wonderful .99 clearance yarn left. Rhiannon asked for some new needles tonight. I'll wait until there's another coupon for HL and get her a set of the Susan Bates Crytsallites. She wants a set of the candy-striped needles like I got for Christmas, but they are still just about full price at Joanns.com. You'd think that something that was so overtly Holiday would have gone on clearance by now.

I'm gonna go play with the appearance of this blog. I'm not really digging that pinky colour that's on it. Maybe I'll just go with a basic black. Kind of hard to go wrong with black!

Tammy

I'm Knittin'!!

2007-02-09T21:19:00.000-08:00

I always had an interest in learning how to knit, but I never could find anyone to teach me. Gran crocheted, but she didn't knit. Mom said she took a class, made a sweater and decided that she hated knitting...now she just makes a buttload of afghans every winter. So I went to Heritage Hut and bought some needles and yarn and got Mary to teach me the very basics. I went to her knitting sessions for a few weeks, but never really felt like I fit in there. Everyone seemed as if they were wound a little too tightly for me. So I did a search for knitting groups in Wichita and found a group that is perfect for me!

I've been going to Wichita Knit In Public functions since December. What an fantastic group of ladies! If you get stuck or screw up, someone there knows how to fix what you messed up. Gwen and Ingrid are almost always there. So are Carol and Kathy. We're an oddball mix of girls, but we have so much fun together! There are more than 70 members of the meet-up group, but only about 20 or so active members. I've learned more from these ladies than I ever dreamed!

I finished several scarves and I'm working on a felted needlecase right now. It's my in-between project...the one that I pick up when I can't look at whatever it is that I'm working on at the time. I taught myself how to knit cables! I was watching one of the episodes of Knitty Gritty that I had recorded and saw Janet Szabo on there demo'ing squares from her Aran Afghan. Actually seeing the cabling being done made it not so scary. So I found myself an easy pattern and headed off to Michael's for some pretty yarn. It's coming along quite nicely. If I can get it finished in time, I'm going to give it to Mom for her birthday.

Enough for now. I'll post some photos eventually...promise.

Tammy
"Impeachment...not just for blowjobs anymore."

Where'd It Go?

2006-11-05T20:06:00.000-08:00

My stitching mojo has just quite simply vanished. Every time I have picked up a needle in the last few months, it has been a complete disaster! I either screw it up so bad that I have to frog out hours of work or I just can't seem to put the needle to the fabric and make it work.

So I've declared that stitching season is over for me this year. I'm going to learn a new craft. I'm going to learn how to knit!! I don't care if it harelips the president. I'm going to get me some knitting needles and some pretty yarn and see if the ladies down at Heritage Hut can teach this poor uncoordinated soul how to knit something simple like a scarf. Doesn't have to be anything fancy, just a scarf. Then once I figure that out, we'll work on something harder...like maybe a hat to go with a scarf.

Someone in the Crafty Bitch group on myspace recommended a book called Stitch & Bitch. Said she learned how to knit by reading that one. I figure if I get a good book and take lessons, then I've got all my bases covered. Shoot, I'd buy freakin' dvd's if I thought that would help! I'm ready to be a crafty bitch again. I miss my inner crafting bitch. If she's still sunning herself on the beach in Tahiti, I'm ready for her to get herself back to Kansas where she belongs!

So for now, it's see ya later cross stitch....hello knitting!

News That You Never Want To Hear

2006-08-15T19:08:00.000-07:00

My grandmother's nurse, Mary, called me this evening. Gran had a stroke on my birthday and just has not recovered from it like they thought she would. It affected her entire right side and her speech. Today Dr Rhodie said it was time to call in hospice for Gran...that she more than qualified.

She has a DNR on file and if she should have another TIA or stroke and need to be revived they are going to let her go. It's so selfish of me to want her to stay alive. I know that logically. But deep down inside me is the little girl who had a phenomenal grandmother who would get down on the floor with her and play jacks or shoot marbles. My gran is the most loving person I have ever met. She has loved me unconditionally since day 1...and the feeling has always been mutual. She and Grandpa were the two that I could always count on to tell me that I had done a good job and not follow it with a backhanded remark telling me that it was good but it could have been better.

I don't love her because she has bought me nice things or spent money on me. I love her because she's been the one stable thing in my life for 40 years. I love her because of the songs she used to sing to me when I was little and because of the stories that she used to tell me about things when she was growing up. I love her because she always wanted to hold my hand when we went places, even when I was well into my 20's. I love her for all of the kisses and hugs that she gave me and for all of the tender words that were whispered when I was sick. I love her for so many reasons...reasons too many to be listed here.

Gran, I love you unconditionally...forever. I love you to the moon and back and more than all of the stars in the night sky. I'll always be your grandbaby, no matter how old or big I get to be.

I love you, Gran.

I'm finally stitching again!

2006-08-10T08:14:00.000-07:00

After a very long dry spell, I've finally started stitching again. Granted, it's an obligation piece but it's still got me stitching! It's a bell pull called "Bunny 'n Ewe". At least it's not a subject that I dislike. I've always loved little sheep and these are particularly cute in that they are black-faced sheep like the ones I raised when I was in grade school.

We're trying to get Rhiannon ready for 3rd grade. Yikes! When did she get to be that old? Oh yeah, I forgot...her birthday is 4 days after mine. *silly grin* I keep threatening to put the heaviest rock I can find on her noggin to keep her from growing up any more. She thinks her old mum is just goofy and going round the bend! Fine with me as long as she still loves me and lets me call her "Baby Girl."

We've got Henry's son here for 5 day visit. It was supposed to be a 4 day but his grandmother decided that she wanted to stay in Wichita an extra day. Anyone want one surly 15 yr old? I'll even make sure that he's bathed recently.

The 4-0

2006-07-24T22:51:00.000-07:00

I am officially 40 now. I don't know why I thought I would feel any different, but I suppose everyone (or at least some of us) have that unrealistic expectation. Henry took me out Saturday night to Kobe Steakhouse with our friends, Jessie and Anita. He totally faked me out on what he got me for my birthday. I've had a small buckwheat hull pillow that has been my cuddle pillow for 3 years now. I've taken it with me to the hospital every time that I've had to go...except when they made me radio active. He found a full size buckwheat hull pillow! I was so excited! He also found a neat antique postcard from Odessa, too. Then came the real prezzie: Margaret Cho tickets for her November show! WoooooHoooooo! We missed her the last time she came to town. What a honey!

My friend, Merrie, is taking us to dinner tomorrow night. She said anywhere I want to go, so I'm thinking that we'll go to Abuelo's. Henry wants us to go to Garozzo's. I may relent and say do Italian. Garozzo's does the most decadent bisteca marsala that I have EVER had. Kind of funny that the best steak in town is at an Italian joint.

I think I'm going to try to wake up early enough to go to lunch with Vanessa. It's been a really long time since she and I have just hung out. I need to start going over again...and I really need to start stitching again. I've been a horrible slacker in the stitching department. I've got Christmas Elf Fairy almost done and Enchanted Mermaid has been languishing in my WIP bin for months now.

Well, we're kidless tonight, so maybe I'll go back to bed and nibble on Henry. He was so happy that Rhiannon was at Merrie's tonight...and for good reason. *wink, wink, nudge, nudge* So maybe this will be "Ding Ding! Round Two!"

What a doll!

2006-07-01T18:39:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law, Lauren, sent me the link to my little nephew Thomas's first portrait sitting. He has the same expression on his face that my Daddy used to get. Isn't he precious?

I just have to smile...

2006-06-25T20:55:00.000-07:00

I decided to take one last peek at my email tonight and I am so glad that I did! My sister in law, Lauren, sent me the link to my little nephew's photos that were taken at Penney's. In the first picture, well, it just made me smile. The expression on his face was so much like the one my Daddy used to get when he knew I was up to something. I can still hear him say in a low voice, "TJ, what are you to?" He always knew when I was up to something...probably because I was always up to something. *grins*

I've just been missing my Daddy lately. He's been gone 15 years this month and not a day goes by that I don't think of him and the way that the tanned skin crinkled around his blue eyes when he smiled. I think about his beard that he always grew in the winter to keep his jaw warm. It was shattered in an oil well accident and it was always achy when the weather was cold.

My Daddy was just a country boy who loved his family. Sometimes he made bad decisions, but he was still my Daddy...no matter what he did. Even when mother wouldn't let him see me, I knew that he loved me. He sent my christmas presents to my grandmother's house because he knew that she would make sure that I got them. He loved me because I was his first born, the first one in the family to graduate from high school and the first one to go to college. He was always so proud of me. I wish he were still here to see his first grandchild. I know he would have just been over the moon for Rhiannon. She tends to have that effect on just about everyone she meets.

Daddy, wherever you are, you've got some incredibly beautiful grandchildren....and you've got four children who miss you very much.

A Very Odd Kind of Day

2006-06-18T19:36:00.000-07:00

I haven't written here in a quite a while. Things have been a little chaotic in the house and truthfully, I wasn't sure that I was going to still be married after all was said and done. We're working on it and things have gone pretty smooth for the last couple of weeks.

Today was a tough day for me and Henry. He lost his father 4 years ago and I lost mine 15 years ago. My grandfather has been gone for 20 years already. He misses being able to talk to his dad. I miss having someone I can run to when the world gets too big and mean for me to deal with. My grandpa was always my protector. He loved me no matter how badly I screwed up. And believe me, I had some real doozies between high school and the age of 20. He bailed me out of a lot of messes but he never once criticized me for marching to the beat of my own drummer. He knew that I wasn't like his other grandchildren. He knew that I was going to be the odd girl out. And boy, was he ever right! I hate it that they aren't around to see my little girl, Rhiannon. They both would have loved her so much just because she was mine. She would have been Daddy's first grandbaby. With her big blue eyes and her pretty red hair, I think she probably could have talked either of them into anything...just like her mother used to do.

I miss you, Grandpa and Daddy. Not just today, but every single day that I have been without you.

Mini bit of stitching

2006-05-30T09:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, it's not much, but I started one of those tiny freebies that comes with the British stitching magzines that I love so very much. It's a cute little hedgehog named Edwina. It's a hedgehog...what's not to like? *grins* I do so love those little Country Companion hedgehogs. I wish that the charts were more available in the States.

I certainly can't afford to have them sent from the UK as often as I would like. I'm trying to get a job doing customer service work from home. At least I could be in a comfortable chair that way and I wouldn't have to get pretty for anyone other myself.

Still Not Stitching...

2006-05-28T12:23:00.000-07:00

I had really hoped to get back to stitching by now. Maybe this week, since Rhiannon's gone, I might actually get the urge to stitch. I've got everything for Girly Gothic set up. I'm finding the chart for The Night to be a little on the daunting side. It's HUGE!!!!!! I've never had a chart that big before and I'm not sure how to tackle it. I hate to go and pay for small, more workable copies when I've already spent more than $20 on the original chart itself. I know that the oversized chart is one way for the designer to protect against bootlegging, but holy cow! Think about the people who are buying this monstrosity and attempting to stitch from it!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

2006-05-23T14:52:00.000-07:00

I have had serious stitching block for the last month. Vanessa thinks I just need to start a new piece. Now I'm not sure which one to start! I have fabric and floss for Girly Gothic QS. Maybe that would be the one to start. Of course, I also have everything BUT the PTB's for The Night. I have that incredible blue Italian linen just waiting to be stitched upon.

Incredible Weather!

2006-04-05T22:10:00.000-07:00

Lately, the weather here in the Midwest has been a storm chasers dream! First it's cold, then it's warm. Then another cold front moves in and *BAM*! It's clash of of the titans weather-wise! We still haven't had the sirens go off here in Wichita, but I'm sure it's just a short matter of time before we're hanging out in the basement.

It was so nice out today! Low 70's, not quite as windy as it has been for the last several days. Our cherry blossom tree finally bloomed out, but the wind has nearly blown all the blossoms off. It's my favourite of all the trees in our yard. I could so do without the darned Bradford Pears. They tend to set of Henry's allergies really bad and it seems that they now make my eyes watery, too. I'd love to replace the two that we have with pretty redbuds or maybe even another cherry blossom. I'd love to be in DC right now while the Cherry Blossom Festival is going on. I caught the tail end of it last year when I went to ABW with girl jen and the blossoms that were remaining were just gorgeous!

I think I'm about to become a "contest widow" for the next few months while Henry works on details for Leathercamp 2006. He had so much fun helping in planning last years Leathercamp. This year WOOLF has been asked to host the Midwest Intl Leather Sir/Leather boy contest. It's really quite an honour to be asked to host this event and it should boost the attendance of Leathercamp from the 100 that we had last year to nearly 300. And it would get WOOLF more national recognition. That's just what we've been working towards for the last year and a half. We're really trying to build WOOLF's reputation as not only a Leather organization but as an educational organization, too. Jay Wiseman is set to come back and teach classes again this year. If you've never heard of him, all of his books are put out by Greenery Press...and if you are easily offended by anything remotely of a sexual nature, then don't go looking for his stuff. He's a fascinating man. He's been an EMT and last year, he passed the California State Bar Exam so he could become a kink-friendly attorney for those who find themselves in need of such a service. He really does great workshops and is just a really neat guy to hang out with and talk to.

I've been in a bit of a stitching rut. (how's that for changing the subject?) I think it's partly because my thyroid meds have been all screwed up but that should be taken care of tomorrow. I just haven't felt like I have the manual dexterity or the mental clarity to sit and seriously stitch. I'm so close to finishing Christmas Elf Fairy. I need to add the Wisper, kreinik and beads, do a little back stitching and she's done! I may even pick Enchanted Mermaid back up and try to get her finished. Not sure about that one, though. She may just be my back-up piece for a while.

I still cannot find that piece of Sugared Marshmallows fabric that I bought to stitch "Dawn" on. Really aggrivates me, as I can find every piece of fabric BUT that one. I still need to get the petite treasure braids for those. I'll probably just call PTP and order them from Sherry and Marilyn. Pretty sure that their prices are a little lower than Heart's Desire's prices and they usually only charge a buck or two for shipping. Besides, I like calling them for things. Marilyn is always so chatty and happy!

Still nothing on the job hunt. I sent my resume to Dean & DeLuca and to Verizon for positions that I found posted on Craigslist.org. Hopefully, something will come from one of those. I always have T-Mobile and Cox to fall back on. I interviewed with InfonXX last week and it really seems like the job from the bowels of hell itself. I would be a screaming idiot at the end of the day after taking 700 calls and for what? A lousy $8 an hour and benefits that take 3 months to kick in. Verizon, T-Mobile and Cox all have better pay rates and much better benefits (either dirt cheap cell service or cable/internet and bennies that start immediately). Now that I can handle. It will be nice to have full coverage health insurance for the whole family again and a steady paycheck in my bank account.

Oh yeah, the random cuteness at the beginning of this rambling is my adorable little girl, Rhiannon, and our furkid, Spike. We took this one on Fat Tuesday after having dinner at Da Cajun Shak. Rhiannon thought that Spike needed to be a little festive so she decked him out in all of our beads and her mask. Enjoy!

So beautiful outside...

2006-03-23T00:12:00.000-08:00

Here it is, the first official week of Spring. The average high temp here in Wichita for this time of year is 54 degrees. It was about 32 today...and we've got snow. Three weeks ago, we had the air conditioner on when it hit record high temps in the 80's. This has been some of the craziest weather that I can recall.

We've got a little over an inch of beautiful undisturbed white snowy goodness outside. Well, semi-undisturbed. We let Spike out when we came home from dinner around 9 and he romped all around the yard. In weather like this we never have to clip him out on his tether. He stays right in his yard, romping and bouncing like a wild rabbit.

It's so quiet outside. Granted, it's late and all of my neighbours are quite a bit older than we are, but still. I love nights like this. I love watching the snow fall and sitting in front of the fireplace. Henry will bring the laptop into the living room and work on things for clients and I'll settle into my stitching spot and stitch a little or curl up with an afghan and drink cocoa. He bought me the most awesome Dulce de Leche cocoa mix from Target last Fall. I had barely touched it until the last few days.

When I came home from my job testing today, he came straight up from his basement office to ask me how it went. He was so sweet, helping me take my boots off for me and warming my hands up since it was so cold outside. Usually, my Escape Hybrid is kept in the garage but he had it in the driveway so he could set up for a photo shoot for Ebay goods. He made that everything was out of the way so that I could park inside tonight. He knows that even in snowy weather I cannot resist a floss sale and that I really shouldn't be out in the cold scraping ice off my car. So I'll probably be going to Michael's either tomorrow or Friday to go buy floss for the PR "Dawn" SAL. How do you say no to a SAL like that when the girl the chart was created for says, "Ah, c'mon and stitch with me!"

Speaking of stitching, I swear that I am going to put some stitches into May I Have This Dance soon. I'm still so intimidated by all that over one...and by the gridding that I did. I keep waivering, wondering if I gridded it right or not. And I don't know if any of my lokscroll rods are long enough. I think I have some rods that Vana made for me that I can baste it on to. I may have to go pick up another pair of side bars, though. I've made some wonderful online friends in the stitching world in the last few months. Just incredible people who worry if I don't post every couple of days or so. It's so touching that people who have never met me in person care so much.

Another plus is I *finally* have my good anti-inflammatory again! I actually slept really good last night because of it. So major thanks given there!

I have so many things to be thankful for. I have an incredible husband who treats me like a princess. I have a beautiful daughter who is just the most awesome 8 yr old anyone could ask for...and did I mention that she's beautiful? *grins* I have wonderful friends who give me unconditional love and acceptance. And my Gran...my dear, sweet Gran, who is all the way down in Midland, TX, 12 hours away from me. Even though she can't really hear me when I call her, she knows that I care enough to call and check on her. She's the most precious thing in my life right now. I still can't believe that my Gran is 93. She'll be 94 at the end of September. If I close my eyes, I can see her snowy white hair and beautiful porcelain skin...her crystal blue eyes and her smile. I truly love my Gran's smile. I love everything about my Gran. I miss being little and snuggling up with her to listen to her stories about growing up poor in the country. I miss watching her get ready for Eastern Star meetings and seeing her dressed up in formals. She always brought something home for me from those meetings: a cookie or two or some homemade fudge and nuts. She'd come in and tell me all about how pretty everyone was. She never talked about what actually happened at the meetings, but I suppose that's part of being in Eastern Star. It's kind of like Vegas. What happens at Eastern Star stays at Eastern Star. I'm pretty sure that they weren't whooping it up with male strippers, but I used to imagine grand tea parties and the like.

Maybe that's what I need to do. There's a new little tea room here in Wichita. Maybe I should get Jessie, Anita and some of the other leather girls together and go for high tea. I haven't had a good tea party in a long time. That would make a good birthday party. Then there's always the Old English Tea at St James in May. The lemon curd tarts are awesome and the Spice Merchant always has some phenomenal tea for us. Last year, it was ginger peach and I fell in love! Hey, I totally forgot that Chelmsford Tea opened up not too far from my house. They make great tea sandwiches and their tea selection is amazing! They have an Earl Grey with a touch of vanilla in it that just makes me smile thinking about it.

Good lord...I've babbled and rambled long enough. You're probably all bored to death if you've even bothered to read this at all.

I'm going to take one more long look at the snow under the moon light and then go snuggle up in bed with Henry and Spike...my two favourite guys.

HEHEHE!

2006-03-08T19:44:00.000-08:00

So I had my last visit with Dr Mills today before he moves to Ohio. He read the report that Novacare sent him and he was pissed! The whole time he's reading over it I could see the muscle in his jaw working. He's firing off a response to their "report" that will pretty much tell them that they are incompetent and wouldn't know which end of a stethescope to use if their lives depended on it. He wrote me a new script for my Lortab, but changed with formula I was getting and upped the number in each refill. I was a tad bit shocked when it cost me $61 to pick it up. But when you've got to have something that works, you've got to have it.

I contacted Adult Protective Services in Texas and gave them all of my contact information so I can help them in the case against my mother. I felt better after doing that. If even one thing that I can do helps them get any of Gran's money back then it's worth it. This was the first doctor visit I've had where I didn't call my mother on the way home to let her know what was going on. That was a little sad for me, but it doesn't hurt as much as I thought it would.

Merrie cooked dinner for us tonight. Chicken fried steak, gravy, mashed potatoes...OMG...they were sooooo good! Now that's Texas-style comfort food at its best! Dessert is fresh strawberries and homemade whipped cream. She's spoiling us rotten and taking great pleasure in doing so.

I went to lunch today with Vanessa. Nothing like hitting Cortez for some chile verde and diablo sauce. Then it was off to Frameworks to pick out frames for three pieces of needlework that she and Becky had finished. As usual, we picked out gorgeous frames. They'll be ready on Friday for pickup. Vanessa is one of the most prolific stitchers I know and her pieces are always beautifully stitched. We may not always agree on what pieces we want to stitch or what fabric, but they always turn out really nice.

After a couple of near 80 degree days, its cooling back down to the usual 50-55 range here. There's a mini-cool front that blew in late this afternoon. It just seems so wrong to have the a/c on in early March. Of course, tornadoes in January are just kind of wrong, too. Mother Nature is so not happy with us and she's letting us know in more ways than one.

There was a huge grass fire in Butler County not too far from Wichita that burned about 7000 acres today. Some vacant houses were burned but none that were occupied burned. Some of their siding was scorched, but they never actually burned, thank goodness. This one was sparked by some moron dragging a trailer hitch and chain. There were three grass fires in Wichita yesterday that were started by idiots throwing cigarettes out of their car windows. How stupid do you have to be do something like that when we're in drought conditions and there's a burn-ban through out most of the state?

I'm thinking that tomorrow might be a good day. Today was pretty good. My pain level wasn't quite as high as it has been, but it's still up there higher than it should be. I know that I'm not in the worst shape of my life and that there are people out there who are far worse off than I am. I'm thankful everyday for the gifts I have in my life. And hey, after all is said and done, I did wake up this morning, so that's a good thing!

I Promise that next post will be something happy

2006-03-05T20:42:00.000-08:00

So here's how my weekend had gone. Friday, I get a wonderful letter from my neurosurgeon letting me know that as of March 31 he is leaving his practice here in Wichita and moving to Lima, OH. There are no other neurosurgeons in the Wichita Clinic so I'm on my own essentially to try and find someone else to do any and all follow up work.

Today, my sweet grandmother calls. She was so short of breath that we only talked for a couple of minutes. Her live-in nurse, Mary, gets on the phone to talk to me. It's never good when Mary needs to talk to me. When my grandfather died 20 years ago, he left my grandmother very well off. He left her enough money to last her lifetime and still have more than enough to pass on to his two children and their children. Apparently, that's all come crashing down. My mother has been on all of Gran's accounts for several years now and in the last two years or so, she has managed to drain 2 of the 4 accounts and was apparently working on the 3rd when Gran's accountant caught the rapid depletion. So what should have been able to last all of Gran's life and most likely mine will now only cover about 2 1/2 years for Gran. I am devastated that my mother could do something like this. I knew that she was spending more than she should and that she was making frequent trips to casinos in Topeka and Newkirk. But I had no idea what was going on. The accountant has notified Adult Protective Services and now they are investigating. Mother has even threatened to leave the country if they keep calling her trying to find out what she has done with the money.

It breaks my heart that she could do this to my Gran. If she needed money, she could have asked and, more than likely, Gran would have given it to her. She didn't need to take it. Now she's put my baby's college education at risk and that truly pisses me off. She's put my Gran at risk. Gran is now talking about getting a reverse mortgage to make sure that she has the money to live on. When she does that, there goes the house I knew as a safe haven...the house that I could always go to when I needed to go "home." Mom took the money for the down payment on her house 11 years ago...without asking. Mom's house will never again feel like home for me. Mom will never be the one that I call when I need a mother.

I have put together a pretty good family for myself. I married the most amazing man. Henry is my best friend, my life partner, my everything. I have a beautiful, smart and loving daughter in Rhiannon. Thomas is the best grandfather in the world for Rhiannon. He loves her as if she were his own. Then there are my closest friends. Pam, as flakey as she can be, is just wonderful. Vanessa is not only the best stitching buddy I could have asked for, but she's always there for me when I need her. I guess sometimes you do make some of the best friends of your life when you work with someone for years at a time. And then there's Panda and Stephanie. I haven't seen them in person since 2000 but I know that they will always be there for me. They have been for 18 years now. And there's Merrie. Sweet Merrie. She's the newest edition to our family village. She's just amazing. She adores us and Rhiannon and she wants to help me as much as she can while I'm in so much pain.

I have never missed my Grandfather and my Daddy as much as I do tonight. Daddy may not have been the best father when I was growing up, but I know that he loved me and he truly respected my Grandfather and Gran. He loved me until the day he died. He's been gone now for 16 years. Grandpa has been gone for 20. I was Grandpa's baby. I spent more weekends with my grandparents that I can count. I went to poker games with Grandpa. When I was old enough to drive, I would take him all over town on errands. I loved spending time with him at his farm, watching him on the tractor. I can still smell the fresh tomatoes from his garden that he would bring me. I can almost taste fresh tomatoes, feel the juice running down my arm. Sometimes at night, I can hear him whistling and singing. I really miss him. He would have loved my baby girl...just like he loved me.

It's Been a Day...

2006-02-18T13:36:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day was wonderful! Henry, Rhiannon and I went to Kwan Court for sushi. It was nice to get to do something as a family. I got Henry that gorilla from Hallmark that looks like he's playing bongoes on his heart. I've always told Henry that he snores like a gorilla, so he loved getting a stuffed gorilla that was wearing boxer shorts much like the ones I got him the first Valentine's Day we were together. I got Rhiannon an adorable little pink stuffed hippo.

The big surprise was the gift Henry gave me. He was spot on this time. Something that He knew for sure that I wanted. He had to go to literally every Kmart in the area to find it. He was out on a shoot in Newton and when he finished, he went to where their Kmart used to be. He didn't know that it had closed. So then he heads back to Wichita and where the Kmart used to be on the East side. It's been closed for just over 2 years. So then he heads to the one out on the West side of town. Nope, they've been sold out of the pendant for a week. He figures out that there's one other Kmart on the far South end of town and drives like a bat straight out of Hades with his backside on fire. They had one left and he almost got into a fight to buy it. So at dinner, he gave a a beautiful card with a sweet pink corset on it and then he pushed a little blue velvet box across the table to be. There it was...the pretty gold and diamond heart-shaped pendant that I had oohed and ahhed over when I would see it on tv. Gifts from Henry are usually a crap-shoot. He tries, he tries almost too hard sometimes. This time, he was spot on!

His birthday was Thursday so we went out for dimsum. He got his duck fix and I got my dumpling and shumai fix, so all was well. I took him out to buy him new hiking boots. His old ones were so worn out that you could literally see the insoles on the bottom of the boots. There was zero tread left. They had been like this for nearly three years and he would not let me do anything about it. He wouldn't buy himself new ones because they were too expensive. So I decided to take things into my own hands and get him what I knew he would never get himself.

So last night, it's flippin' cold outside...like 7 degrees...and I really don't want to go out. Besides, Rhiannon was on her way home. So Henry went out to Fetish Friday with our friend Merrie. Before they left, Merrie wanted to cook dinner for us. Very sweet offer, but not so edible. She made us Taco Soup...loaded nine ways to Sunday with icky kidney beans. Now I know that it's come up more than once that I hate kidney beans. Won't eat them. Nope. I hate them with a passion. I hate them more than I hate Brussel Sprouts, which I think taste like dirt. There were so many kidney beans in it that I could not pick them out and have much left. So I pretended to eat. When Rhiannon got home around 8:30, she was hungry. She won't eat kidney beans, either, and the soup was a little too spicey for her. So we waited for Henry and Merrie to leave about 10 and were online ordering pizza from Papa John's. Yes! I was finally going to have something that I wanted! A thin crust, All The Meats, minus the pepperoni and add on beef. I ordered Rhiannon some of their cheese stitcks with extra marinara sauce. I had 3 pieces of pizza left. Henry ate one when he got home at 1 this morning, so that left me 2 for lunch today. Oh no...Spike managed to get to it while I was in the bathroom. He ate the topping off of one piece and was 2/3's of the way through the other piece. I was not a happy camper.

So here I am, achy, cold because our furnace is acting up and not wanting to put out heat, hungry and getting progressively crabbier by the minute. Henry offers to make me Frito Pie. Not that he's ever made Frito Pie before, but he offeres. He thinks that all you do is dump chili on top of Fritoes and call it good. No, it takes chopped onions, lots of shredded cheese, Fritoes and chili, all layered together in a casserole and baked for 45 min to an hour. That's Frito Pie made the way we eat it in West Texas. We don't have enough cheese, because they used most of it on that icky soup last night. And I'm just not in the mood to go out and buy more right now. I'm just not having a good day.

Rhiannon fell asleep in our bed last night while she and I were watching tv. She knew that she was going to have to move to her sleeping bag when her Daddy got home. But noooooo, Henry didn't want to move her, so we had to try and sleep with the little mule. I gave up trying to avoid her kicking and flailing about 6 and just moved to the very edge of the bed. Henry gave up trying to sleep about 8 this morning and went down to the basement to get some work done. Once she had half of the bed to herself, Rhiannon stopped wiggling and kicking.

So I'm having an exceptionally bad day. I'm a major crab apple today. So if I snap at anyone, please know that it's not personal. I've just had a crappy day so far and it's not getting any better. Maybe it will get better later. I hope it gets better. If not, this weekend is shot to hell. Maybe I'll be able to get some stitching in later.

Stella's Got Her Groove Back!

2006-02-11T11:15:00.000-08:00

And all I can say is that it's about flippin' time! Never will there be a year that passes like the last one. I don't care what my pain level is. I think I'm gonna go back and snuggle up with my hubby. *grins*

There's something to be said for sending the small person to the grandparent's house for the weekend. We've got a great bottle of champagne and some pear nectar. We may come up for air this weekend, we may not. If you haven't heard from us by Sunday evening, send in the rescue party!

It's Mini-Rant Time

2006-02-10T08:37:00.000-08:00

Okay, this will mean diddly to most people, but I just have to do it. ARRRRRRGGGGHHHH! Why is it that people insist on spelling the words 'definite' and 'definitely' as 'definate' and 'definately'????? There is no such word as 'definate'! Then there are the ones who think that 'alot' is actually a word. NO, it's not! It is TWO words: A LOT. 'ALOT' is an acronym that does not share a meaning with the phrase 'a lot'. I promise. Look it up on dictionary.com (one of my favourite sites as it also has a nice thesaurus, as well).

Mini-rant over. Next post will be much nice. Promise.

2006-01-31T23:28:00.000-08:00

So technically, it's already February 1st and I'm still not finished gridding that fat quarter of Midas Touch. Granted, I'm about 1/3 done with the vertical gridding and done with the horizontal lines. I guess it's a good thing that I have insomnia.

I can stitch about 6-8 rows before I have to get up and move around before my back starts aching mercilessly. Here's hoping that I can stay up for a few hours and get it done. I really want to put the first real stitched into this piece sometime on the 1st.

Another Sleepless Night

2006-01-27T00:57:00.000-08:00

I so did not mean to take ten days to post again. Rhiannon and I were both sick, but that shouldn't be an excuse.

So here it is, January 27th. I have a stitch along that starts February 1st and I'm not ready for it. I've got all my floss and blending filament. I've got a new pack of smaller needles. I've got gorgeous fabric from Silkweaver...however said fabric isn't gridded yet. To be honest, it took me forever to figure out a simple method of gridding. I felt like the world's biggest dork when step by step instructions on the HAED BB read like Greek to me. I'm not a stupid female, but I definitely was feeling a tad bit intimidated by gridding. Then in rides Fudgey (HAED's resident saviour) with her simple gridding method. Simply stitch your lines over 2 threads and under 2 threads. So I'm gridding 10x10 squares now. I've finally found stitching that I can do while watching tv that doesn't end up all boogered up and funky. I may have to do La Bella Luna like that. Now I'm feeling my oats and thinking that I'm going to try Becca's thread parking method. Since she does it row by row, that just might be the easiest way to do it for me. No big fuss. I'll just have to make sure that I am only doing one row at a time.

Have I mentioned yet that I hate this damnable Apple keyboard? The space bar sticks and doesn't always move the cursor. Makes for a lot of typos that quite simply drive me NUTS! Half the time, I want to correct my own writing in red and send it back to myself! Speaking of correcting things in red and sending them back to the author, Henry and I were attempting to read the first issue of WOOLF Watch that Richard published since becoming WOOLF's new publicist and we were both just gobsmacked at how pathetic the writing had become. It's obvious that the new publicist has his girl, Jean, writing for him. She writes just as she speaks, disjointed and downright whacked out. I gave up after the first page. Henry kept torturing himself and finished the whole thing. I know he's still upset about losing the election to Richard. I'm out of ways to try and comfort him. I guess there's always Leather Camp in August to keep him occupied.

On to something stitching related. HAED is having another 25% off sale and there are some Sara Butcher charts that I would love to buy. I really should be good and not buy any more, but these are just screaming to me. One is a quick stitch and the other two would be marvelous companion pieces. I've really found myself drawn to Ms Butcher's work. It's so unlike most fantasy art that I like.

Superbowl Sunday, Picture This Plus is opening up at noon for those of us who could give a rip about football. I still have my gift certificate that Vanessa gave me last October. That will get me a fat quarter and a skein of Dinky Dyes silk...maybe a little more since everything will be 25% off.

It's late and I really should be thinking about sleep. Maybe I'll watch Third Watch and then try to sleep.

It's About Time

2006-01-17T19:28:00.000-08:00

I've thought about starting a blog for months now. I figured why not give everyone access to my ramblings and oddball musings. Postings may not be frequent or regular, but they will be here eventually.

After battling a monster headache, I'm finally feeling semi-human today. I'm halfway listening to/watching "Love Monkey". I'm on the fence about it so far. It's kind of like a wishy-washy male version of "Sex In The City". I would rather have watched "Threshold" or "Reunion" but the networks suck and cancelled them before we could find out how many people were infected by the signal or just who the hell killed Samantha and why Craig was in a wheelchair. I'm hoping against hope that they won't cancel "Bones". I've finally gotten into it and really look forward to it. I hate it when it's pre-empted for some ignorant sporting event.

I really should be stitching. I've got the majority of Enchanted Mermaid done and I have a good bit of Christmas Elf Fairy done, as well. I just got all the goodies to start a new over one project called May I Have This Dance. This one is a Stitch Along project that the HAED Brat Pack is starting. We start torturing ourselves February 1. I've got my fabric chosen, Midas Touch by Silkweaver. The chart is printed out and the floss is purchased. Now I need to try and get this piece gridded. Did I mention that I've never gridded a piece of cross stitch fabric before? Yep, I'm a gridding virgin. I need to somehow figure out how to grid in the next couple of days so I can get it started. Hmmm...I may even need to go buy a new pair of scrollrods for this one. I think it might be easier for me to just order them straight from Artisan Design than to try and chase them down here in town. I know that the Hobby Lobby across the street from me doesn't have any in stock. I guess I could call the one across town and see if they've got any.

Wow...I've babbled on quite a bit. Perhaps I should stop now and see how things go tommorow.