Since the first part of the year I’ve participated on a few online swaps through Ravelry….can I just say WHAT FUN!. I have had the best swap partners. I have done a Coffee, Chocolate and Yarn Swap, and got totally spoiled. I’ve done a book/yarn and magic yarn ball, and a secret $20 budget swap. All were fun. I got my last package a couple of days ago, and can’t get my mind off of the HUGE amount of yarn I was sent….it is at least enough to make the sweater pattern she sent me, and I can’t get the sweater out of my head…..I SO want to start working with other swap yarns that I’ve gotten (Tofutsie, some LLama yarn, and a couple balls of some Merino blend yarn) I have plans for all of them, and more, but I think they’re going to have to wait in line. The sweater is similar in style to the February Lady Sweater that I”ve been coveting, but uses a finer gauge yarn, and a different lace pattern. Still, it is SO cute, and I really need a good go to sweater for the summer. I have one, but it is short sleeve, cotton and off-white. Cute but a little boring and heavy. So, I’m going to make a gauge swatch tonight, and hopefully, I’m going to be able to cast on by the end of the week….fingers crossed. I have a package that I need to get boxed up and shipped out in the next couple of days, and then on to the next swap. I love this swap thing….I think I may have a small additction thing going, but I’ve been good, and kept myself to no more than 2 at a time. Thats all I can manage on my budget.
Weekend Recharge?? April 20, 2009
So, I thought that weekends were basically for relaxing and enjoying some time away from work. No so last weekend. On top of an extremely crazy week at work, and a narrow miss getting stuck in a 5 mile backup in Friday afternoon traffic (accident on a bridge) I went down to my parents house straight from work and helped them get set up for a garage sale. After I got home, i spent another several hours rearranging furniture and the contents of a bookshelf and stayed up WAY too late. Saturday, was the big sale, it was a decent haul for the few hours of work, and it paid for…..our trip to the FX show in Orlando on Sunday.
FX was awesome, and always great fun, though I do miss the days when we could afford to spend the whole weekend in Orlando. But, I guess if we had to get a hotel, and eat out a few times I wouldn’t have been able to buy much at the show. As it was, I was able to put a down payment on an old issue of Fantastic Four, I also bought a couple of hardcover children’s edition novels from the 50s/60s (Robin Hood and The Return of Tarzan). I even got another set of reels for my vintage (it’s older than me) viewmaster, last year I got some Donald Duck reels, this time it was Woody Woodpecker. Best of all, I got a show exclusive disney pin trading pin, its a spaceship claw game full of the Toy Story aliens…LOVE the Toy Story aliens, so cute.
Back to the Future March 22, 2009
Is it a sign when you’re driving home from work and a Delorean passes you? I was coming home friday night and sure enough I saw one….have not seen one, except at Universal studios on the BTF ride, for many years.
Anyway, my DH and I went out on a date like we used to BC (Before Child). His friend’s band was doing a show and we went out to see them play. AWESOME, they played 2 of my favorite songs of theirs. Anyway, during the show, I was reminded again how small a town of a million people can be. A friend of mine from High School who I haven’t seen or spoken to in several years showed up. He was there because his mom knew one of the people organizing the event, my DH actually spotted him at the bar and told me he was there. Well, the plan was to see the show and go home…..that was not to be. After we left the show, some of us proceeded to a club that we all went to in our College years. It was decided that we’d all go because it was one of the only places still open from that time, and has not changed format beyond all recognition. THe place was EXACTLY the same as it we all remembered it, the cover and drink prices were higher, but the music and atmosphere (read minimalist decor/dive, heavy on alternative music) was the same. All in all it was an enjoyable evening, even if I stayed out WAY too late considering I met up with the grandparents at 8 this morning to reclaim our child.
Random Rambling about Yarn and stuff March 2, 2009
In my latest stash enrichment I made sure to include a couple of skeins of undyed wool. It’s superwash, sock weight. I’ve been wanting to try KoolAid dying for a long time, but never got around to getting the yarn to do it. The process, as I saw it, seemed pretty straightforward. THEN I LOOKED ONLINE…..and saw some of the colors that others were able to obtain with KoolAid and Food Dyes and various processing techniques. Can I just say BEAUTIFUL. This is going to be FUN. My sister is on notice that we will be dying at least one skein of the 2 the next time she comes up for a visit. Who knows, if she’s a good enough sport (or assistant as the case may be) the result may become a pair of obligatory holiday socks….which holiday will depend on how long it takes me to cast on.
This Yarn thing doesn’t stop there, I’ve joined 2 yarn swaps and have been intrigued by 2 others. I’m a bit nervous, never having done any swap type things before, but I’m excited to build packages for my partners and see what they build for me.
Because I want to get it all off of my chest, and come clean with the world on my yarn problem….I have been intrigued by the seeming resurgence of spinning your own yarn. A couple of years ago I started seeing articles and patterns being geared toward handspinners/handspun yarns, and thought that would never be something I would take up. Well, in true fashion for me. Like many things, the more I saw it, the more it intrigued me. So much so that I am thinking of taking off a day sometime later this spring/early summer to take a spinning class at my LYS and learn to use a drop spindle. My goal is to be able to spin up small amounts of yarn (a ball or 2) for things like scarves, hats, socks and mittens. Who knows, I may start dying my own roving then spinning it.
First Things First February 22, 2009
As a working mom with a toddler, I find it difficult to accomplish all of the things I would like in the small amount of ‘me’ time that I get each day. I was out browsing Ravelry yesterday and found a group for the 52 in 52 challenge. The challenge is to read 52 books in the 52 weeks of 2009. I have accepted this challenge and will post a list of books, and the occasional review off on my 52 books page.
I’ve also made a promise to myself that I will start knitting more. My goal is to complete at least 1 small, and one larger project each month, and for more of my knitting to stay with me. Again, on Ravelry, I clearly have more items that I covet, than I have time to knit, but I have prioritized, and am hoping that I can embark on, and complete a few sweaters this year and not just hats, scarves and socks. I used to think that i had a problem, project ADD as I called it, where I would have two or more projects in process (WIPs) and work back and forth on them as I was in the mood, but as I browse online at other blogs, I find that I am not alone, and in fact, am coming to the conclusion that this may be how knitting is best enjoyed.
Today being Sunday, I’ll be out for some family time with my son and husband. Possibly the zoo, maybe somewhere else. That’s the advantage of living in Florida, it is almost always comfortable enough during the day to be out for long periods of leisure time without bundling up. I really miss snow in winter and the general change of seasons, but Florida does have it’s merits.
That does it for now….more to come
Time out for Tootsie 