Archive for the ‘yarn’ Category

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Thursday, April 5th, 2007

peeps
ask me what i am up to? well, not a whole lot. i overdid it and my hands have been killing me. and with both of my wrist brace thingies on, i am not so agile with the hands. to-morrow, will be better! i know it! anyway, when my right hand only was hurting, i did some drawing and writing with my left hand practicing, like i mentioned before. i actually told my mom and she didn’t even seem to think it was odd. she asked me why, and i said for fun. or if i have a stroke, i am all set. how morbid! just being prepared. sheesh. anyway, i am much better at drawing with my left hand than writing. isn’t that strange? i meant to ask my neurologist what that meant and forgot.

so in crazy news, my mother-in-law was visiting someone’s house with a friend and the neighbor from a few doors down had an autistic son who got her car keys (the kid’s mom’s, not my mol) and drove the car into several cars on the street, a fire hydrant and my mom in law’s new suv and the lady’s house! the best part is that i guess that the woman’s insurance has a $25,000 cap, so any damages over that (and i imagine they
will be waaaaaay over that) will be paid by the people whose stuff got wrecked. i guess they will have to pay their deductible? i am not really sure, as i know the person who causes the wreck is supposed to pay. anyway! after all of that, today, on oprah they had a show about autism, which affects 1 in 150 kids! did you know that? i thought it was really rare. i was shocked. i know a few people who have autistic sons (it seems like it affects boys more than girls, but i could be wrong) and the thing that is so crazy is that it seems like it most often becomes apparent when they are around 2 years old and all of the speech and other skills they have learned just disappear. it seems to be clearly a genetic presdisposition, but it seems like something must cause it to actually kick in, and there is not much known about it, and not much research going into it, even though it affects so many people. 1 in 150. that is crazy! the big thing with autism is that if you catch it as early as possible, it can make a big difference, so if you have a little one, go and look at the site and the warning signs. my younger brother had a little boy in his playgroup as a toddler named leo that ended up being autistic, he was a gorgeous little boy, and his two older sisters are doctors, i believe. it is just so amazing how different children from the same parents can be. i know a couple of people dealing with this in their lives (and amazingly well!) i don’t want to say names, but you have my admiration.

last night i got a bunch of sewing books on amazon and actually feel guilty about it today, although they were all things that i knew were good, including sew u, and some other basic books. i have already been sketching up designs, i have bunches in old journals, too, in hopes that i could learn some day. there are several really cute new skirts on amy butler’s website, but the links for stores that carry them, no one has it, so i emailed her (she is my friend butter’s aunt) to ask if she knew where…the variations are so cute. also, if you have her book, in stitches, there is an apron pattern variation (which is free on her site) to make that into a cute skirt. super cute! she sent me some patterns a while ago after i sent her some yarn to play with and one was a cute stuffed toy/pillow, super cute. i plan to make a few of those, but on her site, there is a free pattern for a kitty pillow, so pop by…

joann’s has a sale going on this weekend on sewing stuff and patterns, so i plan to go in and get some notions, bobbins, needles and cheap patterns. eeeeeasy ones. any interest donna? i am excited to go. i also need to find out how i can get my machine tuned up. it is a “white” so i think i may name her betty, oh, or maybe betsy…hmmm…unless karissa had her named already.

on the tyra banks show, they have this single mom that makes pr0n movies for a living, and lives super duper well and only works 70 days a year. tyra was obviously grossed out by her, or thought she was evil or something. it isn’t the best thing in the world, but it is in another way rather amazing to be able to be home for your kid and to take them where they want to go, spend time with them, give them warm meals, etc, etc, even if the job isn’t the best case scenario. i have major issues with pr0n as a woman and a women’s college graduate, but i also see how hard a lot of single mom’s have it. feel free to yell at me if you like.

back to business, i will be updating with new yarns and fiber probably monday or tuesday. with it being easter, i don’t know how busy the internet will really be. or does someone know if it is normally a busy time. i don’t celebrate easter, and i guess nothing is open, so maybe it will be busy. hm. maybe i will update on sunday. just for those of you nice enough to pop by. hm. i will keep ya posted for sure.

wanna see some yarns now?
spring puffs handspun
spring forth handspun yarn
i found this really cool link that i hadn’t heard of before…ever heard of it? threadbanger.com…i plan to listen to the podcast, although, we all know i have a short attention span for them. i have also been thinking about doing a personal podcast that goes along with my blog and what i am up to, into, etc, etc…what do you guys think? if you lurk and never post, leave me a message, okay? on bloglines, i have close to 100 readers now, i think…although in the end, like my blog, it is just another form of documentation, that i feel compelled to make, like a sketchbook or photos, even if no one else cares but me. as long as barbe still wants to do fluff-a-licious we will do that one, which is more of a crafty blog, we will do that one. again, i am still not sure that i should bore anyone with my blabbering. i would love to interview people, although i know that if you don’t have good chemistry, or don’t know them well, or they are shy, it can be rather hard to listen to. you know? just thinking out loud, here. it would most likely just be me talking about whatever. we will see. you will know first. or second, i guess.

off to return emails…
mwah!
n.

seeeeew fun!

Sunday, April 1st, 2007

delicate flower handspun soysilk and alpaca
i feel like such a terrible blogger, but i have been really pooped lately, so please forgive me. today, donna came over to help me with my sewing machine and she couldn’t figure out what was going on and we sort of left it at that, hours and hours later, i decided just to give it a try to see how it was and it worked. no idea what happened. it is still a bit fussy, but through all of the fussing, i figured out how to thread it and wind a bobbin and am over my fear of it. one of the things i didn’t realize was the needles don’t just snap and shoot at you for no reason. the people i knew that did that were sewing over pins full speed and nine layers of denim, etc. i didn’t actually know anyone who sewed well, i guess. anyway, donna was a super teacher and we had a really fun time. and! i got a skirt almost done! i need to finish the waist and the bottom. it isn’t the greatest thing in the world, but we put a zipper in and it looks good. i used the zipper foot! check me out! thanks so much donna, you rock! i tried on the skirt and it fit, i need to finish it and i looked so gross with no makeup and a tanktop on that i couldn’t bear to take a photo. i just looked too bad. soon, though.

as a result of the concentration, i am a bit pooped out. i have had a sore throat and swollen glands over the last few days, i think it is allergies, so i feel pretty sleepy. but i had to check in.

on redshirtknitting.com last night, i found e’s rant on pro-anorexia blogs and thought she might be overreacting…um…she wasn’t. i was so stunned at the fellowship on those blogs with girls giving each other tips and tricks to starve yourself, get down to your goal weight of 80 lbs and trick your parents into thinking you have eaten. they idolize nicole richie “for what she has done” meaning her physique.

anorexic queen is one of them. the worst thing is that the media helps to push these ideas. they scorn one of the olsen twins for being unhealthy and sickeningly thin, and the other who is a few pounds heavier looks hot. wha? they mock nicole richie for being “fat” and then when she melts away to nothing, they say how gross it is. gee, i wonder why girls have these issues. it is so hard not to. when i worry about my diet, i become obsessive about it. i was on the atkins diet and followed it to the letter, and it does work amazingly well. anyone that says it doesn’t is cheating. period. anyway, i kept losing weight, i couldn’t maintain weight without gaining, and on the strict diet, i lost my appetite to the point that i just didn’t want to eat at all. and the scary thing was i didn’t want to let go of that control. it made me feel powerful to be so thin. guys hooted at me. even guys that knew me and never even looked at me before. i loved telling them to kiss my ass. ha! so i do understand the addictive nature of dieting. i am sure you have figured out that i am an all or nothing kinda gal. the things i am into…i am INTO.

anyway, to extend this rant, i got a pattern for an aline skirt and donna warned me that they ran super small. well, i figured that it goes up to an 18 and i don’t wear anything near an 18, what’s the problem? well…according to the pattern, an american size 8 is the smallest size, with a 24 inch waist…what? the size 18 was a 32 inch waist. seriously? maybe they are euro sizes, but it doesn’t say that. so when i had been cruising sewing blogs and saw complaints about no patterns for bigger gals, i suddenly understood. women who are actually the average size in america are considered plus sized. sigh. on america’s next top model, the two girls who are 5’10 and wear a size 8-10 are considered plus sized. sigh. i won’t go on about this. the worst part is that most of us are critical of ourselves and of other women and it is so hard not to be. i don’t read fashion magazines and have gotten to the point of loathing fashion and feeling that it is utterly ridiculous. the costumes look silly on the teeny girls, who would possibly wear it? hence, i would love to be able to make my own clothes. no more disposable clothes. i am hoping to refashion some of my things that don’t fit or are ugly, or get rid of them. but i am excited to try to tear stuff up. i will keep you posted. again, we all know how obsessive i can be, so i fear that sewing might be the next big thing in my life. especially since i can make things for really cheap. that always gets the ball rolling. example? spinning, dyeing, etc, etc, etc. ok. end rant. i think that sewing will be healthier than what happens to me on the atkins diet. plus, i have been accumulating vintage fabric and linens for ages for when i learned to sew. seriously.

i stumbled across bookins.com another book trading site. if you want a book, you pay 3.99 for shipping, if you send one, you get a prepaid thing that you can print off of the computer, so no trips to the post office. i hoard the books i like, but i have loads that i don’t love so much. i need to get my bum in gear for one of these sites so i can get them to someone that will enjoy them more than i do. speaking of books, i just ordered some new things from amazon, which i haven’t gotten yet…but i got patternless fashions not a new book, but it came highly recommended. what else? sew what? skirts… which got rave reviews from new sewers and seasoned sewers alike. and spiral bound pages! woot! there are several more i want to get, although even as a total newbie, i see lots of things that have really simple patterns that i could make up myself, and i am not so into that. i will try to resist buying anything that isn’t inspirational. so. the other books i got are just fiction.

whilst cruising sewing blogs i found this adorable penguin tutorial from the moonstitches.typepad.com tutorial. too cute. oh my!

i also found a contest for something that can be produced from recycled plastic bags here which is purdy cool, no?

i got my new t-shirts from threadless.com today, which i will post. i got one of there girly t-s because i loved the design and the color, but i normally get guys shirts and cut of the next and stuff, and i got an xlarge because girl tshirts are not made for my boobs, so i assumed it would be like an american apparel xlarge which fits, but is tight and shorter than i fancy…anyway, it was almost the same size as the guys medium i got jake! i was so excited! the sleeves were a bit shorter, i will still cut off the neck and maybe do something else with it, but still, that is nice!

i guess that sums it up. i will be forced to give you some photos, because i like seeing photos when i read blogs. so. red couch from my sketchbook…
red couch drawing

sooo sleepy and out of it. i am off to read and watch the black donnelly’s. so good. good soundtrack, too.

mwah!
n.

kiss my bum and call me sunshine. yeah.

Monday, March 26th, 2007

okay, so the podcast…we were set to do it last night and i fell asleep and woke up about an hour and a half late for it. so barbe and i haven’t cought up yet, but it will be soon! thanks for the emails about it though…i appreciate that you guys are eager! and sorry. i stink. i am a stinker. stinker. soon. as soon as i catch up with barbe. i swear.

in payment of that, i have some linkies for you guys…on whipup.net, one of my most favorite bloggies, a link to the campaign for making helmet liners. click here for the skinny. i am hoping to be one of the pennsylvania hosts for it, i will keep ya posted when i hear back. i am against this stupid war, but the soldiers deserve to have what they need and deserve to know that we appreciate that they are risking their lives for their country, even if it is a bit…well…okay, end of that.

then, i found this hilarious mockumentary about knitters’ thinking that crochet sucks and it even made jake crack up. the woman in the video makes a comment about people who don’t know how to knit (or crocheters) have no right to come into her yarn shop. sadly, i know people like that. it is so odd, isn’t it?

and from craftzine.com, a budgie that does needlepoint. awww spike! too damn cute.

here are some of the fruits of my labor, if you are interested and i know you are…
new spring stuff!

i spent the day packing up orders and winding sock yarn (i haaaaate winding yarn.) probably 2000 yards give or take. there should be a bigger crank on the winder, you know? anyway, i worked up a sweat winding it and had to take a break and do packing. i only got to spin a bit, and i am chomping at the bit to spin up the fiber i dyed on saturday, pictured above. i took a lesson from the yarn wench’s gorgeous yarns and fibers and put a much darker accent color for depth on just about everything. i have been using the olive drab to do that. it looks purple before it sets, and the color that it is when it has steamed varies wildly. it is like the mystery dum-dum. really odd. but my go-to dye. i tried brown. tried black. when i diluted them they were too unpredictable, full strength, they are also unpredictable and they don’t spread, they just often ruin yarns. in fact, i tried putting a bit of black on a sock yarn and it is all inky and gross. anyway who wants a black sportweight 8 oz skein can have it for shipping and a few bucks.

i got to talk to my pally poo the knitgrrl herself today for a while. she is a whirlwind. and i love her! she is such a badass, and i mean that in the nicest possible way.

the black donnelly’s is on tonight, fantastic show. i lurve it. i couldn’t figure out where i knew tommy donnelly from, and he was in the virgin suicides, a fantastic, if really depressing movie with a super duper soundtrack. also, the riches on fx with eddie izzard and minnie driver….soooooooo goood. i cannot get enough.

i will be tagging all of the new yarns and fibers, plus some new sock yarns, so i will be doing an update again to-morrow probably.

okay, off i go to do some drawerings.
xo
n.

rock n roll all night…or just not sleep.

Sunday, March 18th, 2007

i ran out of my sleeping pill and couldn’t sleep last night. in addition to the lack of pillage, jake was tossing and turning, cats were all over the bed, kahlo wanted to sleep on me, so i was flat on my back and she was purring so loudly and happily like a big pigeon that i couldn’t kick her off. i read my book, knitted, got sleepy, couldn’t fall asleep…and then, i woke up at about 5a and the sun wasn’t up yet. once it was up, pavel did his usual thing where he sees the shadow of birds on the wire outside on the roman blind and launches himself onto the blind right up at the top, and i have to remove him because he is hanging there not sure what to do. and then, he will do it again. grrr. verrrry annoying. so when i woke up i had a baaad headache, although it did go away with proper caffeination and medication. mmmmm. i spun some really cool odds and ends yarn, which i will photo and list to-morrow, plus a bunny yarn for one of my regulars that asked for it. we got groceries and that was about it. oh, we watched the prestige which was really good. it is based on a book which i will probably pick up. although now i know the ending. damn. also, i realized that the dresden files is based on a series of books as well.

oh! i almost forgot! the riches! with minnie driver and eddie izzard was on this weekend and it was fan-freakin-tastic. i was even more excited by it than i thought i would be. i don’t know what the rules of cable shows are, if they get cut if people don’t watch or what. i hope not. it is so amazing, the acting was fantastic although the accents were a bit odd, as brits and aussies trying to do american accents tend to be. i describe them as trying to do a john wayne/midwestern/marbles in your mouth accent. regardless, it was really good. on FX for anyone wondering. good. good. good. i am foaming at the mouth for next week’s episode.

here are some of the collage pieces i promised that wouldn’t load…
unfinished collage 3

unfinished collage 2

i have more, but they aren’t finished, so i will just post pics when they are done. and yarn photos too, no worries. okay, i am feeling sleepy, so off i go…
xo
n.

our first podcast! wooooot!

Saturday, February 24th, 2007

kahlo is so happy, it makes her smile!
kahlo smiling!
first, let me tell you about the fluffalicious blog that barbe and i are doing and the podcast that goes along with it! what? a podcast? well, yes! barbe is doing the technical side of things right now, i am hoping to learn more so i can help out and we can make it even more exciting, if that is possible. so go and check it out, leave comments, ideas, let us know whatcha think! wanna hear my squeaky voice? now ya can! how cool is that?

it blows me away that not so long ago i started this blog to overcome my technophobia. from that blog came my inspiration to close the tattoo shop i opened more than 10 years prior, and had grown miserable at. i closed that down to pursue fiber full-time, knitting for boutiques and then spinning. and now, through those avenues, i met barbe and became good friends with her and here we are. a podcast!

so, i thought some pics would be nice, here are some from my studio:
guache pallette
studio luxe in progress

i have some new art pieces to unleash on you, and i will be listing some of the paintings and collaged pieces on etsy, as well as some new yarns and fiber. so go and look.

thanks for all of the wonderful words of support!
love you guys!
n.

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