Good news, bad news revisited

It's been a crazy week.

Bad news: UPS online is difficult to get a shipment prepared for finished test knit. Two hours and several bad words later, I gave up.

Good news: The local UPS store is fantastic! My finished test knit (a cardigan) was shipped and has been received.

Worse news: Elderly next door neighbor (in her late 70's), was in an auto accident. The car rolled a couple of times and is totaled. Her 80's plus husband called for us to help as he couldn't reach their son to meet her at the ER.

Blessing news: She had a few bruises - that's it! Counting blessings.

Horrible news: My 84 yo Mother was taken to the hospital (2nd time in March) with dangerously high blood pressure. She was admitted and was under observation over the past weekend. Admitting doctor thought she might be in the early stages of Alzheimer's. And the anxiety caused the rise in blood pressure.

The best news: Her regular doctor says not Alzheimer's. The medications that she is taking for blood pressure, high cholosterol, allergies and depression do not mix well and can cause anxiety....which in turn caused a rise in blood pressure which in turn causes the inability to relate to surroundings. Doctor changed meds and when/how they're taken. I talked with Mother this morning. She sounds better then she has since major stroke two years ago. (another blessing)

Uh oh news: My daughter's wisdom teeth need to come out. Oral surgery isn't cheap!

Relief news: It's a 30 minute procedure done in office. Dental insurance will cover most of it (whew!)

(reverse order)
Good news: I'm managing some knitting time.
Bad news: Nothing to show you yet.

But I will leave you with this on STRESS

I am not sure exactly how it works, but this is
amazingly accurate. Read the full description before
looking at the picture.

The picture below has 2 identical dolphins in it. It
was used in a case study on stress levels at St.
Mary's Hospital.

Look at both dolphins jumping out of the water. The
dolphins are identical. A closely monitored,
scientific study revealed that, in spite of the fact
that the dolphins are identical, a person under stress
would find differences in the two dolphins. The more
differences a person finds between the dolphins, the
more stress that person is experiencing.
Look at the photograph and if you find more than one
or two differences you may want to take a vacation.

No Need to Reply, I'll be on Vacation
I need a vacation!

Spring

Spring brought blooms to the desert (pear tree),



a beautiful sunset,



and a stomach bug to the family

(trust me, you do not want pictures of this!)

Counting

I always mean to blog more often but there are times when I'm busy with exciting stuff like doing laundry, dirty dishes real life stuff which really isn't fun to write or read about. I've also been busy with counting...

...stitches and rows for this test knit I'm working on.



...cholestrol in the dishes I'm making since my cholestrol count is up again. I found the recipe for this crab and pasta salad that is low cholestrol.



It tastes great!

...the amount of money I spent on yarn recently. The local Hancock Fabrics is closing and has marked yarn down so much that I finally talked myself into Lion Brand's cashmere blend.



...the number of projects I have going and patterns I need to write. Hopefully April will be the magic month for finishing touches on these!

....and I'm counting the number of days I have left before the article I'm writing will be due. Stay tuned for that!

Knitting Pattern Central and "white"

Loom knitters have been heard! The web home of free knitting patterns, Knitting Pattern Central, has added loom knitting to the list.

Thank you Knitting Pattern Central!

If you haven't read Yarn Harlot blog entry yesterday, buzz over there. Yeah...white hahahaha

Polymer clay

How many artistic outlets do you have? More then you have time for, right? Yeah, me too. I knit (needles and loom), crochet, weave with beads, and dabble with polymer clay. This post is all about claying.

I cannot do canes with polymer. When the clay was first on the market, I tried. I would get the cane put together and then start the process to reduce it....but obviously do not have the right touch as it became distorted. That has always frustrated me as polymer was meant for people to make canes with. Or so I thought.

Recently a friend sent me to this site. Wow. I can use it just to sculpt? Like this guy....



And that's OK!?!?! (happy dance!) I'm not a failure!

So I ordered Christi's books and they arrived arrived this past weekend.



This lady is so talented. I have clay and the tools. Now all I need is more time. Got any to spare?

A loom story

Today's Knifty Knitter class was a great group! We made easter bunnies and talked about how the pattern could be adapted for any number of other projects...including a skunk! What a terrific idea....I may have to try one. ;)

Here's a little loom history for you....
One of the looming ladies had experience with a knitting board as a child. She brought this board with her to class




and told us how someone had made the looms for the entire class so that they could knit scarves for armed forces during World War II.

Yep, knitting looms have a history!

Loom Knitters Circle Magazine

Check it out....a new e-zine has been born!



Welcome to the web world! Live long and prosper.

Break from classes is over

I took some time off recently from teaching at Michaels because I was exhausted. In the past 4 months, I have written two magazine articles that included 4 patterns. And a pattern booklet for a publisher (which should be published later this year) filled with loom knitting patterns. In the midst of it all, I taught classes every weekend. I averaged 4 to 6 hours of sleep a night and was never seen without a knitting loom in my hands (even on Christmas Day). I just needed some time off. So I cancelled all classes for the last two weeks in February.

How does one relax after such a crazy few months?

By working on hats for a brain trauma center....

....sewing crochet squares together for an afghan for an pediatric infusion center...

....and putting your feet up for a few minutes each evening before bed and working on a pair of socks. (Now that's relaxing!)


I should have some new loom knit patterns ready to post soon.


And classes resume this coming weekend! CYA there.

Andy Rooney & women over 40

The following was sent to me by a friend....

In case you missed it on 60 Minutes, this is what Andy Rooney thinks about women over 40:

60 Minutes Correspondent Andy Rooney (CBS)

As I grow in age, I value women over 40 most of all. Here are just a few reasons why:

A woman over 40 will never wake you in the middle of the night and ask, "What are you thinking?" She doesn't care what you think. If a woman over 40 doesn't want to watch the game, she doesn't sit around whining about it. She does something she wants to do, and it's usually more interesting.

Women over 40 are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant. Of course, if you deserve it, they won't hesitate to shoot you if they think they can get away with it. Older women are generous with praise, often undeserved. They know what it's like to be unappreciated. Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over 40. Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over 40 is far sexier than her younger counterpart.

Older women are forthright and honest. They'll tell you right off if you are a jerk if you are acting like one. You don't ever have to wonder where you stand with her. Yes, we praise women over 40 for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, it's not reciprocal.

For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed, hot woman over 40, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of himself with some 22-year old waitress. Ladies, I apologize. For all those men who say, "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?", here's an update for you. Nowadays 80% of women are against marriage. Why? Because women realize it's not worth buying an entire pig just to get a little sausage!

Ladies who aren't in this age group....you have a lot to look forward to!

The Gingerbread Castle

My extra time this weekend was spent working on a pattern out of Barbara Walker's Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns for The Walker Treasury Project.



The only difficult part of the pattern was keeping up with where I was at.

Happy Valentine's Day

"Love, (luv) n
Whatever you do that makes the world a litte bit better place."

Your Candy Heart Says "First Kiss"

You're a true romantic who brings an innocent hope to each new relationship. You see the good in every person you date, and you relish each step of falling in love. Your ideal Valentine's Day date: a romantic dinner your sweetie cooks for you Your flirting style: friendly and sweet What turns you off: cynics who don't believe in romance Why you're hot: you always keep the romance alive

What Does Your Candy Heart Say?

Beading for the day

I love *having* to bead for a class...what pain, what agony and they pay me for this!!!! HAHAHAHA

March beadweaving class will be on tubular peyote, making beaded pen cover - really simple!

Recipe for a beading type of day - delica seed beads, beading thread (Nymo for me) and a needle, hot tea, and a good movie.


Tonight....back to the boring part of paperwork.

Blog gets a new look and Works in progress

Blog got a new look. If anything is missing, let me know!

________________________________________________________________________

I've been very busy with deadlines, classes, and laundry and have finished nothing! but never too busy for socks. Here is a picture of some of my "works in progress"....



A pair of slippers that need to be felted, a pair of magic stripes socks on circulars that are at the heel flap stage, and a toe-up sock on the sock loom I got for Christmas that is still in the toe stage (first project on this loom!) .

The Tofusies yarn arrived last week but I couldn't start socks with them yet (so of course, I bought more magic stripes)... Would you believe I cannot find my size 1 circular needles!? No idea where they went to. I finally gave up the search and have ordered two new Addi Turbo size 1 (which are in the mail to me now). Just what I need....another "work in progress" project hehe

I really wish I could find a honest, to goodness yarn shop within a 30 mile radius! Not a Michaels (yeah, yeah....I teach there but they do not carry Addi's nor sock yarn)....not a fabric store....but a REAL yarn shop. I have heard the rumour that there is one in Canyon Country, which is a short driving distance, but have not been able to find more info on exactly where it is. If anyone knows, please tell me.

P.S. Did you catch Lost last night?

Walker Treasury Project

We all love Barbara Walker's Treasury of Knitting books. Now a group of knitters are joining together to bring color to these great patterns! I'm proud to be one of them.

I'm just wild about Harry

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter #7) is due to be released July 21st! Finally. Whooohooooooo! Great fantasy reading no matter what age.

Backgammon Pattern plus comments

Knitty Gritty episode on February 13th (HGTV) will have the backgammon pattern! I've really wanted to do this pattern.



While it's needle knitted, I'm sure it could be converted to a loom pattern. ;-D

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Why not leave a comment when you stop by?

Favorite Restaurant

Do you have a favorite restaurant? Our favorite Italian restaurant is Miceli's on Cahuenga in Los Angeles. The food is excellent but the atmosphere is what makes it special. There is a piano player in the evenings, and the waiters/waitresses sing. Yep. Special.

Recycling yarn

I popped into one of the local thrift stores today and got lucky! I found 4 sweaters to take apart for yarn recycling. Finding anything locally worth the time and effort to recycle is rare. Today's finds included an XL sweater made of 100% lambswool (which I misspelled when putting together the photo oh well).



Also found a cashmere sweater. I've never tried to recycle cashmere but I know it can be done. This is going to be fun!! ;-D

Not much knitting....

....and way too much "got to do" stuff like doctor appointments, running errands, laundry....etc.

I did decide on "new" sock yarn to try! I found Tofusies yarn to order!





Nice colors, eh?

There were so many suggestions of yarn to buy (some I haven't tried yet!) I really need more time to knit.

What's your favorite sock yarn

I'm still here! I'm working on classes for February and trying to organize the studio with bins that I purchased for my yarn stash.

I did manage to cast on socks and am knitting in the evening. I'm having to use wool - not sure I'll like 100% wool socks but I'm pretty much out of sock yarn! Strange but true. And since there isn't a great selection for speciality yarns in this area (close by), I'll be buying online.

This opens up a whole new question...what's your favorite sock yarn? And why? And where are you finding it? Either post here or email me. Thanks! ;-D