Knizzle fo shizzle

Now What?

2011-12-30T16:15:00.000-08:00

I don't ordinarily put much stock in "deadlines", new day, new week new year. It's all just a long rolling scroll of life. The new year however, does bring a time of reflection and the promise of change and new beginnings. I've given pause to look back and review the events of the passing year. 2011 started out well for me. I was able to see Apocalyptica three times in March and reconnect with my niece Tiffany. I had some pretty chronic health problems and some near misses during the summer months. Thankfully, they resolved and are under control at this time. The rest of the year was pretty low key. The last concert I hit was the Uproar Fest in September. I think I've been in a mild funk ever since, there were a couple of events that I wanted to go to but I blew them off because there are times when I'm simply tired of going to events by myself all of the time. It gets old, but the bottom line is that..I'd better get used to it. Things are never going to change, it is what it is. It's as if I live in some weird state of purgatory for lack of a better description.

As for knitting and spinning of course spinning has been in the lead. I have done some "utility knitting" lately. I am working on some leg warmers, very basic 2x2 rib, size 8 needle, 48 cast on. I am making them in anticipation of the cold and bitter weather that is eventually going to hit. I don't want to jinx myself but thus far the winter has been pretty mild, mid 30's to 40's on some days and no s-n-o-w. I've been spinning on my Trindles quite a bit. I've even gifted myself another pair of arms and a fancy shaft! The new arms spin somewhere between a worsted and sport weight. Still plucking away on the lovely blue-ish lace weight on my wheel. I switch my bobbins between that an a really basic worsted. I can only spin lace weight for so long, then my eyes and fingers start to cross. I also broke my own rules this year and knitted an X-mas prezzie. I made a Star Wars hat for my friend Billy, an action hero uber geek. I bit the bullet and decided a week before X-mas to start this project. I can't believe I finished it in time including blocking. Color work is not really my favorite knitting and using 3 colors was a real challenge but his reaction made it all worth it. I used the charts from Rav and "babzer's" project notes. I love it when someone else does the math! I alternated between the Storm Trooper and R2D2 motif's and worked a "May the force be with you" band at the bottom. Next on my knitting list will be more utility knitting as my Fibertrends felted clogs just blew through the heel. Note to self and others, double strand worsted, don't use single strand bulky. NOT the same as far as wear.

As far as other going's on. I'm still doing Kettlebell classes. I have to keep this old body moving, Cod knows I'll never be able to retire. I am looking to take some of the free classes offered this week to get a jump start back in to my routine. I do have one concert on the books. I'm going to see "the Darkness" on Feb 10th! This was probably the first band that got me started going to concerts again after deciding that I probably needed to live my own life. I was really surprised when Laythe let me know that they were touring again. They're very tongue in cheek and FUN. I could use a little more fun right now. How about you?

Fall Back....

2011-11-13T16:20:00.000-08:00

Would love to give a nice cohesive, interesting post but, I just don't think it's going to happen today. It's been a long time since I've updated my blog and I'm not sure if it's a good thing that I don't have much to say or not. I have overcome a lot of the health problems that I was having as of my last post. It seems that the doc was right and it was acid reflux causing a lot of my problems. Apparently it's a lot wider spread problem because it seems that everyone that I talk to has had a bout of it or is suffering from it daily. Of course my doc put my on a prescription medication which I took until my symptoms were under control, at that point I started looking around for something a little more natural. I had seen a lot on the internet about apple cider vinegar helping. I don't usually put much stock in to a lot of alternative therapies, it seems that most alternative sites offer a lot of information without a lot of valid studies to back it up. I felt that trying ACV as an alternative would be fairly innocuous and probably wouldn't do any real damage if it didn't work. I've been using it for the last 2 months, so far so good. I have a glass with a tablespoon in the AM and then before I go to bed. I have little flare up's when I eat too late at night but other than that, I've been OK.

As for knitting and spinning, it seems that I've been doing a lot more on the spinning side. I finally finished a cowl that I started last month. I needed to complete something. I used the last of my hand spun green goodness that I used for my loop scarf. I like the pattern I think I like more of a twisty cowl so that I can tighten it around my neck. As for spinning, I've been doing a LOT, I seriously can't remember everything that I've been spinning since my last post. A couple of things pop out. Some nice black and red angora blend with sparkles, a BFL alpaca blend in a heathered twist. I also started the "Bandana cowl" with a bit of spindle spun that I dyed purple. It turned out sort of variegated with nice color splashes. I ran short right at the upper purl ridge cuff, I dyed some more today and I think I got pretty close, if not, it's OK to have a contrasting cuff.

Personal stuff, my car needed major work this week, drive shaft, wheel bearings, U joints. Not a cheap repair but at least I have mechanics that I trust to do the job right and for a fair price. Still taking the Kettlebell class. I added a core strengthening class for the last 6 weeks but they decided not to run it again and I think that for now once a week with doing a little bit at home here and there will work out better for me right now. No concerts coming up at this point, Uproar Fest in September was awesome, I was so glad to finally see A7X. They rocked it as did all of the other bands. Family and dog is status quo. Nothing else really changes, but like I said, maybe that's a good thing. Hope everyone is doing well out there in cyber land and life is treating you well.

When life gives you lemons, things turn sour....

2011-07-31T19:32:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since my last update and as you might guess by the title of this post, things have not been going smoothly. After the last Apo gig, I got knocked back by a pretty serious upper respiratory infection. It lasted about 2 weeks, my thinking was that the gigs and the pace that I'd been keeping up finally caught up to me and knocked me on my butt. I was fine for a while then, the day before Memorial day, I started with a sore throat, I thought I'd hit the urgent care so that I could fend it off before it got really entrenched in my system. So much for that theory, I got really really sick with another upper respiratory infection. I was in bed for 3 days and then ended up with a lingering cough that lasted for the next 5 weeks. Then I got hit again, it was my 3 day weekend and I was really looking forward to it. I work up with a little bit of a sore throat but I just thought that it was allergies. Wrong....I got hit again. This was getting a little old. I kept coughing afterward but couldn't bring anything up and my energy level ways completely tapped out. Finally after much prompting from friends and co-workers, I went back to the doctor. I told him what was going on and he asked me some questions. Finally he said..."I think it's acid reflux". He must have seen the look on my face so he said "let me tell you why". His thinking is that because of the chronic irritation to my esophagus, I was having larynx and pharynx irritation that was turning in to a secondary infection, hence the repeated upper respiratory infections. He wrote me a script for some Pepcid and told me to watch what I ate and drank, especially late at night. I started on the Pepcid about 4 days ago and the coughing has subsided drastically and I feel a little more like my old self. I'm hoping that he's on the right track and so am I. All this an a minor surgical procedure at the end of June has really knocked me for a loop. I haven't felt like myself for a long time and I am more than ready to have my life back and my summer, what's left of it.

I actually had a real weekend this last weekend. On Saturday I went to the Wine and Wool fest at the Sandhill Crane Vineyard. It was a really hot day but the sun was shining and I was happy to see my knitter girls that I haven't seen in forever. We hung out, drank wine and looked at all the goodies that the vendors had to offer. I only bought two batts. I was really behaving myself. When it came to the wine I tried probably about 10 different kinds including an ice wine. I bought 3 different white wines and 2 bottles of mead. I was also feeling well enough to make my Saturday AM kettlebell and Monday AM pilates class. I don't think I've done that in a couple of months.

As for anything fibery related, I have been doing a little spinning both on my trindle and my wheel. I finished spinning the wool Samoyed mix and I'm ready to ply it at some point. I also spun up one of the batts that I got at last year's W&W fest and plied it with a really nice earthy brown BFL. It turned out really organic and slubby. Luckily I found just the right pattern for it, I think it'll turn out really cool. As for knitting I finished my really ugly "at work socks", the yarn that I used was really not my favorite. The colors were really great but the yarn was splitty and not very hand friendly. I think I'm going to "donate" whatever I have left over. I'm really sort of sick of looking at it. Besides I have more than enough of finger friendly sock yarn to keep me going for quite some time. Currently working on another pair of River Rapids socks using Knit Picks Risata. I have NO idea why they discontinued this yarn. I'm also still picking away at the never ending shrug and the Egyptian mittens.

As for anything personal, work is work. There have been some changes over the last year or so that have all of us sort of looking over our shoulder. It seems like there are things that are being put in place and we really have no idea as to what they are or where they are going to end up. I am just glad to be working in a field that I still enjoy with co-workers I still enjoy working with. Mr. Larj is status quo, he cancelled his War-crack account only to start up again. Meh...I'm not even going to try to compete with his pseudo-world. Maude is doing OK, her eyesight is getting worse but she still plugs away and is still pretty independent. Apparently Harry came in the mail to my sister and I'm going to have to try and get with her to get my "portion" of the ashes. She'd mentioned doing some other things with his ashes but I just want a little something for myself. Chief is getting old, really old for a Dal, he's 12. Like most old people he's having his fair share of health problems, his arthritis is getting pretty bad in his hips and he's having a hard time with holding his bowels. Usually at least once a week I'm awakened in the middle of the night to an "accident" that I have to deal with. It's stressful but...he's my boy.

Well that's about all new for now. There aren't any Apo concerts in the works but I see that Amon Armarth is going to be coming to St. Andrews Hall in a couple of weeks and Avenged Sevenfold will be at DTE in September. Might try to catch those. Everyone take care and stay healthy.

.....and then I rocked AGAIN

2011-04-03T14:40:00.000-07:00

Call me obsessive, call me crazy...yeah I know. I am an Apoholic.

After I got back from my 2 shows in Flint and London I was FBing with my niece Tiffany. I told her that Apocalyptica was going to be playing at a club in Knoxville where she lives and that she should go with her boyfriend and check them out. I got a message back almost immediately..."are you coming down? I'll get tickets, I'll get your room ready". Well really...what could I do, I had to go. So I fanagled a Monday off of work and set about getting ready to go back on the road. I left Saturday after work, drove to Cincinnati that afternoon and evening, got up the next morning and drove the rest of the way to Knoxville. I met up with Tiff, we were so happy to see each other and really really psyched for the concert that night. After all it was going to be Tiff's first time and I promised her that she'd get to meet the band afterward. We left out early to the venue with Tiff and her BF Matt. I explained that we had to get there early because we were going to be right UP front. So we got there positioned right on the rail, actually there was space for one and Tiff sort of shoved me right up front and center. She's a firecracker that one ;-) There were a couple of opening bands and then Apocalyptica came on. It was an amazing show as usual and the crowd was really really in to it. I was so glad to see that because at first it seemed like the crowd was going to be kind of small and laid back. As the crowd got more in to the show so did the band so they really seemed to be enjoying their performance. It didn't take long in to the show for me to get spotted....Paavo lowered his eyes and gave me "the look". Tiffany was standing right behind me so she started pulling on my hair and saying "Aunt Marji he SAW you!". Paavo kept being really flirty with us all during the show even planting his cello right in front of us and doing a little hip shake. At the end of the show they played "I don't care" and I grabbed Tiff and pulled her right up next to me. Paavo seemed to be playing right to us and he even yelled something at us from the stage but I couldn't hear what he said. After the show was over Tiff was really going on about what a great show it was and how amazed she was by their musicianship and how they turned cellos in to a completely different instrument. We got matching hoodies and Tiff bought a CD to get signed by the band. Tiff and I stayed to wait for the band and Matt left for home. It didn't take long for the guys to come out. Mikko and Perttu were the first, I got some really nice shots of us with them that Kelli from NC graciously took. Mikko signed the shirt that I neglected to have him sign in Flint. Then Eicca came out and we got more great shots and hugs. Of course..we know who was last, Paavo. He was across the street and some fans had walked over to talk to him so Tiff and I did the same. He finally came over to us and said while pointing at Tiff, "Is this your very good friend? I said "No, this is my niece and this is her first Apocalypitca show". He got a look on his face walked right up to her and said "Hi,...I'm Paavo". He then got down on one knee and kissed her hand. I think her feet came up off the ground about a foot and I'm not really sure that they've touched ground since. ;-) We chatted for a couple of minutes. Got a couple of shots with him and Paavo hugs of course then we headed back to Matt's mom's house for the night. I got up the next day and hung out with Tiff for an hour or so and then hit the road again for the 8 hour drive home. It was amazing it was incredibly fun and I've created another rabid Apo fan...and Tiff let me know the other day that Apocalyptica is playing again in TN mid May. Am I going?........................

As for knitting stuff, very sloooowww going on the Retro Redux shrug. It's endless rows of yo K2tog and then yo P2tog on the wrong side. I know it's going to be cute when it's done but blurrrgghh. Then it'll be picking up stitches and K2 P2 ribbing for the border. I also started a pair of fingerless mitts out of my spindle spun hand dyed I don't think I'll have enough for both mitts so I'm spinning more and I'll have to try and match or possibly over dye to get a matching set. That's ok, it's all in good fiber fun. I'm dying to start something lace, a shawl or cowl or something and I've got my eye on a couple of "instant gratification projects as well. Any suggestions?

Personal stuff...I'm just getting over a case of killer cooties and now Mr. Larj is suffering from the same crud. Maude is up for driver re-examination, I don't really think she's going to pass this time. I guess that means that I'll have to up my child-parent responsibilities. Ergh. Hopefully the warm weather will be here shortly!!

I came I saw....I Rocked!

2011-03-13T18:18:00.000-07:00

I fed my obsession this last week with 2 Apocalyptica shows in a row! One on Tuesday night and one on Wednesday. It was amazing as usual and the band rocked harder than ever. I started out my 2 day excursion by hooking up with Michelle from Wisconsin. We had an early dinner and then headed to the show. We had VIP tickets so we got there early for the meet and greet. I had knitted items for the guys along with a six pack of "Siren" beer for Mikko (Siren is his last name). The meet and greet started out with an impromptu acoustic performance of Bittersweet with Eicca, Paavo and Perttu. It was amazing. At first I wasn't going to record but then I decided this will probably only happen to me once so I'd better get my camera out and record it for posterity. The guys were so close I could have reached out and touched them. During the performance I was smiling at Paavo and he looked up and gave me a wink. It's a miracle that I managed to hold it together. After they finished playing they put their cellos away and came back out with Mikko for the meet and greet. I had Perttu, Eicca and Paavo sign my shirt, I forgot to have Mikko sign it because I had extra prezzies for him and it was at the end of the meet and greet and they had to get backstage. I gave Eicca his loop scarf and he remembered that I'd given him one in September. He said that it kept him from getting the flu. ;-) Paavo said that he'd worn the humping deer hat a couple of times since I'd given it to him and he immediately put on the hat that I'd made for him. When I gave him his hat Mikko seemed genuinely surprised that I'd made something for him. I handed him the boxed beer and I told him.."be careful, there's beer in there. He seemed a little surprised by that too, like hmmm...why would someone give me beer. But as evidenced by this pic posted on FB this AM, I see that he knows why I gave it to him. Of course the best part of the meet and greets, Finnish cello boy hugs!! Michelle and I squeezed in up front and got ready for the show to start, it was amazing of course and the stage was so close that we could have reached out and touched it. The only problem with the small stage was that Perttu fell off of it! He stepped right off, landed on his tailbone and his right leg was bent backwards. He was a real pro and didn't drop his cello or miss a note. He finished up the show without any more incidents. After the show it didn't look like anyone was hanging out so I headed back to the hotel, said my goodbye's to Michelle and got ready for the next day. The breakfast at the Hotel was crappy so I drove to Port Huron and had a really late breakfast at Bob Evans. I crossed over the Blue Water bridge and headed to London. I got to my hotel and checked in, tried to take a catnap but there was a high school basketball team there making a ton of noise so a probably only got 15 minutes of sleep. I got ready and headed to the venue a little early. I'm glad I did there was very little parking and people were already starting to line up. I got in line and fortunately there was an overhang to stand under which was great because it was cold and rainy. When I got in the door Amy, one of my FB Apo pals was waiting for me. She'd secured a spot for us right up front. The set up was a little different, they had a pit with security and more of a barrier set up. The venue was larger as was the stage. The opening band was really good and they announced that they'd just been signed by Adam Grontier's label. Adam came out and sang on one of their songs. Apo took the stage and put on another amazing show, I think that they actually rocked it a little harder in London. Maybe it was because they had a larger crowd or a larger stage but they seriously brought it. There was even a mosh pit! That's only the second time that I've seen a pit at an Apo show, both in London ON. Crazy Canadians! ;-) Of course Adam came out and sang the lead on "I don't care" which was the song that he performed on the Worlds Collide album. It was so awesome to see the song performed with the original singer. I hung out after the show to say my goodbye's to the guys and give them the air freshener that I'd forgotten to give to them in Flint. I figured with 11 guys on the bus..they needed it. It took probably about an hour or so for the first of the guys to come out, I think it was Mikko and Perttu. I asked Perttu if he was OK and he said yes. I hadn't noticed any bruises or scrapes when he was on stage. I didn't get to chat with Mikko, he didn't stay out too long. Completely understandable if you've ever seen him on stage, I'm sure he's exhausted after a show. Eicca came out and when I had the chance I gave him the air freshener. His reaction was hilarious, he said "OH thank GOD!!" in his thick Finnish accent. He then made all kinds of wild spraying gestures and said that he sprays everything with it. He gave me massive amounts of hugs, he even gave me a huge squeeze and made huggy noises in my ear. (Squee) Of course the last one out...Paavo, nothing new there. Hugs, kind words and a photo. I headed back to the hotel and drove home the next day. No issues crossing the border this time. Phew!

Of course as for the knitted Apo prezzies...............

I realized that I forgot to get a picture of Eicca's scarf. I used the Purl ridge pattern, knitted it with my hand spun Shetland that I also hand dyed black with Wilton's cake dye. When I originally dyed the yarn it didn't fully take and when I knitted the scarf it was coming off on my hands PINK. I immediately got on to Ravelry in one of the dying groups and posted as to what was happening. As usual Ravelry saved the day and someone posted a solution to my dilemma step by step that I followed to a tee. It seemed to have worked and there wasn't any run off when I rinsed and blocked it on a white towel. I hope so anyway, I'd hate to see Eicca with pink hair!

For Mikko and Paavo's hat's I used respectively the Traveller's hat and Claudia hat pattern and my favorite worsted Shepherd's wool. So soft and warm. Blue for Paavo and Grey for Mikko. I had a color in mind for Perttu's gloves and found the perfect black with red fingering weight on Etsy. I used the Fitted Fingerless glove pattern, no ends to weave in!

As for events on the horizon? Nothing concrete still taking kettlebell classes. I plan on trying to work on more pin-up photography. There are more events coming up in the spring as far as that goes. Other than that we'll see where life takes me. Just looking forward to warmer weather. I'm sure you are too!

Hibernation Hijinks

2011-02-06T15:28:00.000-08:00

There's something about this time of year that makes me a little crazy and this year seems to be exceptional. I don't know if it's being cooped up or a recent events but I feel the need to bust out and do something completely out of my normal realm of possibilities. Everyone who knows my moderately well knows that I'm a big fan of pin-ups and burlesque. I've always looked at it as an art form and it's style and grace has always appealed to me. I've taken a couple of burlesque courses over the last couple of months and have met some interesting people from the local burlesque and pin up community. Maybe it's a pipe dream or it's somewhere on my bucket list but lately I've had thought of trying to get my foot in the door at some of these events. I even did some self portraits in the pin up style just to see if I could pull it off. We'll see, this could be fun! Welcome to my mid-life crisis ;-)

As for knitting and spinning, I've started Apo gifts round 2 as I'll be seeing them again at the beginning of March. I found a new pattern for fingerless gloves, some of the weirdest construction that I've ever done but....only 2 ends to weave in and NO gaps between the fingers to sew up. Yes, really! So hopefully these will fit Perttu, they're a little loose on me so they should work perfectly for him. The other guys will be getting cabled ski hats I haven't settled on pattern or colors yet. I don't think it's possible for me to top the "humping deer" hat.

I finished spinning the gold tencel blend it turned out shimmery and gorgeous. 500 yards of fingering/sport weight. I also spun 360 yards of BFL tencel in "grapevine" which has deep purple, green and brown. Really lovely. The gold will most likely turn in to the "Pogona" scarf, I think it's one of those pattern karma moments where it's absolutely perfect for the intended project.

As for other things in life, not much else, still taking the kettlebell classes, Veronica really kicks my ass. She's tough but I have to say that over all I feel stronger and more toned. Work is work, I have been trying to go in, do the best I can with my patients and keep a low profile. Patient care is my priority not all of the politics and "processes". I mean, we are at the end of the day about people right? Other than that, I can't wait for winter to be over with. I am officially sick of the snow, sick of driving in it for sure. It was another white knuckle ride home yesterday. We had a surprise blizzard that dumped probably 3-4 inches of snow on us within a few hours. At least I have a couple of diversions scheduled, I have the Dirty Show on Valentines weekend and then Apocalyptica the first weekend in March. Can't wait! They should both be a really good time. Till next time keep warm and safe.

Detours, Details, and re-Defining

2010-12-05T09:01:00.000-08:00

They say that dogs and their owners are a lot alike. I would have to say that's certainly true these days given the fact that my dog is a bit of a scatter brain with issues knowing what direction to go in. That's sort of how I'm feeling. For one thing my concerts got canceled and moved to March. Not really a big deal as my tickets are still good and I shouldn't have any problems re-scheduling my time off but, it was an "out" that I was looking forward to. That and I've had to sort of change around some other priorities in my life and start looking at what I need to do to take care of myself mentally and physically. The issue with making changes always is "where do I start". I started something this last Saturday that's a little different. I took a Burlesque class at Pole Addiction in Ferndale with Lily LaRue. It was just me and my pal Sarah so it almost felt like a private lesson. Very interesting though, not only did we learn a routine, we also learned a lot about the history of burlesque and about the local scene. I think I'm going to take the follow up lesson on pastie making. Something knitted perhaps? ;-) I also finished my second week session of the kettlebell classes that I have been taking at the community center. It's a really great workout and Veronica kicks our ass! I've really noticed a difference in how toned I am and my over all strength.

As for knitting stuff I have been working on simple but effective projects of late. I started and finished 2 cowls, one for me and one as a gift. I used the Cat Bordhi moebius cast on, cast on 66 stitches and knitted 4 rows, purled 4 rows until it was the size I wanted. I used my hand spun and hand dyed BFL, oh so soft and cozy. Of course my power knitting flared up my tendinitis so I've been taking it easy this week although I've started another pair of "pot luck mitts" out of a nice dark Noro blend. I should have those finished in no time. It's a really easy and well fitting pattern. Of course I've adapted it to magic loop as I avoid DPN's whenever possible.

I also started and finished a pair of Fiber Trends felted clogs. My old pair finally blew out after 3 years of almost constant use. I used bulky weight yarn instead of double stranding these. They don't feel as compact as my last one's so it should be interesting to see how they wear.

As for spinning I'm working on a wool and tencel blend that is just beautiful, golds, coppers and some browns all beautifully blended. I have a little more work to do to fill the second bobbin then I can start plying. I tend to double ply everything, I think it makes a nice balanced yarn that holds up well. It's a little tricky to spin, very slick but I've been using a higher ratio so it seems to be twisting well. I think that I should end up with a fingering weight yarn that might be really nice for a shawlette or lacy scarf.

As for other going's on's? Mr. Larj had hernia surgery that he sailed through without a hitch. He's back to work and doing fine. My mom is doing OK, she seems somewhat lost but at the same time is coping with her changed circumstances. Work is work, I've been spending a lot more time on IPR lately which is not really my cup of tea, but I'm working which is a lot more than most people can say in this state. I also have not done a thing as far as getting ready for the holidays. I did a little online shopping but no decorating or tree up at this point. Maybe I'll just carve a X-mas pumpkin like I did last year ;-)

Hope to update more often but as we all know..sometimes there are detours.

Runaway Life...

2010-10-11T14:20:00.000-07:00

Yeah it kind of feels that way, like life has been so crazy and hectic that I haven't had time to sit and think about anything to blog about. Not that there hasn't been a lot going on. Let's see, since the last time I was here...of course more Apocalyptica madness. I went to Chicago to see them at the House of Blues. I opted for the VIP package this time. It included some swag and a meet and greet with the band before the show. I have to say that the meet and greet was a bit of a disappointment. It was only about 20 minutes long and rather rushed feeling. Of course young cute and aggressive got most of the face time in with the band. I was hanging back and only managed to get in 2 autographs and of course a Paavo hug. I didn't even have time to give Eicca and Mikko their Merci scarves that I had knitted for them. So at the very last minute I gave Eicca both of the scarves and he told me that he would make sure that Mikko got his. Then it was time for the show. There were 2 opening bands, one was Evaline and the other was Dir En Gray. I thought Evaline was OK but personally Dir En Gray sucked and Michelle (another Apo stalker) and I went out in the lobby and chatted during their set. Then it was time for Apo to go on, their set was amazing and included a lot of their standard favorites and several of their songs from the new album. When it was pretty close to the end of their set a couple of local radio guys came out and announced that the band would be at an after party at the HOB VIP suite, first come first serve. Oh yeah....you KNOW that when it came to the end of their set I bolted and got in line. I texted Michelle and told her where I was at and she met me there. It was awesome, of course young cute and aggressive still got most of the face time but I at least got to chat with Mikko, get a shot with Perttu and got lots of face time with Paavo. I also met the touring singer with the band, Tipe Johnson. I told him I was Mrs. Johnson and he said "uh huh" and I said "no really". Of course this is when Michelle got the shot of me where I am having an "I Love Lucy" flashback look on my face. Completely ridiculous but all in good fun. All in all a really good time. While at the after party Paavo told me that there would be some unannounced gigs in this area at the end of November/December and sure enough they are playing in Flint on November 30th. Do I have my tickets already? You bet!

As for knitting and spinning, I have been doing a lot of really simple stuff. I made the 2 scarves for the Apo boys and then made another for myself using my hand spun. I have also been picking away on the "Seaweed Scarf" that I started this last spring at the Knit-away in Lexington. Next on my project list is a little utility knitting. My felted clogs finally sprouted a good sized hole in the heel. A sad day indeed, so now I am working on their replacement pair using the updated Fiber Trends pattern. Basically the same but it called for a second circ. in a funky size that I didn't have so Amy came to my rescue today with the perfect needle for me to finish the job. Yay! I can't be without my felted clogs. They are probably my favorite knitted item ever.

Probably the most exciting fibery thing that I've had going on is the customization of my wheel "Ingiborg" I commissioned a local artist, Stephen Vincent, to do a Zombie sheep motif on my wheel. He came through in a big way and it looks absolutely AMAZING! I also had him paint a matching tote bag for me while he was at it. Baahhhraaains!! Still spinning, I really watch how much time and effort I spend doing it though. I've gotten a reprieve from the tendinitis and I don't care to have another flare up any time soon. Not only was it painful but incredibly debilitating as well.

Other new? Well I've started a kettlebell class. It's sort of an aerobic and weight combo type of thing. I really like it and it gives you a really fantastic work out. It's at the community center right by my house so I don't have any excuse to miss it. I'm also trying to convince Maude to get a dog. She really needs something. She is completely bored without someone to bitch at. I don't really know how she's doing otherwise as she keeps herself pretty closed. Now I know where I get it from. Mr. Larj, sick as Hell. He caught the cooties that I had last week and now he's completely miserable. He's also back at playing Warcraft. So much for joining the real world...meh.

Fall is here the leaves are turning. I have a lot going on. You know me, I'm not one to let the grass grow under my feet. Upcoming events are the Zombie walk in Hazel Park, the Washtenaw fiber fest, Jenny's wedding and of course...more Apocalyptica!

Priceless...........

2010-07-18T11:09:00.000-07:00

Yarn, approximately $10...........

Concert ticket $17.............

Paavo's reaction upon receiving his "Fornicating Deer" hat after the concert?..........Priceless.

Of course, everyone knows that I stalk....I mean follow Apocalyptica whenever they are in the states. I try to make as many gigs as I possibly can. This was my second time this year and my fifth time seeing them over all. It was amazing, awesome and phenomenal. What can I say? I'm a fan. Last week I found out that they were doing a gig in Chicago at the House of Blues on Sept. first. When I relayed this information to my co-workers, they all chimed in and said "go put in your time off request now because you already know that you're going". I guess they know me all too well. So, that's exactly what I did. Then of course I got online and purchased my ticket. I sprung for the VIP ticket this time, I'm not sure all what that entails but I know that a meet and greet with the band before the show is part of it. At that point their new CD will have been out for a couple of weeks so I hope to hear a lot more of their new stuff.

As for Paavo's reaction? I waited out by the bus with some other fans after the concert and when I had the chance I saw Paavo and walked up to him got my "Paavo hug" and then told him that I'd made something for him. I told him that I knew he liked to ski and I'd made him a little something to keep his head warm. I took the hat out of the ziploc that I had it stored in and and he said "Oh.." as I unfolded it he took it and when he saw the pattern he threw his head back and gave a huge belly laugh and put it on immediately. He LOVED it. :-) It really capped off my evening.

To add to my crazy weekend I went to see Iron Maiden with my "little sister" last night. It was a great time. The crowd was totally in to the music and of course everyone went nuts when Eddie came out on stage. Bruce Dickenson is one of the most amazing vocalists out there, they don't call him the "air raid siren" for nothing. They played a lot of their old stuff that I was not as familiar with but, I like that. Though I enjoy the classics it's nice to broaden my familiarity with their music.

As for knitting and spinning...well, you already know that I finished the hat. I haven't started anything new yet. I probably need to address some of the UFO's lurking in my knitting basket. I did however spin and ply some of the softest yummiest BFL with some roving that I dyed myself. The colors and the yarn turned out beautiful and oh so soft. It's probably somewhere between a worsted and a chunky weight. I'm thinking, something against the skin would be great, maybe a cowl. I am missing my lace knitting though so I have the feeling something along the lines of a shawl might jump on to my needles some time soon.

What has Mr. Larj been up to? Working sporadically, the printing biz does tend to slow down in the summer time. Of course this leads to a little bit of panic every year but by fall it usually picks up. In this economy however, who knows, anything is possible. He has been getting out of the house more though and actually went to Apo with me on Friday!

Everyone have a great week and if you want to check out the rest of my photo's from the gig here's the link to my flickr page.

A New Chapter..

2010-07-07T08:25:00.000-07:00

It's sort of weird when someone close to you passes. This is my first experience with losing a parent but I think it makes you reflect a little bit on your life and where you're going with it. I'm sure the next few months will bring out even more emotions and changes. I just hope that I don't go in to a full blown mid-life crisis, although Mr. Larj claims that I'm already there with my Apocalyptica obsession. Speaking of which, 9 more days WOOT!!

Given the events of the last few weeks, I've tried to squeeze in a little time for calming my thoughts which of course includes spinning and a little knitting. I spun the most gorgeous and amazing batt from Frankie Love. She is one of my Saturday spinning pals and has great taste in belts :-) I've also been working on a little spindle spinning. I still probably spend about 50% of my spin time on my spindles. I even crafted a CD spindle this last week. I had wheel spun 2 full bobbins worth of chunky funky wooly goodness only to realize that there was no way that I'd be able to ply it on my wheel without a jumbo flyer. I came up with the idea that if I had a really large spindle I could use that. Off to Lowe's where I purchased a 3/8" dowel rod, corresponding electrical grommet, and small cup hooks. With a little sanding and assembling I was able to ply all of the wool in to one skein without any difficulty and it plied beautifully.

As for knitting I've been picking away at the "Fornicating Deer" hat, it's coming along. I'm not too sure about the finished size though. As I was knitting along it seemed that it was unusually long for a hat so I checked a few Ravelry projects and it looks like most people finished their length after completing the deer portion of the chart. Of course this meant a little frogging to get back to where I think the decreases should start. We'll see, color work is still fairly new territory for me. As for the intended recipient.....think I'll keep that one under my hat. ;-)

As for other going's on, I know people have been wondering how Maude is doing through all of this. All I can say is that she seems to be doing well at this point, however, she's had a lot of company and my sister Gus was in town until yesterday. I think that now is when things will get complicated, after all we are your typical Irish family, we put the fun in dysfunctional.

As for fun stuff...of course Apocalyptica is coming on the 16th and on the 17th Iron Maiden! I've never seen Maiden but I've always been a fan of their music and of course Bruce Dickenson is amazing on so many levels. Not much after that as far as events. I might have to lay low for a while, Mr. Larj's work is slowing down and given the state of the economy who knows what will eventually transpire. The best news of all though is that my tendinitis is finally starting to ease up, the exercises and icing has really really helped and now my days are for the most part pain free. Yay! I have also been timing myself as far as hand work and trying to break things up. I'm afraid my days of marathon knitting and spinning are over with. Oh well, it gives me more incentive to get back in to other things that I really need to focus on like my metalwork. Stay cool everyone!

Harry.....

2010-06-26T19:58:00.001-07:00

My dad Harry passed away this AM at 9:15 at home with my mom. He'd been suffering with vascular dementia for a number of years in a slow decline. Over the past couple of months he'd really started a downward spiral and was losing ground. He'd been bed bound over the last few weeks and no longer recognized me. Although he will be missed for many reasons, I am glad that he's no longer suffering and his life which had become completely lacking in any kind of quality has ended fairly peacefully. My sister will be flying in from Washington State tomorrow and I'll be picking her up. My mom seems to be holding up well but I think that in a lot of ways she's putting up a brave front although I think she's feeling a small amount of relief now that the role of 24 hour caregiver is no longer sitting on her shoulders. I guess his legacy if he were to have one is that you should always enjoy life and never take it too seriously.

Healing the Body and Mind.

2010-06-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

That's really what I've been working on. Not much in the way of fiber since I've been trying to heal the tendinitis that's been bedeviling me since last September. That's right I'm almost to a year of suffering with this crap. I can't express how this chronic pain has pissed me off and caused me to be fatigued both physically and mentally. I have to say though, that with the exercises that I've been doing and the judicious use of ice and NSAID's I am finally starting to feel a glimmer of relief. I have also been working on adapting the way I spin and knit. I've had a bit more luck with adapting my spinning techniques. I did a full 3 hours yesterday and my spinning circle and woke up today without stiff and painful arms. Amazing! I have had a harder time finding ways to adapt my knitting techniques. I have managed to get my arms in a neutral position but it's not comfortable in other ways. Still working on that one. Any suggestions?

My big doin's of the last month or so would be the mini-vaca that I took to go to Columbus to attend Rock on the Range. I always wanted to do a 2 day metal fest and when I saw that Apocalyptica was going to play...of course I had to go. It was brutal, it was amazing...so glad that I went. The first day was sort of rainy and overcast. There were a lot of good bands and the night ended with Godsmack. They put on a really great show and Sully showed off his drumming chops with an extra drum kit that swept on to the stage. The second day was sunnier and warmer, much warmer. Basically Crew stadium was metal bleachers with metal plates on the field so it was like being in a big Jiffy Pop container. When I got there the second day there was a guy there from FYE that was handing out flyers letting people know that certain bands were doing autograph signings after their sets. Yay!! Apo was on the list, I ran back to get my wrist band and CD for them to sign (even though I already had it). They were the first band of the day and of course played brilliantly. After their set I went back to the area where they were doing their signings. and got in line. I had brought the the fingerless gloves that I made for Perttu..oh, about a year ago. I finished sewing the gaps between the fingers the night before the concert and tucked them in my bag on the off chance that I would be able to give them to him. Unfortunately they were really pushing the line of people through very quickly and I only had moments to give him the gloves. I said his name and he said "Oooh", I said "I made you something, let's see if they fit." I held the glove out and he shoved his hand in. At that point the line was starting to move and I wasn't able to see the end result or to get a picture. The event coordinators were being really assy about pics anyway. You could only take them from the back of the room where there was a row of people in front of you blocking the band. Whatever...at least I was able to give the gloves to their intended recipient. They're coming to the Eagle Theater in Pontiac in July, if he didn't toss them out the bus window, I might be able to get a pic of them then. Mr. Larj says he's going to that one...hmmm.

On my list of things to work on? I am trying to do a little more color work knitting with the "fornicating deer" pattern on Rav. I think its hilarious. Spinning of course is always on my list, especially since I got a special delivery from the UPS man today of 12 pounds of roving from Zellinger's in Frankenmuth. Yes, the fleeces are processed and back in my possession. There's a LOT. I'm in shock. Still working on the "Seaweed" scarf. No rush there and the pattern is a no brainer.

Personal stuff, Harry is really in a downward spiral. I got to meet his hospice nurse today and she was really great. Basically he's mostly bed bound, not really eating, having problems swallowing and in general really deteriorating. I went over there today, I managed to get him up in his wheelchair so that he could sit up and try to interact with Chief. He enjoyed sitting up and petting him. He sat up for about a half hour, then I put him back to bed. Of course Chief jumped in bed with him and proceeded to lay on him like a human pillow. Of course all through this whole thing, Maude is still bitching at him. I don't know what she's going to do once he's gone.

Upcoming events...Halestorm at the I-rock over fourth of July weekend and Apocalyptica at the Eagle theater in Ponitac on July 16th. Oh and if you're in the neighborhood, this upcoming weekend on June 12, weiner dog races at Fishbones in St. Claire Shores. Can't say that I've ever seen that before. ;-) Till we meet again, take care.

Inching Forward...

2010-05-09T20:58:00.000-07:00

Well, that's what it feels like anyway. Slow progress on projects and life in general. I've had to limit all knitting and spinning projects on account of the f**king tendinitis that's still bedeviling me. I have however made a little progress in my recovery thanks to sticking to my exercises and having gone through a series of self prescribed DMSO treatments. Of course lets not forget our regular companion...ice.

Where to start, it's been a while. Still working on spinning, both on the wheel and the spindle. I finished a lovely mixed green batt from Frankie Love, that I plied with a bland brownish gray coopworth to come up with an interesting mix of funky green and organic brown that I thought was perfect for the Seaweed Scarf. That's really about the only thing that I have on the needles right now other than a couple of surprise items for an expecting friend.

I managed to finish the "Citron" shawlette out of my hand dyed hand spun wool. It's a really great pattern though the wording is a little wonky. It's just perfect for these cold mornings that we've been having lately. Speaking of hand dyed roving...I've been going a little crazy with the cake icing dyes, I've dyed 2 batches of roving, one with greens, browns and a smidge of burgundy, another with purple, blues, brown and gold. They both turned out really awesome and I can't wait to see the end result of spinning them up. For now though, I'm working on spinning a bit of Australian merino dyed by Sarah from Fiber Story. I'm hoping to ply it light to dark, we'll see how successful I am in probably a couple of weeks.

As for other goings on, I got back this week from 4 days in Lexington MI where I was part of my first Knit-away put on by Tina. This girl is so organized I can't even wrap my head around it. There were wonderful door prizes, yarn swaps, professional massages, awesome food and even more awesome company. It was great to hang out with old friends and meet up with some new ones. We had really great weather and were pretty much right on the beach. It was really nice to be able to take walks and just chill out. I'm hoping to do this one again!

As for other going's on? Mr. Larj forgot our anniversary.....again. What a tool! He did however try to make up for it with flowers and taking me out to dinner. It kills me because he has his phone that will remind him of dates, appointments etc., yet he refuses to utilize technology to his advantage. Whatever go kill some Orcs nerd boy!

Mom Larj is trying to learn to use the internet and email. My sister gave her a net book a few months ago and my nephew was supposed to come out and hook it up. As happens in our family, he never came through so Maude called Comcast to get everything sorted and now she's hooked in to the web. Not sure how it's going to work out for her. Her vision isn't the greatest. I changed the background to high contrast on her settings so we'll have to wait and see. Harry is about the same. When Maude told him that Mr. Larj and I had been married for 14 years he said "Yiiick!!". So, I guess he's still in there on some level.

Other than that work is work, nothing new there other than trying to fiberliciously enable my co-workers. I am trying to swing PT Beth to the dark side and bring her in to spinning. Jennifer, one of our nurses is a new knitter! Welcome to the fold, you don't stand a chance. ;-)

Coming up...Rock on the Range!! So frickkin' excited. I guess that Apocalyptica has been playing some of the new stuff of of their forthcoming album. Can't wait to hear it. Fellow OT Jenny and her guy Tim will be making the trip too so at least I'll have someone to hang with. Apocalyptica also rescheduled their canceled Pontiac show, for July 17. Of course you know that once the pre-sale hit, I was on it so I'll get to see them twice this summer! Yay!! Other than that, looking forward to warmer weather and long sunny days. See ya!!

I sprang forward...flat on my face...

2010-03-23T09:36:00.000-07:00

Ok, I admit it, I stole that line from a FB pal but none the less, it rings true. It seems like the last few weeks have been soul sucking, but with some bright spots on the horizon. To begin with and I'm sure that I'm not alone here, the time change is kicking my ass. I can't seem to get out of bed in the morning. I think some of it has to do with the weather and the last vestiges of winter bluster hanging on. The snooze alarm is really getting a work out. Mr. Larj has been sick, this is making him incredibly cranky and difficult to be around. He's had some sort of upper respiratory crud that's just been hanging on and on. For me? The tendinitis is back with a vengeance. It was sort of in the waxing and waning mode over the winter,but for the last week or so it's been full on pain. So much so that I have actually started to take my own advice and limit my activities and use ice daily. (Ok...semi-daily). I ordered a nifty gadget from Theraband and I hope it helps. I'm starting with rest, ice and stretching then I'll start with some mild strengthening. I've managed to get the shoulder tendinitis under control, hopefully I can do the same with my elbows.

Which brings us to knitting. Something, along with my spinning that I've had to severely limit lately. I completed and blocked the "branching out" scarf. I really love the way it turned out and the color...fab. It's my first entirely hand spun (wheel) and hand dyed project. The pattern was really easy to work and would be a really great first time lace project. By the way, it's dyed with Kool-aid. It was not easy to get that intense purple color but with a little tweaking and adding of this and that to the dye pot, I was very satisfied with the end result.

I also plied all of the hand dyed roving and managed to get 488 yards out of it. After seeing Choley's Citron shawlette, I knew I had found the perfect pattern. I expect to run across some pooling in the finished result but I don't mind pooling, I think it adds interest.

Last on my list of recent FO's is the Merci' scarf made from my very FIRST hand spun on the spindle wool. When I completed it, I wasn't sure if I could get anything usable out of it but with a little tweaking here and there and some brutal blocking of a pretty gnarly single, I managed to eke out 80 yards of thick and thin. I also dyed this with Kool-aid, orange with a little green to tone it down. It's a little on the short side but I can still manage to work it in to a wearable piece.

Now, why would I be updating my blog on a Tuesday in the middle of the day? Well when I went out to start my car this morning all I got was a RrrrRrrrRrrrr sound and it wouldn't turn over. So no work for me today. I had to call in. The only bummer is that with the pain issue, I can't work on projects like I would like to. Bitch Bitch Bitch!! Do I have anything good to say? Well I am going to Rock on the Range in Columbus in May and of course...Apocalyptica is playing. . I can't do the festivals in Europe this year so, I have to settle for Columbus. It should be fun though even though I'm flying solo as usual. Apocalyptica is also playing a gig in Pontiac the weekend after R on the R. Planning on getting tickets for that as well. Also coming up is the knitting and spinning weekend in Lexington at the end of April. Should be a good time and hopefully I'll be on the mend at that point. Well enough wordiness from me. Hope everyone is healthy....until next time.

Trying New Things....

2010-02-22T17:30:00.000-08:00

Hello, it's been a while. What's new? Not too much. I'm at the point in the winter where I'm looking for something, anything to keep myself from going too deeply in to that spiral of funk that seems to come every February. It seems like Spring is a long way off although I'm sure I'll be slogging through the muck and wiping off muddy paws soon enough. The good news is that I have a few things lining up on my social calender so there will be lots of events to look forward to. Some knitting related and some not.

Oh yeah...this is a knitting blog, sort of. Speaking of which. I decided to try and challenge myself for the Ravelympics this year by taking on a color work project. I've not attempted any 2 color knitting and this seemed like a good way to get started. I've been eying the "pirate mittens" for ages and decided that it would be a good place to start. However, being my usual dyslexic self, I worked the colors opposite of the pattern so my first finished mitten is a "photo negative" of how the pattern is supposed to look. I like the way it worked up though and actually I like the skulls in black better.

Of course I've been working on some spinning. I've spun up and dyed some merino. I like the softness and bounce of merino though I think it's rather tricky to spin. I guess the short staple length requires one to pay a little more attention while spinning. Of course I neglected to loosen the ties where I tied the skein together and there are white and lighter spots underneath. I think though that they could work to my advantage when eventually knitted up. If not I can always over dye the finished work. I think that the color really turned out gorgeous though. A true rusty copper color. Dye used? Cake icing dyes from Michael's. A little copper, brown and red. Currently drying on my "yarn hooks" in the basement.

Given the success of how my merino turned out with the cake dyes, I decided to try and dye some roving using the microwave. I have to say that this was more of a challenge and I had no flippin' clue as to what I was doing. However again, I was pleased with the result. I was trying to go with a primarily black, turquoise and copper coloring. It seems that some of the dyes when diluted change their color or their "base" color becomes more dominant. So I ended up with more of a mish mash but I still like the way it turned out and I cant WAIT to spin it and see what happens!

As for other stuff...nothing really too exciting. Let's see...we had 8" of snow dumped on us overnight so I played hooky and took a snow day. Got lots of knitting and a little spinning done.

I'm still having issues with my elbow tendinitis. I've decided to simply be in denial and eventually it will go away.
Mr. Larj is slow at work and has had a few days off. This does not make either one of us happy but, at least he is officially working.
My mom has joined the digital age and has decided to learn to use a net book and digital camera. I love the way she still has a desire to learn new things. She should be computer savvy in no time as she's a fearless button pusher.
I have a couple of concerts coming up and would love to make a road trip in May to attend this since Apocalyptica will be playing. That might take a little scheming. I've already got a couple of road trips in the works as it is. At least having that to look forward to makes the winter doldrums a little more bearable.
Oh yes and we attended the "Dirty Show". It's an erotic art exhibit that happens every year. Wouldn't miss it. Here we are in a hand carved mirror (plus cuffs).
Well....I'm afraid it's back to business as usual tomorrow. That's OK, actually work really hasn't been too bad lately.
Everyone have a great week or month or whatever!

New Year, New Stuff

2010-01-18T12:47:00.000-08:00

After finishing up my lace shawl I went looking for a few projects that were a little more "non thinking". I found a really great pattern in the "scrunchable scarf" and decided to make a long scarf using up some of my worsted weight scraps of odd bits of color. I held 2 yarns through out and given the way that I joined everything it flows together in an odd sort of way. I like the way it turned out and so does Chief. I used him to model as I am at the end of my 3 day weekend and I'm a little disheveled.

I started working on an easy lace scarf using some of my hand spun, hand dyed aubergine sport weight. The pattern I'm using is "Branching Out" from Knitty. When I finished this yarn I knew I wanted something lace but not too busy to take away from the color or texture of the yarn. This is my first 100% spun and plied on the wheel yarn. I also dyed it myself with Kool-aid and food coloring. I think the purple came out really fantastic, it's much deeper than in the photo.

My second wheel spun project turned out 630 yards of yummy green goodness. I plied together some variegated green along with a solid and came up with a really fab color combo. I <3 the Bitterroot shawl from Knitty. I think I should be OK for yardage for the shawlette size and I really love the organic look of the lace on this one.

Of course along with spinning wheels come spinning accessories. Sonya gifted me a cup holder especially made for the Kiwi wheel. Perfect and I got to test run it on Saturday at the Ewnique Knits spinning circle. I'm really enjoying going. It's a really great group and a lot of the spinners are also in the health care field. For me it makes for an easier "fit" given that I think that it's a field where there really is a different mind set and language. I also gifted myself a spinning bag. I had been schlepping my stuff around in a paper shopping bag. (Not very chic) I decided I needed something a little better. Harry's Army Navy to the rescue. I found a really great military tool bag that fits everything I need, my niddy noddy, lazy kate, spindle, fiber, plus plenty of room for fiber, bobbins and of course, my cup holder. A great deal at $20. I also picked up a sweet little map bag that fits my netbook and charger perfectly and has enough room for a small knitting project. Perfect. I love the Army navy store, you never know what you're going to find.

As for non-knitting spinning news. Nothing really, just dragging through the worst part of winter when everything is gray and shitty looking. I vowed to get in to some sort of winter sport this year but I have yet to find the time and motivation to do so. Not good really because I feel like a bloated sack of adipose tissue.

Mr. Larj is still addicted to the War-Crack. He wanders in to the family room every now and again, claims he's getting bored of it and then wanders back in to the front room and starts playing again. What fun. Nothing else new with the rest of the fam. Spent some time with Maude and Harry the other day. She struggles but manages to keep going. As do we all right? Hope everyone is starting their new year on an upswing. Everyone have a great week.

Shawl Pr0n!!

2009-12-20T19:18:00.000-08:00

Yup that's right finished the Jaakukka shawl, not without some trauma. I had the entire thing cast off and when I went to block....way way too tight. So 3 hours of tinking back, stitch by stitch until I had all of the live stitches picked up. Thanks to some tech help from the knitter gals in the Lace Knitters group on Rav and some live and personal help from my lace Yoda Jae, I was able to finish it and it blocked beautifully. Did I put a lifeline in? You know me....I like to live dangerously. So without further ado...Shawl Pr0n!!

What to work on next? I have no clue, maybe I should finish up the 5 or so UFO's that I have lurking in my knitting basket. Though I never feel quite right unless I have something lacy on the needles.

As for anything new...not much. I have had a busy weekend and I have a busy day ahead of me tomorrow wrapping up all of the X-mas crap. Mr. Larj would like to skip having a tree but I really love having a real tree up. Besides all of the decorations and stuff to set up I have some things to buy for friends. I didn't make anything for anyone this year. I really hate knitting or crafting with a deadline, I just don't do well. Still working on some spinning, I've started going to the Saturday AM spinning circle at Ewenique Knits in Royal Oak. It's a lot of fun and the girls are really great. It's sort of an informal instruct rather than a class. I even was able to help out with a few tips and tricks. Yay!!

I'm sure that I won't be posting anything before the holidays so everyone enjoy and have a safe and happy new year!! Cyber hugs to all!!

A new obsession...

2009-11-26T12:50:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally got sucked in to the world of spinning thanks to a little enabling from Sonya. I started out with a drop spindle, then moved on to a Trindle and thanks to Mr. Larj I now own an Ashford Kiwi spinning wheel. It's going to take me a little getting used to. I don't claim any sort of proficiency but, I'm getting there. I think having a wheel has actually made me a better spindle spinner. It's all in the "feel" for what's going on with the wool and drafting process. I tried out about ten wheels at The Spinning Loft and settled on the Kiwi. Mr. Larj got lucky on this one since it's one of the more reasonably priced wheels.

That doesn't mean that I've abandoned the drop spindle. I think I even managed to salvage my first effort at spinning. It's a single that I did on Schacht spindle. It was totally overspun in spots and well...wonky to say the least. I gave it a good soak and then I dyed it with orange Kool-Aid with a smidge of grape thrown in to tone it down to a pumpkin color. I think it turned out ok, I just hope I can knit it up in to something and that the overspin doesn't come back to haunt me. I weighted the hell out of it when it was drying so hopefully that'll tame it.

My second effort was a little more involved. I spun two singles using my trindle and then plied them on the wheel. My first experience with plying was a little hair raising to say the least. I was glad that I had Marilyn at Ewe-nique knits there to lend me a hand and sort things out. I attended the spinning circle that they have on Sat AM's. It's $10 for 3 hours, though not officially a class, more like an informal instruct. The color is a little crazy but I like it. I also went back out to The Spinning Loft to have my wheel tweaked and of course invested in some more roving. Now I'll need 2 stash cabinets!

My friend Jim also offered me a little acerage for a sheep. He said that all I have to do is pay for feed and hay in the winter time. He already has 2 sheep so they wouldn't be an "only". I am seriously thinking about it.

As for knitting? I'm a little vexed that my tendinitis is still hanging around enough to make me back off of my knitting as of late. There are things that I really want to work on but I am also trying to make this pain stop. It's easing up slightly but ever so slightly. I'm a frikkin ' soft tissue nightmare.

I am in the home strretch of the Jaakukka shawl. I am crossing my fingers that I'll have enough yarn to finish. I ran it past a couple of experienced lace knitters and they seem to think I should make it. I think "should" is the key word here ;-) There's one skein up for sell or trade on Ravelry so I should probably just go for it and if I run out at least there's that option.

As for any other news...nothing really. Everything is pretty much status quo. Well...off to do a little spinning ;-)

Falling....

2009-10-25T17:20:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year, the leaves are still on the trees but not for much longer. I feel that dreary rainy cold bleah season breathing down my neck. I've decided that this winter I need to try to find an outdoor "something" to do. After all this is Michigan..you know..."winter wonderland" and all that crap. I was thinking about either cross country skiing or snowshoeing, any thoughts? No down hill for this chicken and snow mobilies don't appeal to me.

So what's new? Meh...not much. On the knitting front I have been solely dedicating my time to the Jaakukka shawl. I really wish I could get a good shot of the color. I've yet to really capture the subtlety of the blue and yellow interplay. I think it will be stunning once it's done. I've got about six repeats done so I am almost half way there. I have had some issues with working on this, I've had a flare of my frikkin' tendinitis. It really pisses me off too, now it's in my elbows. I'm a soft tissue nightmare! Personally I think a lot of it relates to my mental state at any given moment, I can't lie I've been in a real funk since my "vacation". I was so looking forward to it and it ended up so fubar. I probably would have been better off not even having gone in the first place.

I have been doing a little retail therapy lately, I got some really cute project bags off of Etsy, I found a bag that had the same fabric as my laptop bag so of course I had to have it. This seller also had a really fun little bag with some construction worker hunks and as you all know by my "Mr. Larj" links, I do like some nicely arranged man flesh. ;-)

Today's retail therapy happened at the Fiber Expo in Ann Arbor. It's only about a 40 minute drive from home and this time of year it was really pretty drive with the fall colors in full swing. There were all sorts of vendors and of course alpaca's, sheep and angora rabbits. I got a little crazy with the roving which is sort of funny given the fact tha I've yet to really spin anything other than a couple of little wads of wool. One turned out OK but the other is totally over spun and when I tried to ply them together it wasn't good. I might just set it aside and try some of the new stuff and get back to plying when I feel like I have a handle on where to start with it.

Other than that...nothing really new. Work is work, at least I have been able to work up on the floors where I wan't to be as opposed to working on Inpatient Rehab. I prefer the really sick people ;-) Mr. Larj is still hopelessly addicted to War-crack. I don't see or hear much from him although I did manage to drag him out to dinner tonight. I have to be a little bit nice to him if I plan on trying to wrangle a spinning wheel out of him for X-mas. The folks are about the same. My evil little mom is still her evil little self. As much as I malign her though I do have to appreciate her sense of humor. I was over there the other day and she had the movie Poltergist on. It was towards the end where the characters are about to get sucked in to what looks like...a giant vag. I said "boy ma that thing looks like a giant vag" at which point she started cracking up and said "it sure as hell does!!" ;-) I guess we all know where I get my sense of humor, between her and Harry I'm genetically predisposed to be sick and twisted.

Well, I think I'm gonna go and get a jump start on my week by getting the laundry started and maybe do a litte vacuuming. Bleah....

Everyone have a great week

What a trip

2009-10-01T17:45:00.000-07:00

Ergh......I've always said that travel, even when it's bad is still a learning experience. Some lessons I could really do without.

We planned a trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. For those of you who don't know, our state is divided in to two very separate and distinct parts. The lower peninsula (shaped like a mitten) and the upper part. The two halves are connected by one of the largest suspension bridges in the world. I've traveled to the U.P. but not since I was a kid, I was hoping to catch the fall colors as they were changing , get some great photos and relax.

Mr. Larj and I have never taken a "driving" vacation together, this was to be a first. He wasn't really on board with going to the U.P., he'd been there before and wasn't really thrilled about staying in state for a vacation. The first couple of days went pretty well, however on the third day we hit Munising and went on the Pictured Rock boat tour. The complaining started before we even got on the boat. Mr. Larj informed me that he would get sick if it was windy out there because cold wind always gave him earaches. He had on a hat and fleece hoodie that was pulled tight around his head and basically kept himself hunkered down during the entire 3 hour trip. If it's possible to talk yourself in to getting sick....he did it. By the time we hit Hancock the next day he informed me that he was "getting ill". So any sightseeing that I wanted to do was met with eye rolling and mild resistance. We were in a book store for 10 minutes and I heard about it for the next two hours, you'd have thought I gave him a root canal. After we left Hancock we spent the night in Baraga and then headed up to Copper Harbor. We found a place to stay that Mr. Larj declared "smelled musty" and started in on a list of things he was allergic to, mold being at the top of the list. At least we found a decent place to go to dinner at the Harbor Haus restaurant. It's chef owned and the food is really quite good, they also have a decent wine list. We stayed a couple of nights in Copper Harbor, I scoped out some of the galleries and we squeezed in a 3 hour hike on the ridge behind the harbor. After eating breakfast at the Tamrack inn, (best pancakes ever) Mr. Larj informed me that he'd had enough of looking at trees, little nick knack shops and that he was tired of "spending money just doing nothing". So at that point we headed back. I managed to hit one yarn shop very briefly on the way back and that was it, any and all other stops were canceled and he drove the entire way home, straight through. Not only that, we never saw any fall colors because for whatever reason, they're about two weeks behind in turning.

Great...that's all I can say. I am voting for separate vacations next time. I did take some knitting with me, I didn't get to work on as much as I would have liked to but I started and completed a hat. It's Shazza's Muse hat but I modified it to be more of a snood.

The grande finale to my "vacation" is that when we got home....I got sick, really sick. I've spent the last five days either curled up in my recliner or sleeping on the couch. Nyquil has been my best friend. So I burned up two more days of "smart time" being sick. Back to work tomorrow, my guess is that it won't take me long to get the 1000 yard stare back and be right back to my stressed out self.

I leave you with the Upper Tahquamenon Falls....

Another year older......

2009-08-30T12:51:00.000-07:00

....and it's getting colder. Is Fall here already? It sure feels like it in these parts. As for another year older I had my BD last week. It was very nice, I got some great gifts and shared some great company with friends. I forced Mr. Larj to get a birthday cake and sing to me. I told him those were his only two requirements. He also got me the Knitpicks options needles (metal), and two skeins of cobalt blue laceweight. I have yet to break them in but I'm sure it won't be long before the right project will get cast on.

I actually haven't been spending too much time knitting. I have been practicing drop spindle spinning with a fair amount of success. I have two TP rolls wound with wool that I now have to learn to ply. I think it's going to eventually come out as a heavy worsted to chunky weight. I think I am finally getting the hang of it and by the time I finished the last bit of a 4 ounce roving I felt like I had a more consistent spin and thickness. There's something very soothing about spinning as well. Of couse to feed my new obsession, Sonya showed me her new "trindle" and how well it works keeping a spin going. So of course I had to get on to Etsy and get one for myself. I can't wait to try it out!

Non-knitting news: Nothing really exciting. Work is about the same, I never know what I'm going to walk in to on any given day. It's a little crazy. Mr. Larj is attempting to quit smoking.....again. I am very close to giving him the pillow. He's cranky, bitchy, and his favorite pasttime is to follow me around the house critquing absolutely everything that I am doing from loading the dishwasher to putting something in the trash. Smoking might not kill him but if he keeps it up....I might.

Now that the weather is cooling off, I really need to buckle down and do some bench work. I have been sadly neglecting my Etsy store and jewelry making in general. I think this is the laziest summer that I've ever had. When I got home from work or had a decent weekend I made it a point to do as little as possible. I'm sure it'll catch up to me in some capacity.

Well off to get my butt in gear and get what I need to make dinner. I am going to make Hanna's recipe for Finnish salmon stew. Nom!!

Everyone have a geat week.

Winding down while wound up.....

2009-08-17T20:02:00.000-07:00

It's sad but true, summer is slowly winding down. It's still hot as hell here and we've only run the AC one week all summer. I have to say that this has truly been one of the laziest summers that I've had in recent years. I've really had zero motivation to do anything, walk the dog, garden, you name it. I could care less. All I've wanted to do is sit on my butt, surf the web and knit. Given all of that you'd think that I would have a mound of knitting done but I haven't managed to finish anything in a while. That is until this last week. Ta Da!! The non-indigo ripples skirt is finally finished. I love the way it turned out. The yarn that I used is a little "sheddy" but other than that perfect. I did a few modifications all the specs are on my Ravelry projects page.

I think a large part of my decreased motivation is on account of my job. For the last few months I've been splitting my time between Inpatient Rehab and Acute treatment. I feel like I am going in every day not knowing what's going to hit me. Now towards the end of the summer with everyone wanting to get time off we are really stretched thin and my rehab caseload has been sick, both figuratively and literally. I will be glad if and when we can ever get our staff levels up and everyone is back from their vacations and leaves. I'm tired of being tired.

Speaking of time off, Mr. Larj and I have scheduled a bit of vacation time for September. We plan on heading to the upper peninsula of Michigan to see the sites and hopefully some fall colors. I haven't been up there since I was a kid and only to the Soo Locks. I'm hoping to head towards the Marquette, Keweenaw peninsula area.

What's on the knitting needles? I have the Leaf T-shirt started just barely and I have a couple of sock projects going. I also got the yarn in the mail today to start the Jaakukka shawl. I've been working on translating the pattern from Finnish with help from some of the gals from Ulla, the Finnish online knitting mag. I'm going to do mine in red...oh yes...red. ;-)

Also as you can tell by the above photo I've started spinning. That little scamp Sonya gifted me a spindle, roving and a how to spin book. That's what I accomplished the other night. It's a lot harder than it looks but I hope to conquer this new obsession and make it work.

Everyone have a great week.

Lurking

2009-07-20T18:16:00.000-07:00

I feel like I'm lurking on my own blog these day. I've been really lame about updating and keeping up with what's going on in my knitting and real life.

As for knitting, I am picking away at the Indigo Ripples skirt. I have finished the stockinette portion and am moving on to the lace section. Of course I had to chart it out for myself. I can't function without a chart. I can't believe that it's already inundated with dog hair. I swear I'm going to shave that dog one of these days. I am also still picking away on the Glynis sock from the Cookie A. book and of course my "at work" socks are an ongoing and never ending project. I really like the pattern that I'm using for the work sock. It's the "River Rapids" sock from Sock Bug. Nice pattern, works up fast and is easily memorized.

Everyday stuff. Nothing really new here. We are having a really lovely summer in these parts. The weather has been just stellar. My flowers are all doing well except my roses look like crap. They just take too darn much maintenance. I'm all about fast and dirty gardening. My tactic this year was to sow some wildflower seed early in the spring and whatever happened happened. I have to say that the result was fantastic. Not only are they oh so pretty but they choke out the weeds. That's right, no weeding!

Mr. Larj is still obsessed with playing World of Warcraft. I think its a pathetic waste of time but....I guess whatever floats his boat. At least it keeps him out of my hair. My folks are doing OK. My mom put my Dad in to hospice. Before anyone freaks out...it's basically for his dementia and it gives him a little more TLC from the visiting nurses. In fact I stopped in at their house today and got to meet all of my Dad's caregivers. They all seem really awesome. Personally, I still think that Harry is going to outlive all of us ;-)

Work is work...I am splitting my time between departments which means that I get absolutely nothing done. I keep telling myself that inefficiency = job security. Still it's frustrating to try and give quality treatment when I'm being pulled in two different directions.

Well that's about it....nothing thrilling, no vacation plans, no major changes....is that a good thing?

Everyone have a great week...month.....

Shawl pr0n!!

2009-06-22T16:25:00.000-07:00

Now, it's officially finished. Very happy with the way it turned out. I still have enough of the Noro Kureyon sock to make a short cuff pair of socks in the "clown barf" colorway.

Everyone have a great week!!

Revontuli

2009-06-21T11:11:00.000-07:00

The Revontuli shawl is finished. I liked the pattern, still not sure if I did my right and left decreases in the right spot. The pattern had me a little thrown off on account of the chart only going to half of the shawl. I was initially totally lost but thanks to a helpful Raveller, I was able to figure it out and continue on only slightly lost. As it is I have really terrible right and left discrimination.

Now...what to cast on next. I have designs on starting and finshing the "Indigo Ripples" skirt (in black) before my BD in August. Of course there is the never ending queue of socks. I really don't feel satisfied unless I have something lace going. I think I have an addiction.

Since, I've been on here last, my sister and friend Cyndi have come and gone for their summer visits. I had a lot of fun with both of them. Gus is planning another trip here in October around Halloween. So now life is somewhat back to normal. There have been a few changes on my job. I have been indifinitely moved to a different unit at the hospital, inpatient rehab. Anyone who knows me in RL knows that IPR as it's known is one of my least favorite units to work on. The problem is that Medicare requires "medical nesessity" for someone to be on the unit. Bascially this means that they have to be sick enough to need access to a physician 24/7. However when someone is that ill, it's a little unrealistic to expect them to perform 3 (required by Medicare) hours of therapy a day. Consequently, I feel like I am torturing most of my patient by dragging them through treatment. There are some that really benefit and progress nicely, but it seems to be the exception rather than the rule. Other goings on, Mr. Larj has been pretty steady with his fill in position. He was bitching the other day about having to work the weekend and I had to gently remind him about the state of the economy here in Michigan.

Well summer looks to be here so it looks like knitting on the patio is in full swing, hope to have more updates and FO's coming up.

Everyone have a great week!!

What a Deal!!

2009-05-25T14:53:00.000-07:00

When I went to knit night a few weeks back I saw a couple of the other knitters with these cool table lamps. I have a natural light goose neck next to my chair in the family room but I had never seen anything portable. When I asked about them they told me that they were Ott Lites and that JoAnn fabric sometimes had them on sale. As it happened they had a huge sale for Memorial Day weekend and Ott Lite's were 50% off. I checked last night on line and they were completely sold out. I wasn't even going to bother checking at the store thinking that they would probably be sold out too, but there was that little voice in the back of my head telling me that I had better go. I'm glad I did, they had 3 of the rechargeable one's left on the shelf. Squeeeee!! Not only that, I had another coupon for 10% off of the entire bill, including sale items so I actually got it for 60% off. How cool is that? I think it was probably my first time actually using a coupon. Usually I clip them and find them at the bottom of my bag months after the expiration date. Now of course because I saved so much money...it made perfect sense to me to stimulate the economy with a little Paton's sock yarn. I got several skeins of the "stretch sock", perfect for summer socks. I also picked up a sweater shaver and a couple of clicky row counters. The ugly green acrylic is for some quick crochet pot holders. Mine all seem to have grown legs.

Here's a sneak peek at the beginning of the Revontuli shawl. Yeah...I know the colors ;-) I wanted something bright, in my mind this is how I imagine the Northern Lights to be. Though I have yet to actually see them in person (it's a goal). Lynn's reaction at knitting the other night was a simple "Oh!?" I think that sort of sums it up. I am thoroughly convinced that when it's all said and done it will be gorgeous. I'm using Noro Kureyon sock yarn. I am also using my wonderful Julip lace knitting bag for the first time. Amby is a genius for coming up with the needles on the outside design. No more snagged lace!

Well it's been a beautiful and lazy weekend, I couldn't have asked for a better one. Again, looking forward to my sis and friend Cyndi visiting next weekend. Everyone have a great week!

Something to show....

2009-05-23T13:42:00.000-07:00

At last something to show for all of my absenteeism from this blog and life in general. I finally finished the Shalom Cardi, just in time for the warm weather. Oh, well there will probably at least one more cold snap before we get hit with summer's heat. I really enjoyed making this, it only took me a little over 3 weeks to finish. I like the way it fits, it's a little flarey at the bottom but I think that with wear or a little steam blocking that should remedy itself. The color is a little more green than in the photo. I did lots of modifications to this pattern to get the right size and add the little cap sleeves. Of course all of the stats are on my Ravelry page along with more pics. I am loving photo cropping, takes care of any bad hair day issues.

I've also been doing a little gardening, which this year consisted of raking out all of the dead stuff from last year and throwing a bunch of wild flower seeds around. My feeling is that whatever happens happens. Most of my perenials came back with the exception of a lavender plant and the butterfly bush. We have had the absolute worst luck with those. For some odd reason we can't seem to keep one alive for more that two or three seasons. The soil is good because Mr. Larj replaced it all when he tilled the garden. I suppose I shall try again, they really do attract butterflies and bees. Here's a close up of one of my batchelor buttons.

As for other goings on, I have a new toy, my own laptop. What neccesitated this purchase? It seems that Mr. Larj has found the World of Warcraft to be far more preferable than the real world. So he spends absolutely all of his time playing. It's a miracle that I managed to snag him to take pics of me wearing my cardi. In a way, it's a good thing, the only problem is that I had to transfer a lot of my files to the new device using a flash drive and Windows XP and Windows Vista dont always play well together and my iTunes and iPhone stuff didn't transfer at all so I had to start from scratch with everything. Very time consuming. Maybe that's why I haven't blogged?

I also celebrated Maudether's day with my little mom. She and I went out to lunch at the Big Bear Lodge in Flat Rock. She needed to get out. She doesn't get to very often as she takes care of my dad who has dementia. Not that Harry is low level but he needs supervision for the most part.

Knitwise I started the Revontuli shawl. I got to row 26 of the chart and was totally lost. Can I say thank Cod for Ravelry? It's so awesome being able to contact other people who have made stuff and get help or find out what problems they had etc. It has certainly saved me a lot of headaches and I'm always happy to let someone else do the math for me when it comes to tweaking a pattern.

Upcoming events, my sister Gus and my friend Cyndi are coming in to town at the end of the month. I took a few days off but I think that I am going to try to scam one more out of the boss since I have an extra "flex" day that I need to use up.

Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend!

Anybody There?

2009-04-19T14:08:00.000-07:00

Seriously? is there anyone who blogs or reads blogs anymore. I have been trying to be a little more diligent with my posting but my number of comments seems to have completely dwindled off to next to nothing. Still, thanks to the peeps who have stayed here and continue to support my boring drivel about my fascinating life.

On to knitting. I have been sidelined by a diversionary project that I've been referring to as the "Scooby Doo" hat because it's a mystery. The pattern is pretty vague and caused my pal Beth a great deal of hair pulling. So...I was intrigued enough to start my own. It's a simple lace but somehow we both lost one stitch in the first round and because I have a little more experience with tweaking lace I was able to get the pattern back on the right track. I'm making mine more of a Rasta style cap instead of a beanie.

Other things that I have going are a mystery project for a mystery person using the blue Paton's classic. I always try to have a "no-brainer" project going so here's the green Merkin scarf shown here. I am finished with the "Man Mitts", I just need to weave in the ends and sew up between the fingers. This something I really hate doing so of course I've been putting it off. I haven't touched my Glynis socks all week. I'm also trying to decide which lace project to start. I feel sort of lost without one, besides I need to break in my new lace knitting bag.

I really need to make a pledge to start knitting from my stash and only my stash. I have been stimulating the economy lately with some yarn purchases only to find that when I went to put them away my stash cabinet was a little ...ahem....full. It's comforting in a way though to know that at least if things get really tight for us at least I'll have yarn. It's the same sort of feeling I get from a fully stocked freezer, I know I won't starve for a while.

Speaking of food..have any of you heard of Dr. Oz's green drink? My boss told me she's been drinking it for a couple of weeks. It's like a veggie smoothie. I made a batch last week and have had a glass every day. I usually have to water it down a bit as it's a little on the thick side but It tastes pretty good. I really need to get back on track with eating better. The last couple of weeks I've been slacking more than I should.

Mr. Larj's status is about the same. At least he's been able to continue to fill in and it's been steady of late. My job is status quo except we were informed last week that we will be doing some rotations to inpatient rehab for a week at a time. I'll have to up my meds when that happens as I'm sure my stress level will double.

Well enough procrastination for now. Everyone have a great week!

What would you do if you were trapped by an earthquake?

2009-04-15T16:35:00.001-07:00

Don't we at least get to see what she was working on?

I did it again!

2009-04-12T14:23:00.000-07:00

Yes, more stimulation of the economy. I had to stop by Have You Any Wool for a gift cert for Beth at work. Of course Bridget "happened to be having a sale, buy one skein of Noro get another for free. Well what could I do. I was powerless against the pull of Noro. So four skeins of Kureyon, two Silk Garden and two Silk Garden Sock that will no doubt be used for a lacy shawl.

I also neglected to post pics of my new knitting bags, a lace knitting bag from Julip bags and a small project bag from Bea Binney. Love them both and can't wait to put something in them!

However for all of the spending going on, there's been very little in the way of actual knitting. At least nothing I can talk about. I am working on some secret gifty projects that I hope to finish up this week and some not so secret gifty projects that I hope to finish up very soon. Hopefully today or tomorrow so that I can start knitting some of the projects that I have queued up both in my Ravelry queue and the queue in my head.

So, quick post today...hope everyone had a good Easter and remember........

Stimulating the Economy

2009-04-05T11:15:00.000-07:00

Yes, I've been on a roll lately between Etsy and some other online stores. I'm trying to do my best to really get things moving during this economic downturn. I ordered 10 skeins of Cotlin from Knitpicks in the hope of turning it in to this. I think black will be a good way to make it more versatile and make the junk in the trunk look a little less obvious. Knitpicks was also having a wicked sale on all of their books. I've been coveting The Eclectic Sole book ever since Beth at work brought hers in. While I was at it I also got the Sock Innovations by Cookie A. A truly dangerous book! It even inspired me to frog 6" of a sock that I already had started to make this instead. Simply gorgeous. Now all I have to do is figure out how to make it using the magic loop. I picked up some uber PINK sock yarn from Susan's Kitchen. Not my usual color but I really thought it was fun and funky. I picked up some green lace weight from Dyeabolical yarns, a fav of mine. Other miscellaneous purchases include, some soaps and lotions from Pam at Herbal Scent Creations. I cannot say enough about her products, I've used them for years. My other Etsy purchases include, some custom knickers, earrings, stitch markers, notecards, a small project bag from Bea and a lace knitting bag from Julip bags. Phew!

Other than going a little nutty in the shopping department, nothing is really new here. Mr. Larj's status is pretty much the same, however, there was a bit of good and bad news. One of the guys that works at one of his contingent jobs ran over his foot with a pallet jack and shattered his ankle. He's going to be out of work for a while so Mr. Larj will be able to pick up some more hours. The bad part other than the shattered ankle is whether they will be able to stay in business with our current economy. A couple of bad quarters and they'll probably close up like so many other businesses.

My work is pretty much status quo, we found out in a round about way that there won't be any raises in 10' and they're possibly going to suspend out 403B plan. We're also losing 8 hours of our time off. It really doesn't affect me too badly, I still get more time off than most people I know and we had a pretty significant raise last year so I can live with it. I'm just relieved and happy to still be working and doing what I do.

The weather here is starting to warm up and the days are getting noticeably longer which has lifted my mood significantly. (This may explain the shopping spree...mania anyone?) I've been chomping at the bit for spring after the craptastic winter that we all went through in Michigan.

As for actual knitting? I finished the so called scarf and put a crochet border on it. I like the way it turned out. I'm still......yes still..........working on the Man Mitts for one of my fav metal cellists. I'm almost done and might be able to kick them out today or tomorrow. Then it's a matter of weaving in everything and mailing them off. I also did gauge swatches for this, I really think it's cute!! I'm also itching to start some lace. I have a few shawl projects in my Ravelry queue the question is...which one? I also have lots of baby stuff that I need to crank out, seems everyone at work is preggers. Hopefully I'll be a little better at updating my blog and getting some knitting done.

Everyone have a great week!

Nine

2009-03-02T13:22:00.000-08:00

As in that's how many degrees Fahrenheit it was this AM when I begrudgingly woke up. I have to say that this is one of the coldest, snowiest, longest and most irritating winter's that we've had in a long time. I looked on Accuweather for an extended forecast, supposedly warmer towards the next week and then cooling down again. Spring, muddy paw prints and all....I'll take it at this point.

Today marks the end of my three day weekend. I felt like I was fairly productive on some levels. Thanks to Beth at work, I started a diversionary project of a "my so called scarf" using some Malabrigo. I also am making some progress on my Man Mitts. I started the index finger yesterday. I'm a little hesitant about doing separate fingers. I've never attempted it before and I hope that I don't end up with huge gaps between. I am I-cording them simply because I can't see using 3 dpn's on such a small area. We'll see...I just hope they turn out OK.

Mr. Larj has been getting a bit more fill in work at his two contingent jobs. I just wish he could get something really steady. Having this little bit of extra work has really helped to ease my stress level at least a little. I don't have to tell anyone how bad the economy is but here in Detroit...we're really taking a hit.

Off to pick away at the glove for a little bit before I start to wrap up the loose ends around here and get ready for my work week. The good news is that the days are getting noticeably longer, doesn't that mean that spring is right around the corner?

Everyone have a great week....

BTW...my Ex-Mil received her stole and LOVED it :-)

Shawl Pr0n!!

2009-02-19T09:28:00.000-08:00

Seriously did you think I'd skip it?

I'm going out to mail it off shortly. I hope she loves it. Of course you know I bought yarn to make one for myself ;-) It's more of a slate blue gray color.

However, there are other projects to attend to at the moment. I managed to start in on the Man Mitts, late last night after semi sorting out the leaking ceiling debacle.

Back to work tomorrow.....

Finally.........

2009-02-17T10:56:00.001-08:00

Yes, I finally completed the lace stole for my X-Mil. It's currently blocking away in the basement and hopefully I can get it mailed off in a couple of days. I was a little worried about the length but as always with the magic of blocking, it all worked out perfectly. I have all of the project details on my Rav page. I really like the color too, it's very subtle in the changes between colors without taking away from the lace pattern.

I also made a little neck warmer scarf that I didn't get any pics of. It's just sort of ...meh...ok. Nothing to waste blog space on. The pattern itself was a real piece of work, here is a short simple rib scarf with a slit to pass the end through and it was written up as a 3 page pattern! Unbelievable, counting rows on a simple rib scarf? I could have written the entire thing in a paragraph. Maybe this person has some sort of advanced engineering or math degree and can't help themselves. (Sorry Jae)

Next on my list are the man mitts that I 've been planning to make for months. Where has all of my knitting time gone? Well actually my winter project has been ME. I've been trying to get my middle-aged ass back in to some semblance of shape. I managed to lose 10 pounds and am trying to put body parts back where they belong with exercise. I fear aging badly.

Today is the first of my extra 3 days off. I feel like I've been fairly productive and yet I have managed to balace that productivity out with a healthy dose of slacking. Just catching up on errands that I've put off and a trip to the vet for Chief.

I'm not really doing a lot of fun stuff, I think like a lot of people right now I'm counting my pennies. Things are a little scary here right now in the big "D". The future of the automotive industry is very shaky and the overall economic picture is not good. Every economist that I've read or listened to has said that things are going to get worse before they get better. I just hope that the ecomonic stimulus package does something ....soon. President Obama has said that the next thing on his list is to address the home forclosure crisis. Mr. Larj has been out pounding the pavement for jobs but hasn't had any real solid leads. He's been officially unemployed for 15 months, we continue to hold our own but I know that can't last forever. At least I have enough yarn stash to keep me in stitches for .....a while... OK...years, I'll admit it.

Everyone have a great week!

Hibernating and Hoo-Ha's

2009-02-08T12:20:00.000-08:00

Even though the weather has been a lot kinder to us this week I find that I am still stuck in hibernation mode. Especially today, it was a bit of a late night last night. It was one of the rare occasions where Mr. Larj and I actually went out....gasp!!....together....GASP!!! We went to the Dirty Show, it's an erotic art exhibit held annually here in Detroit. The art is really well done, a lot of it is very tongue in cheek. We watched a couple of the burlesque shows and took in all of the exhibits. One of the exhibits really caught my eye...knitted va-jay-jays. That's right, there were 3 of them but this orange acrylic number is really exceptional. It could be yours for $140. I've always hesitated about submitting anything for the exhibit but I think I might at least give it a go next year. If knitted Hoo-ha's pass the jurying process then body parts in sterling silver should be a shoo in.

As for knitting on my part, everything seems to be a slow go lately. I've been in this mad winter funk and cant seem to pull myself out of it this year. I think it's all the stuff going on with the economy and Mr. Larj's job situation (which hasn't changed), and it's all getting to me. I am still plucking away at the never ending stole that I had hoped to have done last month. I had also wanted to start the man mitts and haven't done that yet either. I did however purchace this lovely Julip bag for upcoming potential projects. I might not have projects on the needles but I have the bags to put them in! I think I'm turning in to a bag ho'. ;-)

In other news...not much. I finally took the plunge and cut myself a fringe. I had been contemplating it for a while when last week I read an article in the paper where it said that bangs were the over 40 poor woman's Botox. Well I fit in to the over 40 and financially strapped category so I fired up my scissors and went for it. What do you think?

We are also now doing electronic documentation at work. It's been a little bit of an adjustment. No paperwork! Personally, I like it better but some of the staff are struggling with it. I still can't believe how many people are not computer literate.

Well, I guess I'd better get off my butt and go over to the Evil One's lair to pick up some of my mail and have my weekly dose of verbal abuse. I ordered the "fug a day" knitting calender and it just came in. I had the "Stitch and Bitch" one last year but it's not nearly as entertaining as making fun of all the hideous crap that the "Knitting pattern a Day" editors try to pass off as knit-worthy. Luckily I sit next to fellow knitter Beth, at work and we can snicker together.

Everyone have a great week!

It's Over.....

2009-01-02T17:40:00.000-08:00

The whole holiday season and 08'. Good riddance I say. Although there were a few positive things about last year there were also some really trying moments. I don't know if this year will be better but I hope my stress level will start to come down a little.

Still picking away at the lace stole for my X-Mil. I knew it wouldn't be done for X-mas, though I had hoped to be a little further along than where I am. It's getting there though, the pattern repeats are easy, almost monotonous. The pics really don't show how pretty the color is. I'm sure once it's blocked and all the colors will really pop.

I have a few things that are a little more "instant gratification" in mind for some new knitting. I also started a new "at work" sock to work on during my lunch hour. It's Opal Hundertwasser in a crazy yellow color. I'm going with a simple garter rib pattern. The colors of this yarn really speak for themselves.

Ok, let's review the year past:

Bad things

Mr. Larj losing his job
Mr. Larj working sporadically
My tendinitis moving to new and interesting locations in my body
My parents slowly declining
Deep dark depression tapping on my shoulder
My friend Cyndi moving to D.C.
Increased isolation in my world (see above two points)
Watching the economy in Michigan implode

Good things

Seeing Apocalyptica three times!
I'm still working and enjoying my work
My dog is still healthy
Mr. Larj and I are still relatively healthy
We are still in our home
I was able to visit Cyndi in D.C. and experience a new place
I have a major yarn stash (with lots of sock yarn)
My parents are still with us

There is some semblance of balance. I guess my Irish blood leans towards melancholy. Lets hope for a better year for all of us.

I'll leave you with a vid taken New Years Eve at midnight at the end of my driveway. A little fireworks and a little gunfire all mixed in.

da Funk

2008-12-07T15:29:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm officially in that wonderful winter/holiday funk. I feel like I'm just going through the motions of my day lately. Not that I haven't had a lot on my mind with Mr. Larj still out of work and possibly not getting called back anytime soon or ever for that matter. So Merry f**kin' X-mas. If I see one more advertisement featuring happy families all gathered round you'll be reading about me in the local paper for some sort of mayhem. It does not look good for the automotive industry getting a financial boost any time soon. It seems like the banks and financial institutions had a much easier time of getting Congress to hand them a check than the big 3. Not that the auto industry hasn't royally shot themselves in the foot, they have, but I would think that preserving a manufacturing base in this country would be um.....important to the overall economy.

Oh yeah...knitting. The above photo is of the Noro Mock Cable Wave socks that I finished last week. I tried to get a decent full foot shot but it just turned out weird.

The lace stole for my X-Mil is about a third of the way done. I think I might have to get another skein to bring it to the right length. I like the pattern and it's pretty mindless for lace knitting.

I did feel the need to have an instant gratification project so I started and finished a Starburst hat from Wooly Wormhead. I love the way it fits, it's a real "Rasta" cap. In fact I liked the pattern so much I started a second one in a creme color. The pic, courtesy of Sarah at work.

Next in line? I think I would like to finally attempt some 2 color knitting. I have the Selbuvotter book and although I like a lot of the patterns I am really leaning towards the pirate mittens that I have seen on Ravelry.

I am also feeding my obsession by planning to make a pair of "man mitts" for a certain someone. I can't say it was entirely my idea as Beth at work sort of planted the idea of doing this for him. What the hell....why not.

I wish this was a little more of an upbeat post but....we'll see what the future brings.

Everyone have a great week...

A Little Breathing Room.....

2008-11-08T12:57:00.000-08:00

On all fronts.....

For starters the American People impressed me this election, finally saying with their vote that they've had enough of the false conservatism that's been slowly spiraling this country downward. Granted, it took the economy being completely derailed, a seemingly endless occupation in Iraq and crushing foreign debt for it to happen, but at least it happened.

I can only hope that Barack Obama, can slog through the mess that he'll inherit and at least start to move this country forward.

As far as healing the rift between conservatives and liberals, I don't know what it will take in order for that to happen. I really feel that there is a huge cultural divide in this country and I don't know what it will take to narrow the gap. There is still a lot of fear, racism, and ignorance out there unfortunately it's being fueled by right wing pundits, Internet rumor mills and of course Faux News.

My sister Gus was here a couple of weeks ago. I really love this pic of us together even though she hated it! Aren't we cute? LOL!! We did our usual field trip to the Eastern Market, Trader Joe's, Sushi and Ethiopian food.

The only bummer is that she didn't have any knitting going on so we didn't hit any LYS's. After finishing "the clap" I had a little bit of knitting fatigue so I opted to do a couple of instant gratification projects before digging in to my ex-MIL's lace wrap. I made a couple of the Felicity hat s (for myself). I love the pattern, it goes really quickly and the fit is great for my peanut head. ;-) The brown hat is made with Berocco Ultra Alpaca and the multi maroon/green is made with Malbrigo.

Well, Mr. Larj has still not been called back to work. He filed for unemployment and got his first check the other day.

I feel like things in this state will get worse before they get better. The most heartening indicator that I've seen this week is Jennifer Granholm hanging out with president elect Obama this week. Hopefully she's filling his ear about how people are really suffering in this state. Of course like the banking situation, the auto companies got greedy and stuck their head in the sand when it came to financial and market trends. They did it to themselves, unfortunately the working people are the ones paying for their ineptitude.

Everyone have a great week!!

I have good news, and........

2008-10-27T18:40:00.000-07:00

Of course what follows is the bad news. I guess I'll start with the good stuff. Drum roll please......the Clap is DONE!! I did five extra pattern repeats on it and it's long and luscious. I love the drape and the color. I am glad that I waited for the right yarn to come along. I'm very happy with the way it turned out.

Now, for the bad...Mr. Larj is laid off from the job that he just started in August. His employers told him last week on Monday that there wasn't going to be any work for the next week they then called him again on Friday and told him there wasn't anything the following week either and that he might want to look in to filing for unemployment benefits. So this sucks. The economy here in Michigan is so bad, anyone who has a job is lucky to be working. With the stock market taking a dump so did our savings and investments. There are so many foreclosed homes on our block that it is wholly unbelievable. The value of our home is right back to where it was 12 years ago when we bought it. Something had better change and fast.

At least my sister Gus is in town to take my mind off of some of this. We've been doing the ususal things we do when she's here like going to the Eastern market and just hanging out and relaxing. I also went to see Henry Rollins at the Fillmore on Sunday night. Every time I see him he moves a little further up on my "future ex-husband" list. Such a funny and brilliant man. Yummy too. ;-)

Well I am going to start in on the Felicity hat for an instant gratification project. I need one after the never ending clap. I also have the lace wrap for my ex-MIL that I need to actually start working on. She might be getting her X-mas prezzie a little late this year.

Everyone have a great week...I'm off to buy some lottery tickets!

How much can you cram in to four days?

2008-10-01T11:09:00.000-07:00

Apparently quite a bit! It was an amazing trip for only being four days in length. Cyndi and Marc were awesome host's. Cyndi is one of my friends from High School (so we know it's been a while). We've kept touch over the years and have remained good friends. We started out by grabbing some lunch at a little bistro and then did some touring of Georgetown where a lot of embassies are located. Of course I had to do a little trespassing at the Finnish embassy. Really ultra modern and very "Ikea" looking. One of the stops I wanted to make was to have my picture taken on the "Exorcist" steps. You know, the end scene where the priest is tossed out of the window. They're located in a very unlikely spot in Georgetown sort of spilling out in to a gas station parking lot. This did not deter me from getting down on the ground for a staged shot. A few other people were trying to get pics of the stairs too and used me as a model ;-) Here's a shot of me at the White House exercising my first amendment rights. Glad they're still somewhat intact.

Later that evening we went to a restaurant called "The Founding Farmers". The philosophy is to use seasonal and locally produced food to create the menu. I had oysters on the half shell and squash stuffed ravioli. They also try to stick to a green philosophy as far as energy usage and in the ladies room they had a Dyson "blade" to dry your hands instead of toweling or the standard hand dryers. I want one of these for my whole body!

Of course the next day was all about Apocalyptica!! However early in the day we went to Old Town and did a tour of the Torpedo Factory Art Gallery. They had a really eclectic collection of different genres of art. We ate lunch at a Thai restaurant and played a game of musical cocktails before we figured out who's drink actually belonged to who. Then it was off to the concert!! By the time we got there the queue had already started. We were probably about halfway in the line before they opened the doors and then it was about another hour and a half before Apo took the stage. I managed to squeeze in pretty close. I wish I had gotten some better live shots but these guys dont exactly stand still. The show itself....awesome, incredible, amazing....I'm ready to go for four!!

Here's a shot of Paavo and me after the gig. He's such a sweetie.

Here's Eicca blond hair and fingers flying. The technical skill that these guys have is mind boggling. Remember there are no frets on a cello. Everything is strictly motor memory.

Of course as you guys can see...I stayed after and stalked the band for photos.

The next day was more touring of galleries and Museums. We went to the National Museum of American Indians for lunch where they had several kiosks set up with different areas of the Americas and their indigenous foods. We had some salmon, tamal, different grain based salads and of course fry bread. We toured some of the National Portrait Gallery to see the Ansel Adams and Georgia O'Keffee exhibit. Everything was grouped beautifully and we got to see some of their lesser known pieces. We then went to Walter Reed Medical Center for the Medical Museum. Certainly not to everyone's taste but you know me, I like the gross stuff. After we toured the museum I did a little trespassing in the hospital and managed to find their PM&R department to see how their OT deparment was. Unfortunately it was a little late and the clinic was closed up. I did a little more snooping and found Lieutenant Colonel Gambel, a physiatrist who came out of his office and was more than happy to explain the ins and outs of their therapy departmet, accupuncture and how not everyone in the military is a raving conservative. Then it was off to dinner at Bilbo Baggins restarant, of course it was attatched to the Green Dragon Pub. ;-) Very quaint and the food was delicious.

Did you think I wouldn't talk about yarn? For starters, there was absolutely NO problem with bringing my addi 1 and 2 circs on the plane. In fact they never even looked at them. I did a little knitting on the plane while listening to podcasts. If you travel....get an iPod. It will save your sanity and keep you from having to listen to screaming brats and inane conversation. On my last day I wanted to hit a LYS just to grab a little souvenir for myself. I found "Knit Happens" not very far from Cyndi's apt. Very nice store and nice owners. Of course I had to do a little shameless self promotion for my shawl pins and left her with one of my Etsy and blog cards. We ate lunch at Wasabi, a really cool sushi restaurant where the food comes around in front of you on a little conveyor belt and you just reach up and grab what you want. At the end of your meal they add up plates to total your bill. Very cool. We then did a little more museum touring of the Craft Museum and a very small portion of the Smithsonian. We took pics at the White House and some of the anti-Bush protesters. Then lastly ducked in to the Asian art museum for a quick look before getting back on the train and getting me to the airport.

I'm a little tired today ;-) I've spent most of my morning pouring over photos and catching up on emails etc. Now it's time to do a little laundry, cooking and get back to the mundane track of my daily existence. Back to work tomorrow....bleah.

If anyone wants to peruse more of my pics go to Flickr and look me up under "larjmarj39". Everyone have a great rest of your week!

Apocalyptica phase I

2008-09-24T16:38:00.000-07:00

Back from Canada and the Apo concert week phase I. I had a really great time the show was awesome and I can't wait for the next one in D.C. on Sunday. Of course I totally stalked the band both before and after the show. I have this really lovely pre-concert shot of Perttu below and one with me and Eicca afterwards. There was a hardcore group of about ten of us that waited around after the show for autographs and pics. We stayed there till 1:30 waiting for every band member to make it out to the bus. If you guys want to see more pics check out my Flickr page (I'm Larjmarj39) and if you want to see some vid's check out my YouTube page where I added 3 of them.

I got to London Ontario early probably around 4 PM so I took the opportunity to work on my noro sock while I was waiting for the gig to start. I got one finished and managed to remember how to do the twisted German cast on to start the other. The weather was perfect, the band was awesome, the guys are uber friendly and sweet all in all a really good time.

The only craptastic part was coming back in to Detroit I was stopped on the bridge by an overzealous customs agent who simply couldn't believe that I traveled two and a half hours one way to see a concert. So she flagged me to have my vehicle searched. I had to go in to the customs office (which reminded me of Reno 911) and re-state everything that I told her to another person who had the same reaction. Since all of my paperwork was in order and there wasn't any contraband in my car they let me go. I was pretty incensed and the last customs agent bore the brunt of my indignation when he asked me what was in the cooler in the back of my car I told him "air" and when he asked where I was going after leaving there I told him "home". He then explained to me that he was "just doing his job". Assholes. So it's back to work for 2 days and then flying out to D.C. on Saturday.

Everyone have a great week!

A lot on my plate....

2008-09-21T14:50:00.000-07:00

There is a lot on my plate this week. For starters my friend Sarah took me out after work for sushi at the Little Tree. A belated BD prezzie. Here she is enjoying her foo-foo cocktail. Ordinarily I am not one for foo-foo drinks but these were very refreshing and not sickeningly sweet. The sushi was yummy, we both highly recommend the Rice Krispy roll, A+ for texture and flavor.

Today I ventured downtown for the "Peoples Art Festival" at the Russell street industrial complex. It's comprised of a series of buildings that artists have turned in to a collective of studios and work spaces.
Today was their annual art show where artists from around the city gather to exhibit. My friend Tim Shoemaker was showing some of his fantastic metal art and sculpture. The arbor is covered with butterflies. Really amazing work. I have a couple of Tim's pieces and am looking forward to collecting more. I picked up a couple of cool t-shirts, some cards and some magnets. Lots of tattoos in the crowd. Myself included ;-)

On the knitting front, I haven't really gotten a whole lot done this week. It always seems like I'm late getting home or there's errands ans such to take care of after work. Like I said, a lot on my plate. I started the "Simple Elegance Shawl" from Krystofer's blog. I think I may have to send it to the frog pond temporarily. I ran in to some math issues that I think I need to straighten out. I reworked the math without frogging to make the pattern work but on closer inspection of Krystofer's original pattern there are 9 pattern repeats and the one that I started will only have 8 and I want it to be "stole" width. So if I'm going to go through the hassle of frogging I might add yet another repeat. I am making this for my ex-mother-in-law who is an absolute doll. I think she'll love it.

As for other goings on, I have a trip to Canada on Tuesday where I'll be traveling to London Ontario to see Apocalyptica!! I'll be staying over and driving back the next day. Saturday I'm flying out to D.C. to visit my friend Cyndi for a four days where I'll see Apocalyptica again on Sunday!! Yeah, I'm a middle aged groupie! I guess there are worse things to be, like a book banning Alaskan hockey mom.

Mr. Larj will be home holding down the fort and taking care of the dog. So far so good regarding his job. I'm hoping that his work stays steady, especially in light of everything that's going on with our economy.

So, everyone have a great week and if you haven't registered to vote please DO IT!!!!

A Quickie

2008-09-15T18:31:00.000-07:00

I am going to attempt a drive by posting so I'll try to make this quick.

I finally finished the scarf for Mr. Larj's nephew. I can't say that I'm really crazy about the yarn that I used but it's superwash and he's a college kid. I found it to be heavy and slippery to work with. Usually I can do cables without a cable needle, not with this stuff, way too slick.

I am also making progress on the clap which I had the chance to work on during Saturday's Knitterpalooza in Royal Oak. It was a rainy crappy day but it didn't deter the knitters from coming out and staying for most of the day. Kudos to Amby for putting it all together and making the most of a soggy day! Thanks to Amby I also have a new fav Sushi place, Noble Fish. Not only is the quality awesome but the price can't be beat. I went a little crazy in the grocery store. One thing that I can't recommend enough is Japanese mayonaise. If you ever get the chance to do a taste comparison you'll never go back to the regular strore bought stuff.

I got these lovely roses at TraderJoes on Friday. Aren't they gorgeous. Just love that store.

As for the rest of my week I am gearing up for my two mini-vacations that are pending not next week but the week after. I can't wait. I get to see Apocalyptica TWICE! In the span of one week. I'll also be touring D.C. with my friend Cyndi. It'll be interesting to see what the political climate is in our nations capitol during this volitile election year.

Everyone have a great week!!

Crazy Week...

2008-09-07T15:54:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's been one of those, crazy but in a good way. My sister Gus and her boyfriend were in town from Seattle and we went all over the city from Mexican Town to Dearborn and the Eastern Market which was our first stop. Here's a pic of Gus and Dick at Vivio's one of our fav must do eateries. We had a Greek omelet and after checking our watches and deciding that 10:30 was not too early to start drinking, a Bloody Mary with a beer back. ;-) This was our first time seeing the new (revamped) shed. It's really nice and they have lots of new vendors with organic produce and fresh baked bread. One that I was impressed with was the "Detroit Evolution Laboratory", it's a really unique place where they offer Yoga classes and courses in how to prepare raw foods. They were selling the most amazing salad dressings and fruit nut bars. Yum!
As for knitting I am slowly picking away at the "Clap". I am enjoying the pattern, intesting but not so much that it's not TV knitting. Don't you just love my knitting bag?

I am also almost finished with my hub's nephew's scarf. I'll get pics when it's done in it's entirety.

What to cast on next? I think a wrap for my X-Mil.

I also finalized the "recipe" for the iPhon e case. Details are on my Ravely projects page. I like the way it turned out and it really fits this phone well.

Today, being my whopping one day weekend means playing catch up. I did a lot of cooking for the upcoming week and I also organized some of my photos that I took when Gus was here and tried to catch up on my email.

Next week I really have to get my butt in the basement and work on some jewelry. I can't procrastinate any longer. The holidays are coming and I would like to have some shawl pins out to Bridgette for Knitterpalooza next weekend. YAY!! cant wait!

Everyone have a great week....

Moving Right Along..

2008-08-25T15:00:00.000-07:00

I'm making good progress on the "Clap", it's really coming along nicely and the pattern is surprisingly easy to do and makes good TV or podcast knitting. I am to the point where I did my first dropped stitch as shown in the below photo.

I also started a secondary project for Mr. Larj's nephew. He starts college in the fall and I thought an Irish Hiking scarf out of some superwash wool would be a nice gesture from an estranged family member. Mr. Larj's family is a lot like mine. NOT close at all. He speaks to his mother and sometimes his two sisters. His brother (who's son is the scarf recipient) is an odd one. We've visited them at their home several times but we haven't heard from them since our last visit. I think it's me (I'm far too trashy for them) and Mr. Larj thinks it has something to do with his brother's opinion of his life choices. I don't know and I really don't care, they're an odd bunch and like my own family, if they don't like us for who we are then please feel free to f**k off.

Speaking of my family, my sister Gus is going to be coming for a week on Friday. Some of you in my "meat space" knitting group may know her from the last couple of times she's been here and knitted with us. I'm really looking forward to her visit. I have been trying to milk the last drops of summer out of my evenings and weekends. It's such a short season here. I am however feeling pangs of guilt about neglecting my Etsy store and all of the things that I should be doing to stock it. It's just very hard to work in the basement when the weather is nice, and we've had some really nice days of late.

Lots of stash pics are forthcoming. I went a little crazy yesterday and visited eBay, Little Knits and Knit Picks. I went to Little Knits after 2 glasses of wine so you know I did some damage. LOL! Oh well I pretty much have stash beyond life expectancy so what the hell, what's one more skein on the pile?

Everyone have a great week!!

I've got the Clap

2008-08-17T19:05:00.000-07:00

Clapotis that is......I'm not trying to get personal with you guys! I am almost finished with all of the increase rows and next it'll be on to the straight knitting. I'm a little confused as to the "remove marker, drop stitches, pick up bar to make new stitch but don't twist". It's the "don't twist" part that has me baffled. I assume it's treated as a m1 but I could be wrong. I'll have to do a bit more research.

Here's a little better pic that really shows off the colors. As I was knitting along on this I was listening to some pod casts. I have come to the conclusion after trying several.....I just don't like knitting podcasts. I think they're really boring. Either they're trying to describe yarn, patterns or techniqes which for me doesn't work without the visual or else they are giggling incessantly about some "inside joke". Yawn. I'm having better luck with the political and educational pod casts.

I also made it to a new LYS on Saturday. I was out with Mom Larj and we decided to pop in to a new store Downriver called "Miles and miles of yarn" It's a small store, not a lot of selection (yet?) but she did have some superwash wool that I intend to use to make Eric's nephew a scarf to go off to college with and a nice 100% wool that looks like Noro colors but is MUCH softer.

I did a little cooking today. Yesterday I went to one of my favorite places, Block's farm market. They are only open seasonally but they have excellent produce for an excellent price. Everything is so fresh and delish. This is one of my favorite summer salads. It consists of 2 mangoes firm but ripe, 2.5-3 cucumbers peeled, 1/2 onion, 1/2 cup of cilantro and about 2T of fresh lime juice. Just toss and enjoy!

I also picked up some really gorgeous Gladiolus flowers while I was there.

I'm trying to milk the most out of what's left of the summer that I possibly can. I guess than means that I've been slacking off on a lot of the things that I "should" be doing. I'm having a really hard time going in to the basement to work on jewelry. It feels like punishment when the weather is this nice. Hopefully I'll be able to push myself to get to my butt in gear this next week. I have tomorrow off and have a little running around to do. After that I hope to do a little more cooking for the rest of the week and straighten up a bit around the house. You know...the whole domestic routine. Then it's back to work for another funkalicious week. At least Mr. Larj's job seems to be going well and he LIKES it. Well off to have a glass of wine and chill out.

Everyone have a great week!! M

Shawl Pr0n!!

2008-08-08T15:40:00.000-07:00

Here it is the moment we've all....well at least I've been waiting for. The Luna Moth shawl is finally finished blocked and being modeled in the usual shawl prOn style ;-)

I think it turned out really well and was basically an easy knit, just one that I didn't stick to and I'm not really sure why. I guess there were too many other projects to distract me plus everyone at work seems to get knocked up at the same time so I was stuck in a baby sock rut for a while.

I mentioned last post that I was making a case for my new iPod...here it is in all of it's Noro goodness. the original plan was for a long thin case but somehow my calculations were skewed and I ended up with more of a square case. This as I discovered after felting and finishing works to my advantage as I can store my iPod and earbuds in the same case. I added an antique button from my grandma's button box. Doesn't everyone's grandma have one?

Speaking of Noro lets touch on Noro Kureyon sock yarn ....Noro how do I frog thee? let me count the ways. Three.... at last count. This yarn sort of freaks me out. It doesn't have the give that plied yarn has so trying to find a pattern that will have a little sproing is a challenge. I started out with sort of a zig zag pattern that looked really cool with the yarn but didn't have the bounce, I then went with my standard garter rib stitch and at 66 cast on stitches it was huge. So I started looking for patterns at a 60 stitch cast on count. I found one in my Favorite Socks book called Mock Wave Cable So cks. It calls for starting with a size 3 needle and then dropping down to a 2 but I decided that would make it too gappy and sloppy so I am starting with a 2 and then dropping down to a one. My try on seems to be just fine so we'll see how they work up. I cant say that I'm in love with this yarn as far as feel and workability but the colors are superb so I guess it's typical Noro.

As I mentioned I've had the entire week off from work. I have managed to somewhat relax but I have also gotten a few things done around the house. The major thing was getting the computer updated. It had been about six years so we were ready...or should I say I was ready. Mr Larj has an irrational fear of change so he didn't cope well with the change of certain programs etc. Oh well. Now I only have two days left and it's back to more of the same. I usually am sort of "ready" to go back but... not this time. I think I am truly in a rut as far as my job and profession go. Sigh.... Maybe someday I'll be able to survive on full time artist's pay but not at this point in my life. Other than that nothing new and exciting though...I did print off Clapotis yesterday...........

Everyone have a great weekend!!

You'd better sit down.....

2008-08-03T15:37:00.001-07:00

Finally, a shot of me modeling the finished Greenjeans cardi, blocked and with a proper button securely attached. I had to force Mr. Larj off of the couch and shove the camera in to his hands to get this but here it is. I would have preferred something a little closer to get the details but this is what I got.

Here's a close up shot of the button. You all know of my obsession with all things leafy. Believe it or not I found this at JoAnne Fabric. Perfect or what?

But wait....there's more unbelievable knitterly goings on. As of about a half hour ago, the Luna Moth Shawl came off of the needles after months of picking away at it. I started back to knitting on it last week only to discover that I was actually closer to finishing than I realized. So after a few nights of working on it and then wrapping up the edging today, it's done! Right now it's having a well deserved Eucalan soak and then off to blocking land. I'm thinking it should be fairly straight forward to block given the pointyness of the edge pattern. I have to say if anyone is considering knitting a lace shawl, this is a really great pattern. It's well written easy to follow and works up pretty quickly (if you actually pick it up and work on it).

I think for now I am going to work on a couple of instant gratification projects. I have a new toy, a 30 gig iPod that I picked up from a work pal. I cast on today for a felted case. Nothing fancy, just something to stash it in. I also have the itch to start in on a pair of socks. Not sure what pattern yet. I'll have to go down and stare at my sick sock yarn stash to get some sort of an idea of what I might want to make and with what yarn. I'm sure I'll be staring at it for a while. Any sock suggestions?

I also have this entire week off of work!!! Yay!!! I have a to do list of course but I am adhering to it loosely and will chip away at it a little bit at a time.

Also Mr. Larj has what appears to be a steady full time position with a reliable printing company. This certainly eases our minds a little bit and gives me a little breathing room regarding my own job. Not that I don't have some level of security but you never know when they're going to bring "the Bob's" in and start restructuring.

Everyone have a great week!! I know I will. I'll be thinking of all of you working away while I'm relaxing on my cabana with some iced tea, knitting and listening to my iPod. :-)

It's DONE!!

2008-07-26T18:06:00.000-07:00

OMFG!!!

It's DONE!!

I never thought that I would get there but I did. Here it is in it's unblocked and buttonless state. I am giving it a good Eucalan soak right now and will undertake blocking shortly. I cant say it was a difficult knit. I made a lot of errors. The largest being the frogging back of the entire bottom part of the cable ribbing on the body. Why? Because I didn't read the pattern correctly and just kept going and going until I realized that it didn't look like the other Greenjeans cardi's that I saw on Ravelry. I have to say that I love the browny greeness of the color and it's oh so soft, knitted in yummy Ultra Alpaca. The next time I undertake a garment...I will be sure to read the pattern entirely! Full modeling pics forthcoming. I hope I'll be smiling in them.

Next I hope to finish the Luna Moth shawl, after all the Clapotis is calling me....

It's my short weekend so that means that I have one day to play catch up for the week ahead which means laundry etc. I have a little time off coming up and I can't wait!

Everyone have a great week...

Just what I need.....more yarn......

2008-07-20T17:46:00.001-07:00

Yeah I know, just what I needed more yarm for my sick stash......but.........I've had my eye on this lovely orangish Schaefer Marjaana for the last few months, dreaming of a Clapotis. Perfect no? The green yarn is Cascade Venezia that was gifted to my by a co-worker who does contingent work at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak. It's the only hospital that I know of that actually has a yarn shop! That's right, right there in the hospital. Needless to say it would be a very dangerous place for me to work at so I haven't even contemplated it. Besides for the most part I'm pretty content where I'm at although as you all know every work place has it's issues. The pink yarn is some Opal Uni sock that was on sale at Little knits so I got that along with the Marjaana. Of course I needed needles to complete some of the planned projects, adding to the list of 800 or so. I'd also been eying the Favorite Socks book for a while but waited until it went on sale. So given the fact that I had a sock book I thought that I'd try the Knit Picks sock blank. I don't know if you guys have seen these but it's a knitted tube that you can dye in all kinds of crazy ways. I can't wait to try it out. So far I just use Kool-aid for dying but, I think I can manage to get some cool colors and effects.

It's my long weekend so I did a little domestic work as well. Mr. Larj has a Hispanic co-worker at one of his printing gigs who is always bringing in tasty stuff for lunch that he occasionally shares with Mr. Larj. Last week he brought in a version of coleslaw that sounded really delicious so I had Mr. Larj get the recipe. So here's my version.

Cole Slaw Mexicana

1 bag of shredded cabbage (10 oz)
3 medium tomatoes diced
1 medium vidalia or sweet onion diced
1 bunch of cilantro loosely chopped
2-4 fresh jalapeño peppers chopped
1/3 cup of fresh lime juice
drizzle of olive oil
pinch of salt

Add all ingredients together and toss!! *When chopping jalapeño peppers, wear gloves! The seeds are the hot part so halve them and clean out all of the seeds thoroughly. Then chop.

What else have I been up to? Working on the Greenjeans Cardi. I have one sleeve completely done and the other about 3/4 of the way. That's on my to finish list before I start anything else (yeah right). I may need a little technical help when I get to the ribbing around the front. I just hope that it turns out!

Everyone have a great week!!

How about them Socks?

2008-07-10T16:06:00.001-07:00

Now how's that for a "pair" of socks. I just finished these yesterday, they're my "at work" socks that I work on during my lunch hour and annoying meetings. I can't claim the "photo negative" idea as entirely mine. I knew that I wanted to make a pair of socks in an 80's vein, sort of a retro athletic style. When I was almost finished with the first one my non-knitter co-worker Sarah said "you should make the other one the exact opposite" So I did. She was pretty excited to see me wearing her concept design today. Very fun. I used Cascade Fixation yarn from my stash and size 4 addi turbo's and magic looped. A quick knit.

I also finished the Cable socks from the "Sensational Knitted Socks" book, which I can't recommend enough. They really are more of a true red than shows in the picture. They were my first pair of cabled socks and a pretty easy knit. Unfortunately the weather here has been a little warm for wool so these will probably hibernate in my sock box till at least October.

I am bound and determined to finish the Greenjeans cardi next. I need to get some UFO's that have been languishing on my coffee table done and soon. Why the rush? I finally ordered my Schaefer Marjanaa from Little Knits. I was emailing back and forth with them for the last few months waiting for them to get more of this particular color in. It reminds me of a coat that I had about 20 or so years ago. I called it the B.O.C (big orange coat). My SO hated it and I LOVED it. It was the brightest orange velvet, full length with big rolled cuff sleeves. Really obnoxious, just my style. I cant wait to recreate the feel of the B.O.C by making this out of that lovely lovely yarn.

I also ordered one of these from Knit Picks today along with some other knitting sundries. Intriguing idea don't you think?

Keep your fingers and toes crossed. Mr. Larj has another lead on a full time position. He hasn't worked at all for the last two weeks. One of his contingent jobs closed their doors entirely. Let's hope that something finally comes through for him. My job feels fairly secure but in this economic climate, you never know.

Everyone have a great rest of their week end! It's almost here.

BTW.... Mom Larj turns 82 tomorrow!

What the Hell is Wrong with Me!

2008-06-29T16:56:00.000-07:00

I've been cooking......yes, as in using a stove and utensils and stuff. I know, quite shocking. I think it has to do with the time of year. Summer brings all of the fresh fruit and veggies that I long for during Winter. Today's menu consisted of a yummy parsley chive pasta summer veggie Primavera and tuna noodle salad.

This was my short weekend and last night was a night of hanging out with Mr. Larj. Anyone who knows him well can tell you this is dangerous and chances are you will wake up the next day not feeling very well. However after the week that I've had at work, I needed to chill out and get my drink on. I started out with the stock and standard vodka martini. I wasn't really satisfied with it though and thought that I needed to step "outside the box" as far as my usual cocktail fare. After a little experimentation, this is what I came up with.

Cucumber-Melontini

1.5 oz. of Vodka
1.5 oz. of Midori or other melon liqueur
1 oz. Cucumber juice (I have a juicer)
Juice of one half lime
Cucumber slices for garnish

Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker with crushed ice, shake and strain in to a glass, add a little of the crushed ice and garnish with the cucumber slices.....kick back and enjoy!!

I know, it sounds really weird but I assure you that it's incredibly refreshing and they go down pretty easy. Now after more than a few of these you're going to need a hangover cure. What I recommend is a breakfast staple around this house, chilaquiles, or my version of it.

Chilaquiles Larj Marj Style

6 eggs
Approx. a half cup of mik or unsweetened Soy milk
3 handfulls of salted corn tortilla chips loosely crumbled
3 green chiles (canned) chopped
Butter

Melt the butter in a pan that's large enough to accommodate all ingredients. Add the chopped chiles and saute lightly. Add the eggs, chips and milk, cook as you would scrambled eggs. When the eggs are set it's done! Top with salsa or Pico de Gallo and enjoy the best hangover cure / breakfast around.

If you live in the Detroit area I cannot recommend La Colmena (Honeybee) Market enough for Mexican provisions. Their salsa, chips and guacamole are simply outstanding. It's worth the trip!

Oh yeah, knitting .....the charity hats are on their way to Arizona to be distributed later this yearn in Mongolia. I have been picking away on the red cable socks and the Greenjeans cardi. I really NEED to finish at least one of the UFO's that have been hanging around my knitting basket for the last....oh..six months or so. I'm convinced that if I can finish at least one, the planets will align and the UFO's will magically start to disappear one by one.

Now, back to cooking I leave you with an edu-macational video of the easy peasy way to chop garlic...no muss no fuss. Everyone have a great week.

My Bad....

2008-06-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's been a few weeks. I've been attempting to drag myself out of my funk and get back to concentrating on what I need to focus on like finishing some projects that have been on endless hiatus and making some jewelry. I've also been having a few health problems lately that have flared up and snapped my attention to the fact that things can always get worse and that I need to snap out of it.

Where to start? How about with a pleasant surprise from one of my fav bloggers, the lovely and talented Hasbu. I went over to my mom's house to check on a package I was expecting and found a surprise package from Finland! Inside was a lovely card and some GREEN superwash sock yarn that is just gorgeous! There could be some Karmic repercussions for this spontaneous act of generosity. I also was recently gifted a lovely skein of hand spun chunky green yarn from Sara, who is an up and coming designer from our Tuesday Panera crew.

Now that we've covered talented knitters let's talk about another talented individual working in one of my favorite mediums.....metal. I love metal in sculpture, structure and of course on the smaller scale where it's worn. I happened upon Tim Shoemaker at the tattoo convention where I purchased one of his metal spiders. I was looking through some of his other works on his myspace page and found a metal mantis. I had to have one and commissioned Tim to create one for me. Isn't he awesome? His new home is on top of my book case in the "library" where he looks like he's waiting for his next meal. Tim will also be displaying and selling his art at the Stars and Stripes Festival in Mt. Clemens on June 27,28, & 29th. Check it out. Support your local artists!

Oh yeah, this is a blog about knitting sometimes isn't it? Well on that front I've been cranking out hats for the Dulaan project and so far I'm at 11 including a contribution from Mom Larj. I have one more to finish before mailing everything of tomorrow. It's a great cause and a great way to use up odds and ends of stash for small projects. I think this is my third year of participating with this charity.

Speaking of getting involved I also participated in the "Hungry for Change" bake sale in Dearborn to support Barack Obama's presidential campaign. I contributed some brownies and of course came home with some goodies. I'm hoping to get a little more involved as we get closer to November.

Other than that, life continues on it's same path. Everyone have a great week!!

Funkadelic

2008-06-01T16:52:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I'm still here. I am still swilling around in my funk, trying to make sense of it and trying to make some sort of plan of action to haul my butt out of it. I really don't know what the deal is. Sometimes I think that because I work with so many older people who tell me "don't get old" and other statements along those lines it really hits me hard. We really do have a finite amount of time on this planet and the use of that time really comes to the forefront of our thoughts as we get older. I sure as hell don't want to be one of those people who go through life, going through the motions with a list of regrets and things undone. Middle aged crazy? I suppose.

As for knitting the only thing that I've been working on for the last two weeks are some hats for the Dulaan project. If you've never heard of it, it's a charity that sends warm woolies to the impoverished people of Mongolia so that they can get through their harsh winters. I've got four done and started my fifth today.

I have a two day weekend this week, I took my "extra" day off for working the holiday. I'm hoping to get some stuff in to my Etsy store and work on some new designs and some old standbys.
My friend Cyndi is in town from DC and we plan on going out to lunch tomorrow in AA. Should be fun. Maybe if I get out for a day it'll un-funk me a little bit.

Speaking of funk and downright funky. I don't know how your workplace is but I work with some real characters. Here's one of them.............I give you Bob the angry squirrel.

Everyone have a great week and watch out for the squirrel...........

Apocalyptica

2008-05-04T10:25:00.000-07:00

Well...I waited 3 years for this band to come around and I finally got to see them on Tuesday. At the Crofoot in Pontiac. The show was incredible and the guys rocked their asses off. Of course I stalked the tour bus afterwards and got autographs and hugs from a few of the band members. They hooked up with Toryn Green from the band Fuel to do vocals on a few of their songs. He did a really great job and is a really nice and down to earth guy.

Here's one of my vids from the show of the guys doing a cover of Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters", there's a few more on my You Tube page.

I also got some fair shots as far as photos, it was really hard because they are always in motion!

I got a really good shot of Perttu's broken index finger. The last time he toured he broke the same one on the other hand! Yes, He played cello with a broken finger! Now that's hard core.

Here's Mikko the drummer giving me a peace out as he was getting ready to get on the bus.

It was a really great time and I'm so glad that I finally got to see one of my favorite bands in such a small setting and got to meet a few of them as well. I guess two of the band members Eicca and Antero took a different bus.

The only problem with going to an event that's been building and building is that when it happens and it finally is over with it's back to life as usual .... uninspiring and stagnant. I do believe that I am in a full blown funk.

I'm hoping it'll pass though there's things going on in my personal life that are making it difficult to be very positive at the moment. One positive is that Mom Larj somehow passed her drivers exam this year so I am off the hook as far as becoming a chauffeur. Whew! Other than that it's the same old same old. Still working on the same stuff etc. Haven't started anything new though the Zombie socks are tempting me.

Everyone have a great week.

Konnichiwa

2008-04-27T18:25:00.000-07:00

My hub is what you might call a little obsessive at times. He latches on to something and well....that's that. The latest obsession? Seaweed. Eating seaweed that is.

Sushi happens to be one of our fav foods. It doesn't take much arm wringing to get either one of us to go out for a plate of raw fish. Recently Mr. Larj tried the seaweed salad at our local sushi restaurant and he fell for it....hard.

Thus began the search for a local source for seaweed.

We found an Asian grocer in Ann Arbor and we took a road trip out there today. Supposedly it was the "Meijer" of Asian Grocers, I have to say it was a pretty good sized store with a healthy selection of all kinds of unidentifiable eats. Little dried fish and something called "squid flavored balls".

This brings me to Ramen noodles. Not your grandmothers Ramen noodles but something quite different. These come in a larger package, they have a separate little veggie packet and have quite a bit of heat. Very spicy. I made mine with a little Wakame seaweed along with some fish sauce and sesame oil. Yummy. Of course we got quite a bit of seaweed of different varieties , miso paste and wasabi peas for snacking.

On the knitting front. I have started one of the sleeves on the Greenjeans cardi. I am using dpn's and hating every minute of it. I always get ladders not matter what I do. There must be a trick. I've looked in my books and online for tips and tricks, tried most of them and yet.........still laddery.

Hopefully it will go quickly at this point.

I ended up with more days off this week than I originally planned. I knew that I was taking Wednesday off after the Apocalyptica concert on Tuesday but Mom Larj called me with a dilemma. She said that I needed to take Tuesday off as well because she received a "nasty" letter from the Secretary of State about getting her eyes reexamined. Apparently what happened is that after her cataract surgery, her doctor had to submit paperwork detailing all of the issues with her eyes. One of the issues is her mild case of macular degeneration So she was flagged and apparently the only place they can do this is downtown across from the Fisher Building. I am not happy about driving downtown, it's not something that I do. I don't know my way around, it's going to suck. Hopefully it won't turn in to the debacle that I fear it will.

Well Sayonara for now, and everyone have a great week.

Mindfulness

2008-04-20T15:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my big whopping one day off this week. I spent it out in Ann Arbor listening to the Dalai Lama speak. It was amazing and moving. He spoke of a lot of Buddhist concepts and he also took some questions. He spoke about half the time through his interpreter, and about half the time in English. He has an amazing presence.

Afterwards I went to the Whole Foods market in AA. I went there hungry, big mistake! There is so much there that's yummy. When I got home I took a two hour nap with the Dalmatian and then Mr. Larj and I went out to dinner at a place called India Spice in Farmington Hills. It was so incredibly good. They have a tomato soup there that is out of this world. Mr. Larj and I both agreed it was like having a party in your mouth.

This last Tuesday at Knit night I received a surprise prezzie of a "Whatsit" from the talented Sara! She made one for everyone in our little group and customized them to each recipient. Mine is green (of course) and has pierced ears with little silver hoop earrings. SO cute.

I also gave myself a prezzie of this lovely t-shirt that I first saw on Kat's blog. It fit's me perfectly both literally and figuratively. If you can't read it..it says "will knit for tattoos". I HAD to have it!

I ran around after work today and frankly I am bushed. I had a pretty hectic day at work and then I decided that I had a "fevah" for some really good guacamole and chips. I went to the Honey Bee market in Mexicantown. Which if you've never been is a real treat. The chips are light and crisp and the guacamole...outstanding. It was a real challenge getting there since I-75 is closed at Clark St. I ended up taking Woodward all the way from 696 to Jefferson, Jefferson to Fort, Fort to Livernois and Vernor to Bagley. Let's just simplify and say it took me an hour and a half to get home today. I am tired, too tired to knit right now, think I am going to have a glass of wine, watch some trash TV and hit the hay for another day of adventures in health care.

Everyone have a great and mindful week !

A Little R & R

2008-04-13T12:05:00.001-07:00

Rest, relaxation and a little pain too. Yeah, I needed to get more ink from Mr. Ed. I love his dragonfly's and always wanted to get one. I had a few ideas but as usual I let Mr. Ed use his imagination to give me this exquisite piece. I also wanted to add a bee to my wisteria, isn't he sweet? I love the way he does the shading on the dragonfly and leaf, it makes it look as if it's just hovering and he tied it in nicely to the wisteria but gave it enough of a difference in look and color to make it stand out on it's own.

I have off of work until Thursday of course I'm being pretty lazy so far. I do however need to get my butt in gear to make some more goodies for my Etsy shop. I think I'll probably get started on that tomorrow.

As for knitting, Friday was another fun filled night with the HYAW knitters. Of course we stopped in at Amici's for cocktails. I worked a little bit on my red cable sock. It's coming along nicely. It's about the only one of my wip's that is coming along at all. I haven't touched the other two. I think I am just in a funk. I need the weather to change or something. If you can believe it we had snow flurries this morning!! You can tell it's been a while since I've been out in the sun, look at that blue white turkey leg! Yeesh!

Another thing that's been taking up some of my knitting time is my obsession with the Democratic primaries. I really wish this extended pissing match would come to an end so that we can focus on the real issues as a country. This is just more of the same, "lets create a division" politics that I think a lot of us are really sick of.

Everyone have a great week, by the way, I'll be sleeping in while your're working. ;-)

Finally.........spring-ish

2008-04-06T10:52:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's spring-ish here. I'm not holding my breath weather wise, we do live in Michigan and anything can happen. I know I haven't updated my blog in a while but truthfully there hasn't been much to update. Just going through life's daily grind and trying to stay centered. Mr. Larj and I haven't really seen a whole lot of each other lately. He's been shuffling his time between 3 part time jobs (yes, 3). I have to say that he really deserves big props from me for keeping us solvent in these tough economic times. He has really been working his butt off. Last night was the exception to the rule, we actually had a "date night", we went out for Sushi and stayed in for Martinis. At least I had Martinis, he thinks they're gross. We started to watch a movie he made it half way through and went to bed. I finished it and then went to bed myself. A couple of boring old farts eh? But that's life isn't it? Whenever my patients give me a hard time telling me "I did this yesterday" I tell them that life is about repetition and we get up and pretty much do the same thing every day.

Knitwise I don't feel like I've been getting crap done. I haven't added anything new to the project list. I did however finish something!!! The feather and fan angora scarf is done. If your have the means, I highly recommend angora, it is totally decadent against the skin. I now fully understand Ed Wood's obsession with it. As for other projects, I haven't touched the Luna Moth shawl in weeks. and I picked up the Greenjeans cardi this morning only to discover that I started the sleeve with the wrong size dpns. So ribbit ribbit once again. I swear I cannot read that pattern to save my life. Lace, no problems this.....total knitlexia. I only frogged back to the last two rows of of where I started as I have picked up stitches and yarn over's that I didn't really feel like disturbing. I don't think that two rows of knitting on size sevens versus a size eight will make that big of a difference in the finished (if I ever finish) cardi. I really feel like that thing is cursed.

Today is my big whopping one day off, however, next weekend I will have five....FIVE days off. Starting with Knitini night at HYAW and the next day it's off to Royal Oak Tattoo for some more original art work. After that I need to catch up on some jewelry making. I am very surprised and happy that my Etsy store has stayed fairly consistent ever since the holidays. I really thought it would slow down but it hasn't. Mind you I am not complaining, it's a good thing.

Everyone have a great week.

Spring?

2008-03-23T10:39:00.000-07:00

I'm hopeful that spring will make it here eventually even though we had another four + inches of snow Friday PM and Saturday AM. It made my drive to work a real white knuckle ride. So today is my one day off and it is for most of the world Easter Sunday. Like most holidays we don't really celebrate in this house but I do like to decorate eggs so again this year I made silk tie Easter eggs.

As for knitting not much to report just picking away at the same projects. I swear, when I do have an FO I'm throwing a party! I've been using my "at work" knit time for baby socks as it seems there is some sort of pregnancy epidemic going on at work. Don't worry Mr. Larj has his "vaccine"

Well....since it is my one day off I suppose I had better get myself well caffeinated and off of my butt to get a few things done around the house that I have been procrastinating on. This includes a bath for a certain spotted canine. He's at week five and is getting a little ripe.

Everyone have a great week and think spring!

Slogging Through the Mud....

2008-03-16T10:25:00.000-07:00

At least sometimes life and knitting can be described as such. Not to mention that spring has sprung and my backyard has turned in to a cauldron of mud n' poo. The weather is a little warmer and the snow seems to have abated for now. I took Chief out for a little test walk yesterday, he loved being outside and scanning the neighborhood for critters. I was a little worried about him last week. Apparently he was tearing around the backyard and either slid on the ice and fell or slid in to something, like the garage, and hurt his back. It was so tender that when I touched it he started flinching and yipping. After 3 days of aspirin twice a day and heat, he seemed to be close to normal and now he appears to have recovered fully.

Slogging through the mud knitwise...I am still working on the same 3 projects that I've had going for the last few months. I am making progress but it's slow. So of course the best thing for me to do is start another project right? I needed a kip project, something that I could do at knit night without too much thinking. I decided to use the $1.08 100% French angora to make a scarf, a simple feather and fan lace would show it off nicely and not tax my foggy middle aged brain.

I finished another pair of "at work" socks. I usually work on socks during my lunch hour. I used my stock and standard pattern with a picot cuff using Opal Rainforest . I love the asymmetry.

As for personal mud slogging I just feel like I'm in a rut. I don't know if it's the weather or my AGE or what but it just seems like getting up in the morning is in itself a challenge. My thinking is certainly muddied. I did something really d-u-m the other night. I went to the monthly knitting and martini's group and ended up leaving the restaurant without paying my tab! I didn't even realize it till I was half way home. Since it's not exactly around the corner I called when I got home and settled my bill. Granted it was my long work week and I had 2 martinis in me but damn.

On my agenda for today, a little self study. I am re-taking, in the comfort of my family room, the course that I missed out on due to a loud and obnoxious ACW. As you can see I am procrastinating by blogging and contemplating what to have for lunch.

Everyone have a great week and try to remember where you left the car keys......

Not This S**T again!

2008-03-05T09:24:00.000-08:00

That's what 10" of snow looks like. I can't believe that it happened again. I knew it was supposed to snow last night but the original forecast was for 2-4". Obviously, that is not what happened.

So for me, it's a snow day. I already have a heinous commute due to freeway construction, why risk totaling my car for what would probably turn out to be an hour and a half white knuckle drive.

Maybe I'll get some knitting done. I worked on my sock a little bit this morning while watching "Springer". Yes, it's my guilty pleasure. TV doesn't get much more low brow than Jerry.

At least someone is enjoying the snow...

Make Winter Stop!

2008-03-02T16:11:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you guys but I am pretty sick of the snow and cold. I'm ready for a little warmer weather and a little room to move. I know that Chief is feeling pretty antsy too. I think we all have cabin fever here. I'm even feeling a little uninspired with my knitting. Part of it is that I have projects that are taking up a lot of my time and haven't really shown any real progress. Three fairly long term and time consuming projects going all at the same time. Yet, I feel like I dare not start anything else at this time, even if it's an instant gratification project.

I have started to re-work the bottom of the Greenjeans cardi. so far so good and LOOK, the ribbing looks according to pattern!

Also my cable sock is plodding along. I picked up my gusset stitches and am moving along. The heel flap was a tad longer that usual but oh well after a couple of washes, it'll be fine.

The Luna Moth shawl is coming along also, like I said, it's a little bit of everything that is getting worked on and nothing all at once.

Mr. Larj and I managed to have a "date" this weekend. We went to the Motor City Tattoo Expo. The place was packed and there were artists from all over the country. We only stayed for about two hours looking over the artist portfolios and seeing a lot of ink slinging. I alas did not see my favorite artist Mr. Ed. It looks like I'll have to look for him in his shop and make an appointment. I did however, pick up some original art work. I now have a metal spider guarding my knitting books. I just thought that he was really awesome and the artist was really cool and local.

After we went to the Tattoo Expo, we decided to get some dinner and ended up in Mexican Town. This is an entire area of southwest Detroit that obviously has a large Hispanic population and some of the best Mexican food in the city. We had dinner at Xochimilco restaurant. It was really good and the Margarita was excellent. I hadn't been down there in a while and it was nice to see that there is a lot of new development. Rarely do we get to see an area come back to life in this city.

Tonight I also went to visit with my friend Cyndi who is in town for the weekend from DC. It's hard to stay in touch with friends who are out of town, it's hard enough to connect with the one's who live here. Always nice to get together.

This is my long weekend so I have tomorrow off. Playing catch up as usual. I might even um, clean?

I just got my tickets for these guys!!! April 29, CANT wait!!

Everyone have a great week.

@#%*&!!!

2008-02-22T17:18:00.000-08:00

Fill in the expletive of your choice...I did. I screwed up, in a big way. I finished the bottom part of the cable ribbing on Mr. Greenjeans, cast off and tried it on. Hmmmm..........seems to be pulling apart pretty badly in the front. What's the deal? I went to Ravelry to try and see how other cardi's were fitting. Well...they seemed to be fitting fine....hey...wait a minute. The other cardi's had another column of knit stitches between the cables. Mine did not. I checked the pattern and sure enough, I did it WRONG. So, it looks like I will be frogging 12.5 inches of cable rib pattern and throwing over 2 weeks of knit time down the drain. This really sucks.

Speaking of ultimate suck, I have been pulled to work inpatient rehab for the last two days and tomorrow. You've heard of the milk of human kindness? Today I felt like the human Milk of Magnesia...every single one of my patients had to poo, without exception. It's quite an ordeal when you're dealing with wheelchairs, walkers, IV lines, catheters and oxygen tanks all while trying to safely maneuver someone who is debilitated on to a toilet...safely. Also not too bad if you have one patient at a time but I usually have two at a time on rehab. All I can think of is the Amy Winehouse song every time I am pulled to work there. Sorry to blah blah blah about my work so much lately but it's been a little stressful.

That will all get rubbed out of me tomorrow. I have a massage scheduled for tomorrow after work. Can't wait!! Thanks to Dora for hooking me up with a quality masseuse.

Everyone have a great weekend.

Weekend to Weekend

2008-02-18T17:30:00.000-08:00

Do you ever feel like you're living weekend to weekend and when the weekend arrives it's....well...meh...

I've had a week of extremes. As far as the good stuff, I won on TWO blog contests! The first was on Phyl's Knit and Purr blog. She had a contest where bloggers sent in pics of their pets feet along with a description. Chief was happy to oblige and won some lovely blue Memories sock yarn from Knit Picks for having the biggest feet!

The second contest was on LaVerna's Ridiculous Obsession blog. I wrote a little blurb about spring and won a skein of lovely lilac sock yarn from Yarn Chef, the Knitting Vintage Socks book and stitch markers and other goodies!

Mr. Larj and I also made it to the Dirty Show last weekend which was a lot of fun as usual. Not as interactive as in past years but with lots of really great art and performances. One of the featured artists was Bunny Yeager, one of Bettie Page's more well known photographers. I purchased one of her signed prints of Bettie. The pose is a little unusual for Bettie as she looks more introspective and serious.

Now on to the crap. On Saturday, I was scheduled to attend a course for my work. I need to get so many PDU's to maintain my COTA certification. No problem, however I have what you might call an ACW (annoying co-worker). She is loud, obnoxious and amazingly self absorbed. She was seated next to the second loudest chatterbox in our department. Guess what they did during the entire presentation? They talked NON-stop. Oh sure they tried to "keep it down" but for these two, low volume is what most of us would consider normal. I was so irritated after a while I simply stopped taking notes. After the class I asked the instructor if I could borrow the DVD's and do the notes and test at home. I think she knew that I was more than peeved and said it wouldn't be a problem. If there is one thing that I hate to do it's waste my time and I felt like that was a colossal waste of eight hours. Do you have an ACW?

I tried to get a little relaxation in after that fine experience. Mr. Larj and I went out to lunch yesterday and just hung out around the house and watched movies. Today was playing catch up doing laundry etc. I know that the stress isn't over for me yet though. Have you heard of the Gateway Project? I-75 north and south is going to be closed between Clark Street and Rosa Parks Blvd. for TWO years. Yup, that's my route to work so it looks like I'll be getting up earlier to take the long way around.

I'll leave you with a cute Dalmatian picture to start your week off. He had a mixed weekend too, he had both of his "parents" at home but...we gave him a bath! ;-)

Everyone TRY to have a great week..........

A Weekend of Knitting and Knudity

2008-02-09T10:16:00.000-08:00

My weekend itinerary is full for a change. Usually I am quite the boring old fart but NOT this weekend. Last night was knitters night out at HYAW. A good time was had by all. We all wore our jammies, relaxed and knitted.

Afterwards...it was off to Amici's for some martinis, more knitting and some odd looks on account of our attire.

As for the "Knudity", tonight is the Dirty Show. It's an annual erotic art exhibit that takes place every Valentines weekend here in the "D". Cant wait! Mr. Larj, who is also a stealth freak, and myself, will be attending later this evening. So...after I am finished with updating my blog I have to go out to find appropriate attire. Perhaps at the hardware store? ;-)

Unfortunately I won't be able to post any pics of the event as there aren't any camera's allowed, but you can check out some of the official photos on the Dirty Detroit website.

As for knitting content. I couldn't help myself, I had to start a sock to work on at home. It's one of the cable patterns from Sensational Knitted Socks. I haven't done cabled socks before so it's something new. Hey, isn't that a great bag?

Everyone have a great weekend!!

Simon

2008-02-04T17:28:00.001-08:00

Here's my mom's neighbor, Kay, modeling her mobeius cowl.

She loved it and said that she had a name for it..................Simon. Simon Cowl....(groan). She's a super lady so I'll forgive the pun. She said that even though it's wool it didn't itch. ;-)

Took my Mom Larj out for a bite tonight. We went to the Red Robin. I had heard that they would substitute real meat for a Boca Burger on any of their burgers and they DO!! Yeah for me! It was delicious.

Off to doctor my arm and get a little knitting in.

I Knit Michigan and Hit Michgan

2008-02-03T09:13:00.000-08:00

It's a crazy title for what was sort of a crazy day. I started out yesterday making the drive to Bloomfield Hills to Knit Michigan, a knitting event for cancer charities. I ran in to a group of familiar faces as I entered. They were ready for lunch but the atomic bran muffin that I had for breakfast was still expanding in my stomach so I passed. I went to the market area where I was a little over stimulated and a tad, dare I say it? underwhelmed. There was a lot of the usual stuff which I expected, and there was also some unusual fibers that were to my mind incredibly over priced. There was a small and I mean small skein of Qiviut yarn, maybe 100 yards for $69. I almost fell over and, it really wasn't what I would call soft. I also caught my first glimpse at Habu fibers. Very slick packaging, very unusual fibers and a very high price tag. I bought some more Noro Kureyon Sock from HYAW. I don't know maybe I just had fiber overload/burnout. It was pretty crowded in there and difficult to get close to any of the displays. The highlight of the day had to be spending time with my knitter buds and seeing some of the faces that I don't get to see very often.

Ok on to knitting in real life. I took my Mr. Greenjeans along with me to work on, it's getting there. It always feels great to move the progress bar on Ravelry a little further to the right as I am moving along on my projects. A few more inches and I'll be finished with the body. Then, on to the sleeves. I'm wondering if I can't use a 16" circular or magic loop them . I'm not keen on having to deal with DPN's for the length of a sleeve. All in all I think it's turning out pretty well and will be something I'll actually get some use out of.

Of course I got a little sidetracked as I always do and decided to start and finish the Mobeius Cowl for my mom's neighbor Kay. She's been really good to my parents and "sits" for my Dad when my Mom has doctors appointments etc. She's just a really cool lady. Somehow, I pictured her in red, it's actually more of a cranberry color than the picture lets on. I'm going to block it a little although the directions say it's not necessary.

So you've heard about knit Michigan, how did I hit Michigan? After I got home yesterday, I asked Mr. Larj about maybe going out to dinner later. We decided to go to The Blue Nile, an Ethiopian restaurant that just opened in Trenton. As we were leaving our house, I was getting ready to go out the side door when Mr. Larj said, "lets go out the front door, your car is parked out there". Out the door I went and when I started to go down the front steps, my feet went out from under me and I hit the steps with my right hip and shoulder. My hip was burning like hell and my arm jammed up into my shoulder and was throbbing. After a few minutes, I got up and brushed myself off. We continued with our evening but I knew the pain would start later. It did. I'm pretty bruised up on my hip as you can see and my arm is pretty painful with certain movements although I have full range. So alternating heat and ice pack with lots of ibuprofen. At least I have tomorrow off too. Work should be fun and interesting this week.

Everyone have a good and SAFE week........

3rd Annual Brigid in Cyberspace Poetry Reading

2008-02-02T06:19:00.000-08:00

This is something that I found through Teabird's blog and thought it would be fun.

Here's one of my favorite poems....

Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take The Garbage Out

Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout
Would not take the garbage out!
She'd scour the pots and scrape the pans,
Candy the yams and spice the hams,
And though her daddy would scream and shout,
She simply would not take the garbage out.
And so it piled up to the ceilings:
Coffee grounds, potato peelings,
Brown Bananas, rotten peas,
Chunks of sour cottage cheese.
It filled the can, it covered the floor,
It cracked the window and blocked the door
With bacon rinds and chicken bones,
Drippy ends of ice cream cones,
Prune pits, peach pits, orange peel,
Gloppy glumps of cold oatmeal,
Pizza crusts and withered greens,
Soggy beans and tangerines,
Crusts of black burned buttered toast,
Grisly bits of beefy roasts...
The garbage rolled down the hall,
It raised the roof, it broke the wall...
Greasy napkins, cookie crumbs,
Globs of gooey bubble gum,
Cellophane from green baloney,
Rubbery blubbery macaroni,
Peanut butter, caked and dry,
Curdled milk and crusts of pie,
Moldy melons, dried-up mustard,
Eggshells mixed with lemon custard,
Cold french fries and rancid meat,
Yellow lumps of Cream of Wheat.
At last the garbage reached so high
That finally it touched the sky.
And all the neighbors moved away,
And none of her friends would come to play.
And finally Sarah Cynthia Slylvia Stout said,
"Ok, I'll take the garbage out!"
But then, of course, it was too late...
The garbage reached across the state,
From New York to the Golden Gate.
And there, in the garbage she did hate,
Poor Sarah met an awful fate,
That I cannot right now relate
Because the hour is much too late.
But children, remember Sarah Stout
And always take the garbage out!

Off to try and find Knit Michigan! Details to follow....................................

And the Winners Are.......................

2008-01-27T11:12:00.000-08:00

Drum roll please....

The winners of my first blog contest as chosen by Mr. Larj from the singing bowl are...

Bea

Eweniss

Ar

Thanks to everyone who signed up!! This was fun! I have a feeling I'll be doing more of these in the future and I hope that some of the new posters continue to drop in ;-)

On to knitting, I am making progress on Mr. Greenjeans. Of course not as quickly as I would like but I have had a few issues with my wrists and elbows this week. When I was working on jewelry last weekend, I did a lot of polishing at my buffing wheel and didn't wear my wrist supports. Unfortunately I've been paying for it all week so I have had to limit myself to about an hour of knitting daily. I think it's starting to look like a garment anyways which makes me happy, hopefully one that fits.

I also finished the cable eyelet socks. I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out. I like way the yarn feels on my feet but the true test will be in the wash.

Life in general? It looks like Chief came through his gastro-intestinal experiment unscathed. He doesn't seem to have suffered any ill effects and his appetite is JUST fine.

Today is my dad's 85th birthday. He was born prematurely in 1923. He only weighed in at about 3 and a half pounds. There weren't any incubators then so they would put him in a basket on the open oven door so that the pilot light could keep him warm. He was a Marine during WWII and was there for the invasion of Iwo Jima. He worked primarily as a truck driver. Came through lung cancer and several bouts of CHF. Every time we thought "this is it" he managed to bounce back. I believe the key to his longevity is his laid back attitude. I hope I've inherited some of his better qualities.

Everyone have a great week!!

It's a First!!

2008-01-20T08:02:00.000-08:00

Yes...drum roll please.....It's my very first

Leave your name and contact info (blog or email address) in the comments section of this post and I will draw names next Sunday for 3 winners!! Also include a little blurb about what you like to knit both project and color wise.

So can you guess what happened?

Eight years old and still acting like a puppy at times. What concerns me is the "ball" at the end is missing completely and I cant find it anywhere. I have a feeling it may turn up in the backyard later this week. As for knitting, I am progressing on the Mr. Greenjeans cardi. It now has been divided up in to sleeves and a body. I have a few rows to go before I can do the "try on". If you see a small explosion from the Downriver area, you'll know it didn't go well. I also decided that I'm going up a needle size on the Luna Moth shawl. I consulted with Betty at the Yarn Tree who said I might want to given the thickness of yarn that I'm using. The good part about that is I only have a few rows started so I am simply going to do a switcheroo and slip my stitches from the 9 to the 10. The Cable Eyelet Socks are getting there almost finished. Perhaps today?

Speaking of the Yarn Tree, they are having their twice annual ginormous sale this week. The more you buy the more of a percentage you get off your total purchase. Also if you decide that you want to go back for a few more skeins, she will hold your discount. She has buttloads of Cascade 220 in all colors, Berrocco Ultra Alpaca and lots of Opal Sock yarn. I did a little damage. Given the size of my stash I shouldn't even look at any more yarn but she had this great natural color DK weight that I couldn't pass up. Looks like I might be heading back there on Monday for more size 8 straight birch needles since mine turned in to a snack.

Every one have a great week!!

*Did the "try on", I think its actually going to fit!

You Make my Day..............

2008-01-17T14:55:00.001-08:00

Kiitos Hasbu for giving me the "You Make My Day" award.

"Give the award to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blogland. Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so they can pass it on. Beware you may get the award several times."

Now I have the daunting task of picking only ten blogs that inspire me to stick to the task keeping this blog going.

2 Paw
Cables and Wool
Diane's Yarn Addiction
Dipsy Doodle
Wool and Chocolate
Habu's Hideaway
Knitensity
Red Dog Knits
Lobstah Life
Day to Day

Holy shnizzit that was hard! Some of these bloggers I know in real life some are cyber friends and acquaintances. Regardless of whether you made the list or not I hold all of you close to my heart for so many different reasons!!

Everyone have a great weekend!

Wip my A** in to Shape

2008-01-14T18:47:00.001-08:00

Ok, I'm a little tense having 3 things going at the same time. I feel like I've been mired in knitting quicksand and needed to start something new to dig myself out. Does that make sense?
The cable eyelet socks are about 70% finished. One sock is complete and the other about half way there. I hope to get a little more done on it tomorrow at the Tue Bou Crew meet up.

Next on my wip list is the never ending story of the Mr. Greenjeans cardi. Good FSM!! inches and inches of stockinette. I would never make it doing a "man" sized sweater. Though, I do like the way this yarn is knitting up and the incredible softness. It really is one of my favorites.

Last but not least is the wip that has been haunting my daydreams for the last few months as well as my Ravelry queue. The Luna Moth Shawl; this really is a pretty pattern and an internet freebie to boot! I am using a dusty blue mohair blend that I won on a blog contest from the lovely and talented Hasbu. A very cool Finnish knitter with amazing skills in knitting and language translation. As you can see, I have about an inch done. Hey, its a start.

Speaking of the blogging and contests...can you believe that I have been blogging for over 2 years now! My 2 year blogoversary was on January 2nd. I am planning a blog contest/giveaway I hope to make it a good one since I have been such a slacker in that area. I also hope to bring out some of the lurkers and occasional posters to say Hi and thanks for reading this drivel.

Ok now on to the real drivel, my personal life. Well I have been having adventures in car repair. Can we all relate? My car has been having front end problems for about a year. Since one of my favorite defense mechanisms is "denial", I have pretty much ignored it. I decided this last week that with more bad weather likely I had better get things taken care of. I had my mechanic take my car to "diagnose" the problem, he determined that I needed struts and a front end alignment. I took it to a local chain, starts with a "B" and sounds like "elle". They took my car in and assured me that they would have everything taken care of in a couple hours. Well........I waited.............and waited. Eight hours later they called me to tell me the work was done. Ok, fine. So it took them a little longer, I can live with that. Two days later I am driving to work and as I am exiting the freeway (696) I hit my brakes..........hmmm.........no brakes. My ABS was kicking in but no "real" brakes to speak of. I did some creative coasting and made it to work where I promptly called and reamed them out. They send a tow truck to get my car from work and took it to their nearest location to "repair" it. I bummed a ride from a co-worker to pick my car up. Hmmm....now it's making an interesting new sound and is pulling hard to the left. When I get home there is nothing on my answering machine, no "How's your car, is everything fine? Should they really be doing this to my peri-menopausal semi-homicidal self? I think not. So I fired off a hot and hostile email to their corporate office. The next morning I received a unheartfelt apology from the original shop that I took it to, assuring me that if I brought it in on Monday (today) that all would be straightened out. I took it in tonight, the squeak is gone and it is no longer pulling to the left. I'll give it a week. Hopefully this is IT.

Everyone, have a great week, I hope you're all safe on the roads and look for some bloggie goodies courtesy of yours truly SOON!!

Hare Raising

2008-01-05T18:06:00.001-08:00

Have you ever frogged angora? It's fun...you should try it. That's how I spent a few hours out of my day today. One of our local thrift stores had a 50% off coupon last week and lucky me I had two of them. On my second trip I spied a perfectly useless half sweater made out of the most gorgeous white fluffy 100% French angora I had ever seen. With visions of Ed Wood dancing in my head I decided why not, I'll at least try frogging and recycling the yarn. Here is the end result, I figure that I got about 250 to 300 yards and a few smaller bits that I can use for trim. I looked up what worsted weight angora would cost me, by my calculations I saved about $100 by frogging my own. Definitely worth the hassle.

Speaking of saving a buck or two, I thought that I would try Knit Picks "Bare" superwash fingering weight yarn for socks. I dyed it using the stove top method with Kool-aid and got a pretty good result. I started with the purple color and then swirled in some blue. I like the way the dye took randomly giving it a "real" hand painted look. Can't beat it at $5.99 a hank.

Well I finally broke down and saw one of our doc's for some antibiotics. So I am on day two of taking Zithromax and feeling better. Hopefully this will be the end of it. I really REALLY hate taking medication and I really hate going to the doctor but this has been going on quite long enough.

Luckily I have the weekend off + Monday so I can have a little time to recoup and get some things done around the house that have been sliding by. Mom Larj had her second cataract done and sailed through it. I finished the Irish Hiking Scarf and it is blocking in the basement at present. Great pattern if you have yet to try cables. Pics to come soon.

Everyone have a great week...

A New Year ....

2008-01-01T12:40:00.000-08:00

I guess that I've always scratched my head at the idea of New Year's and resolutions. I look back at last year and it's pretty much like every other year. Some good stuff, some bad stuff and lots of routine. I guess the one thing that's consistent in my life is the art of procrastination and a very short attention span. I did indeed start my Mr. Greenjeans cardi. It's pretty much where I left it a couple of weeks ago. I was diverted by some ideas that I had for a neck gaiter, and of course if I was going to do that, I had to have a matching hat. Then if I was going to add some new pieces to my knitwear wardrobe then I was going to have to weed some of the old stuff out, and if I was going to do that then I would have to have some comparable pieces to replace them. See where this is going? Yes, off to buy more yarn and start more projects. I found some Paton's classic wool in some variegated colors that matched a lot of my other accessories and my down coat, I thought that it would be perfect for the neck gaiter. Then I decided a matching hat was in order. I tried to find a pattern for a neck gaiter that I liked and really didn't come across anything so I made up my own. I started with the neck in 2x2 ribbing and then moved on to the chest/shoulder part in stockinette. My original increases left me looking like this, so I frogged and only increased every four rows until the last two increase rounds which were done every five rows. It still has a couple of ruffle spots but that part will be hidden under my coat. I weeded out my knitwear stash and decided that I really hadn't gotten enough use out of my peach color Irish Hiking Scarf so I decided to stop fighting my love of green and make myself another one in a color that I love.
So at present time, I think I have enough wip's to keep me busy for a while and I don't need to start anything else.

One the personal front, I am either sick again or still sick. I am too fed up with feeling this way to make a determination. I have been on and off like this since late November. Tomorrow Mom Larj has her second cataract operation. She sailed through the first one with flying colors. Mr. Larj is still in the process of job hunting although his contingent printing position is keeping us afloat.

I hope everyone had a safe and happy New Year. I am going to leave you with a little video of midnight on New Year's in the hood. Yes, it's a lovely mix of gunfire (for the most part) and fireworks. So, turn the sound up!! Everyone have a great week.

Merry X-mas!

2007-12-25T10:56:00.000-08:00

Crank this one up!! :-) Have a safe and happy holiday...Marj

Look What WE Got!!!

2007-12-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

Snow.........buttloads of snow. It sure is pretty isn't it? I'm sure Mr. Larj doesn't think so. LOL I'm sure he'll be taking the snow blower out pretty soon.

This is my huge pine tree in the front yard covered with snow. I love this tree, it's home to so many birds and squirrels.

In knitting news I finally broke down and started Mr. Greenjeans (drum roll please). I am hoping for a better outcome than my first attempt at a garment this summer.
I also translated my first pattern from German to English. I don't speak German at all. I ran the body of the pattern through the Google Translator and then found most of the German to English knitting terms online and with a little help from the "Excuse Me" Ravelry group, it was completely translated! Granted it was a simple hat pattern and not a complicated lace pattern but still...it made me feel a little smart!

Hope everyone is having a stress free lead in to the holidays. Our plan is to get our tree today...if we can get out of the driveway that is!

Everyone have a great week!

Better Than Expected

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

Well given the appearance of the before picture, I had my reservations about how this was going to turn out. I should have more faith in an established pattern but as I tweaked this one slightly I wasn't really sure of what I was going to get. I'm not really sure of the "look" of the before picture, a blindfolded Smurf? ... a morel mushroom? ... or the EVIL Emperor Palpatine.

Ta DA!! Here's the finished and very soggy end result. I came pretty close to overfelting it but I think I intervened just in time. I had to go a little more than the pattern probably called for because of my lil' peanut head. I was trying to do sort of a chin tuck so I didn't look like a post office mug shot, also it was starting to drip down my back at this point. Mr. Larj said that I either looked like John Lennon or a Communist. Yeah...he is the master of subtlety. It's hard to tell on account of the color but the cap does have a brim and a little black "nub" on top. The Nature Wool felted a little furry so I am probably going to have to give it a shave.

What next? Can you guys tell that I am procrastinating on starting Mr. Greenjeans? I also found another cardi pattern on the Lion Brand web site that I might try to do in a cheapy yarn just to get over my seam-a-phobia. It's actually a cute pattern which surprised me, LB is kind of known for it's patterns o' FUG. I also started a basic cable eyelet sock. I needed something to take with me when Mom Larj had her cataract surgery today. She sailed through it with flying colors and said that the experience was "pleasant". Her nurse was a knitter too. Scarves only so far. When I showed her my caterpillar socks she got the look on her face, oh yes, it won't be long before she comes over to the dark side!

Tomorrow is another day off, I am taking Mom Larj for her follow up visit with her eye doctor. Then I really have to buckle down and clean up the house. It's been nice having the time off of work (6 days). I accomplished most of what I set out to do...except starting that cardi.

Everyone have a great rest of your week!

As Promised....

2007-12-09T16:53:00.000-08:00

Finally some FO's . I finished the "Not Cashmere Neckwarmer", I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out and the modifications that I made. I cast on 19 stitches to make it a little wider and used some yummy BFL llama blend yarn from Pond View Farms that I got at the Sheep and Wool Fest. Yes, that is dog hair on my top, it's everywhere.

I finally cast on for the Fibertrends felted cap last night. I couldn't really make sense of the order of the initial cast on which is supposed to be a long tail cast on so I changed it to a loose cable cast on and did it my own way. I hope this doesn't turn around and bite me on the ass when I go to felt it. Oh well at any rate....it's knitting.

I also started a pair of cable eyelet socks using some Bearfoot from Mountain colors. It's fingering weight but it seems heavier so I am using a size 2 addi and 60 stitches. So far so good. I had to have something portable for Wednesday and Thursday, this is when I am taking Mom Larj in for her cataract surgery. I think she's a little nervous but then that's normal.

A lot on my plate this weekend and really not on account of the holidays. Both Mr. Larj and I don't really have what you'd call "family" so it's not like this time of the year is any more hectic than a normal day. I think it's just hectic because of us both being sick and now it's time to play catch up. I have a lot of errands and Etsy stuff to catch up on tomorrow along with the dreaded "cooking". Bleah! Everyone have a great week!

No Pics....No Wips

2007-12-03T17:23:00.000-08:00

It is Monday isn't it? Here at Casa Larj it's a virtual den of cooties, I am still getting over my upper respiratory mayhem and at my insistence, Mr. Larj went to the urgent care clinic on Saturday only to learn that he has walking pneumonia. We're still working through all of it but when either of us get home we just collapse. Hence the lack of knitting content.

I did manage to finish my neck warmer which is blocking in the basement and my version of the "Republic" hat which I scaled back to fit my peanut head. I still have to sew the button on the neck warmer before it's wear ready. Pictures to come this weekend I hope, barring any relapse.

Another smaller project that I managed to finish are the gauge swatches for Mr. Greenjeans. I hate gauge swatches, I am never sure, should they be stretched? Should they lay flat? What about ribbing? It's all too much thinking for something that is supposed to be "fun". So as it stands the semi stretched stockinette swatch comes pretty close to the 4" x 4" measurement. The ribbing pattern not so much... a little smaller. So what I am going to do is make the damn thing all with the same needles size (8) and hope for the best.

Everyone have a great week and stay well!

But it Looked so Simple....

2007-11-26T09:51:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it seems as if the simplest of projects are the ones that give us the most grief. I had a gift certificate that my sis gave me from one of our LYS's. I didn't really know what to do with it so I bought some needles and one skein of Cascade Nikki with the intention of using it to make this. I loved the variations of the colors and the softness of the yarn. However, it is a thick and thin yarn and unbeknown to me it does like to curl...curl like crazy!

So I searched my stash for a suitable replacement. I decided to use some of the lovely yarn that I purchased at the Sheep and Wool Festival this year from Pond View Farm. It's a blend of BFL and Llama. They even put pics of the "source" animals on the label. This seems to be working up a lot more in line with the pattern. It's worsted weight so I am double stranding it to get a proper size.

I also started a pair of baby socks for a co-worker who is due to deliver soon. Wouldn't you know that I got to the toe of the second sock, did my usual 3 needle bind off only to turn it inside out and find a funky yarn mess. That drove me to get the scissors out and lop off the toe! Again, something simple that I have made many many times....

The knitting fairies have not been kind lately. Maybe it's a combination of the sickness that is sweeping our household right now (upper respiritory mayhem) and the monthly hormone hurricane that decided to coincide with my sniffles and coughing. At this stage in my life that business needs to come to a stop, it serves NO purpose other than to cause me irritation and inconvenience. Yes, it's a crabby middle aged Monday!! Thought I'd share.

Everyone have a great week!

And Now On To.....Ummmm...

2007-11-24T13:16:00.000-08:00

Finally I can post FO pics of my Hundertwasser socks and my Opal caterpillar "at work" socks that I only work on at lunch and during boring meetings at work. Even though I finished these last weekend, I am just now posting pics. Have I been busy? No...not really. Have I been scattered? YES.. that would be more accurate.

Not that life is exceedingly stressful right now but we are undergoing some changes here at Casa Larj that have been throwing me off. Of couse first and foremost are the changes in Mr. Larj's work situation. He's still getting a fair amount of hours in at his contingent printing job. He even got his first check the other day... Woo Hoo!!! There is still talk of him getting hired on full time, possibly after the first of the year. Right now however, he's working a pretty uneven schedule and I think it's got everyone sort of off kilter including the Dalmatian who has some serious separation anxiety issues. I have come home twice in the last couple of weeks to find a "prezzie" on my living room rug where Mr. Dog apparently couldn't handle the stress of being left alone and decided to make a deposit. All I can say it that the carpet cleaner was one of our better investments.

I hope everyone had a good Turkey day. I caught the bug that's been going around at work for the last couple of months at work (as soon as people started getting flu shots?) and was feeling punk. So we stayed in and Mr. Larj did all the cooking. I called Mom Larj and of course she told me to STAY HOME if I was sick because she didn't want it!

As for knitting, I've started this, but I'm using a thick and thin yarn and it's curling like mad. I was thinking of re-starting it using a regular worsted weight yarn and casting on a few extra stitches. I'm undecided. Of course I am procrastinating on starting some other projects, notoriously the Mr. Greenjeans cardigan. Maybe if I do my gauge swatches it'll make the idea of starting a little more concrete in my abstract brain.

Here's a little clarification for anyone who's wondered about my nickname! Everyone have a great week!!

Crossing my Fingers

2007-11-11T12:07:00.000-08:00

Keeping my fingers crossed for Mr. Larj. We are hoping that the contingent position that he's been working at for the last few weeks will eventually turn in to full time. He's had several of the employees ask him if he's been offered full time yet. I would assume that this means that he's a good fit and that they want him to stay on. I'm hopeful....

Had a really good time when my sister Gus was here. We hit some LYS's and ate too much. It was nice having her here. I tried to talk her in to getting her own Etsy store for her felted bags. Not sure if she's going to go for it. I think she's a little intimidated by the process of setting up PayPal and posting her work online.

As for the knitting front, I have started a pair of garter rib socks from the Sensational Knitted Socks book using Opal Hundertwasser. I love the randomness of the colorway. I originally started with a busier pattern but it didn't do the color changes justice so I simplified it and decided to use a garter rib pattern. Much better.

This is one of those rare weekends where I really don't have a lot on my plate. I'm hoping to keep it that way. I need to catch up on a few things and update my Etsy shop, which has picked up lately. Last night my big accomplishments were cleaning the bathroom and bathing the dog. He no longer smells like a vacuum cleaner! I'm off tomorrow so more minor chores to catch up on but I think I can get some knitting in too, maybe even start a couple new projects as well.

Everyone, have a great week.

One FO and Status Quo

2007-11-02T17:05:00.000-07:00

Nothing on the job front for Mr. Larj yet. I am hoping that he'll find something soon. The only good part is that my yarn stash is enormous and I don't have to worry about going on a yarn diet.. ...yet.

My sister Gus has been in town all week and she and I hit the knit shops. We went to Ewe-nique in Royal Oak and Neighborhood Knits in Dearborn. She compulsively knits purses for felting. I am trying to convince her that she needs her own Etsy shop to sell the bags that she makes. It's either that or she buys a bigger house to fit them all in!

On my knitting front I started and finished the Moebius cowl in the span of a weekend. It's a really quick knit and I love the way it fits. I think I may need several. Blocking it was pretty weird on account of the twist, next time I think I would just loosely block it by hand shaping it rather than trying to pin it.

I'm going to pour a glass of wine watch my season 2 Nip Tuck DVD's that I borrowed from my pal Mike and try to knit on my sock that I started yesterday. Not sure of the pattern for the yarn. If I don't like it....off to the frog pond.

Everyone have a great weekend...

Screwed

2007-10-21T20:13:00.000-07:00

.....Honestly! get your minds out of the gutter. Ordinarily I keep my jewelry life separate from my knitting life. I always feel a little weird about self promotion. Today I'm going to show off a little with my new concept for a shawl pin. Most shawl pins are either the stick type that weave in and out or the circle style with a pin that pulls up the fabric and goes through.

I came up with an idea for a round pin that screws in. I made a prototype in copper and then did the finished piece in sterling silver. I added a few granulations in the center to make it a little interesting. Here I am modeling it in my lovely blue bathroom. It really holds very securely and well.....I think it looks pretty sweet.

Hope to have a couple of these in my Etsy store soon.

Better hit the hay...back to work tomorrow. One of these days I'll get that Moebius Cowl started!

BTW...I'm on Ravelry now, look for me Larjmarj!