Filed under: Books, Family, Knitting, Movies, Spinning, Weirdness, cleaning, organizing, personal growth | Tags: Archie Goodwin, chicken salad, chili, Ford Explorer, grandmother, Nero Wolfe, reading binge, Rolfing
Hey, Anna-Liza here. I believe I mentioned having the kidlets and Darlin’ K all away for a few days. And that I couldn’t make up my mind what to do?
Well, here’s what I did.
- Read one Rex Stout (Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin) book after another, like a four-year-old with a pumpkin full of Halloween candy.
- Took a ridiculous amount of time trying to decide what to wear for my photo shoot on Wednesday. This was a half-hour only, and I needed to bring two outfits, folks. Still took me hours to decide.
- Read every blog I have bookmarked at least once (and I’ve been finding and marking blogs for a few years now). Caught up on a couple I really love and had neglected due to chronic busyness.
- Made chili and my famous summer chicken salad. Ate almost all the chicken salad, froze half the chili. It’s finally getting warm enough for iced tea!
- Slept badly. It’s a normal side effect when Darlin’ K isn’t here. Yeah, I know, that’s cute. I’m not especially cute after a night like that, though. Not always a big problem except for those who have to look at me or talk to me, but see item 2.
- Drove my father-in-law’s big-ass SUV, praying gently all the while that nothing will happen to this car. Please.
- Got used to Started getting used to the idea of being a grandmother. And of Darlin’ K being a grandfather!
- Missed Knit Night, as that was the same night the kidlets came home. Bad week to miss it, what with the whole becoming-a-grandmother thing to talk about.
- Looked at lots of knitting patterns and examined my stash for appropriate yarns. Baby patterns, yes, and also I have some knitting to do for my Rolfer.
Some of the things I didn’t do, but thought about:
- Watch any movies whatsoever. I decided I liked quiet better than TV noise, even if it was TV noise I chose myself.
- Clean. Anything.
- Go through all my clothes and get rid of stuff. Although I will do this soon, I decided it isn’t anything that can’t be done when the kids are home.
- Go through all the kids’ clothes and get rid of stuff. Ditto.
- Eat fast food. Although I did have some leftover Chinese takeout.
- Meditate any more often or any longer than normal. Bad hippie chick.
- Knit more than usual, which I admit is strange. But it’s hard to put down Nero Wolfe, especially when Archie’s in top form.
- Practice spinning, even though I have all this lovely new fiber. Plus some lovely old fiber!
Lyda here. Things are still completely gonzo crazy at work. Things have calmed down a bit at home.
More soon. Really. I promise.
Filed under: Knitting | Tags: designing knitwear, Eunny Jang, Interweave Knits
SQUEEEEEEE!!!!!!
Oh, um, Anna-Liza here. Sorry if that was too loud. Eunny Jang just told me she really liked my sweater – the one I designed – and complimented specific details.
(wiggle wiggle happy dance)
And then invited me to submit to the magazine.
(wiggle) SQUEEEEEEE!!!!!!!
Anna-Liza here. Guess what?
I’m going to be a grandmother!
(Ha, you thought it was going to be a slightly different announcement, dintcha?)
That’s right, Knitting Sprite is having a baby! She’s doing well, and everything is just as it should be. And I have a new knitting deadline.
Okay, I’m not entirely used to the idea yet, but I’ve got until December to wrap my head around it.
Filed under: Weirdness | Tags: cars, elephants, Ford Explorer, Ford F250, Honda Civic, mahouts, Rudyard Kipling
Hi, Anna-Liza here again. (Where’s Lyda? You’ll have to ask her – Darlin’ K has the cell phone, so no long distance calls for me this week!)
Did I mention that, while Darlin’ K’s out of town, he has the car I usually drive (early ’90s Honda Civic Si hatchback), the Subaru is in the shop, and so I’m driving my father-in-law’s Explorer? Well, that’s what’s happening.
The Explorer is very luxurious, especially compared to my usual. Crankin’ stereo, automatic everything. My car has crank windows and manual locks (which I tend to prefer, really, since they’re less likely to fail and TRAP YOU IN THE CAR UNTIL YOU PASS OUT FROM HEAT AND OXYGEN DEPRIVATION … oh … oh I’m sorry, back to the main thread). It’s an automatic transmission, too, and I have to say I’m proud of the fact that I’ve only hit the brakes in mistake for the clutch once. Okay, twice, but once was while I was starting the car.
However, the automatic everything is good in the Explorer, because it’s so big that I can’t reach everything from the driver’s seat. It’s really big. Really. Freakin’. Big. I know there are bigger SUVs (although I don’t know why), but going from a Civic hatchback to an Explorer feels similar to going from a surfboard to a battleship. Years ago, I drove a CRX most of the time and occasionally drove my grandpa’s 1972 Ford F250. So this is not a completely unfamiliar feeling, except the F250 had no A/C, an AM radio, and no power brakes. Oh, and it was rear wheel drive, so it was a really lousy snow car … you know, I’m going to have to tell you about the time Darlin’ K and I drove that monster back to my folks’ place near Houston during a record-breaking heatwave … but not right now.
I’m very grateful to my in-laws for letting me have the use of it, ’cause I’d be pretty much screwed without it! Driving it does tickle my sense of humor, though. I feel like a mahout on a well-trained elephant. A well-trained elephant with a crankin’ stereo and A/C. “Down, Hathi!”
Hey, Anna-Liza here. The kidlets are on a camping trip with the in-laws for a few days, and Darlin’ K is out of town for a week to attend a class on micro-hydroelectric systems. He was supposed to leave by one o’clock this afternoon, so he could get to the Western Slope before it got too dark (he’ll be camping out to save $$), but he didn’t actually leave until 5:30. (Those of you who know him will not be surprised).
I have the house all to myself until Wednesday night. So I have a huge list of stuff I’d love to do but there are always these people in the way. Or there’s not enough time to do more than get all the stuff out, but then I’d just have to put it all back again. Huge list. And I don’t have as much time available as “house to myself ’til Wednesday” sounds, since I do have to work.
And then, of course, there are the relaxing, fun things, like knitting, needlefelting, watching movies, reading … not having to interact with people at all if I don’t want to … oh, and I need to be thinking about patterns and yarn for a gift project, but it’s not imminent.
I am paralyzed with indecision. Except for one thing. I’m definitely treating myself to ice cream and a Rex Stout novel or three.
Filed under: Family & Friends, Whining, Zombies | Tags: Zombie Apocalypse, Zombie Army
Lyda here. I did not graduate with a degree or anything.
But I did graduate to Woman Who Hides Out in Bedroom.
The Resident Sith Master’s two best-friends-who-live-here* graduated from high school yesterday. CONGRATULATIONS, GUYS!!
* Not to be confused with Second Son “Chuck Norris” who is RSM’s best-friend-who-moved-away.
Oh no, I’m digressing in footnotes again. Marin, you got some ’splainin’ to do.
Summer brings more time for these three warriors to battle the Forces of Evil, video game style. And to be the Forces of Evil, video game style, when the mood strikes them. Tommy the Sith Apprentice Cat hides in the bedroom, and my Zombie Army hides in the garage, when all this is happening. It’s too noisy for them all.
One thing for sure, when the Zombie Apocalypse comes, I’ll be surrounded by experienced zombie fighters. We will quickly run out of food, of course…
I think I’m going to have to move my sewing machine back into my bedroom for the Duration. Too bad my little TV has gone the way of all old TVs.
There was a cricket in my office at work yesterday, but he wasn’t singing.
That’s a bad sign, isn’t it?
Filed under: Books, Family & Friends, Writing, health | Tags: "The Artist's Way", art, TMJ, Whining
but only momentarily…
Lyda here. Snatching a few moments to update y’all. Heh. “Snatch.” Yes, I am that mature, that I’d point that out.
Did I mention my TMJ inflamation? It still hurts like crazy – three weeks of this is just nuts. Did I mention I’m still working like crazy on three mystery gifts for the long-overdue Pay It Forward Challenge? Progress is happening, but not done yet. I hope the recipients think it’s worth the wait. Did I mention that my son’s friends are graduating from high school this week, and thus it has been Insane Video Game Time at my place for the last two weeks? Did I mention that it’s crazy at work and crazy at home?
Hm. There seems to be an insanity theme to this post… “What’s different about that, Lyda?”
Continuing the craziness:
I am doing “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron again. Read this post for some of the reasons why. Read that post anyway. It’s inspiring. Who wrote that?
I’m doing it even though I’ve done it before, because I need to do it again. I’ve been stuck for a long long time, in every aspect of my life, and this book is the best unsticker I’ve ever used. And after the twelve weeks, maybe I’ll be up for trying her “Money Drunk, Money Sober: 90 Days to Financial Freedom” again. Because I didn’t finish it last time I tried it. Even though it was helping. Crazy fear.
One of the things about doing “The Artist’s Way” is that it gets me in touch with all the ways my life is crazy in ways I don’t enjoy.
As you can see.
Time to go bob-bob-bobbing along again…
Filed under: Colorado, Craft stuff, Family, Knitting, Spinning, Stash management, Zombies, weaving | Tags: alpacas, brains, bunnies, Estes Park Wool Market, La Plata Farms, paco-vicunas, Plain & Fancy, yaks
There, doesn’t that feel good? Still a fiber blog!
That’s all I acquired this year at Wool Market, though really, I’m not that close to SABLE (Yarn Harlot’s acronym for Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy). But what I did get is very nice indeed.
That lovely silver-grey roving, all soft and cloudlike? That’s four ounces of 50/50 merino/alpaca from La Plata Farms. I know what you’re thinking; I had exactly the same reaction …
Darlin’ K? When I showed it to him he immediately picked it up and started moaning “Braaaaiiiinnnnssss … “
But let us ignore the Philistine.
The multicolored roving on the lower right is 50/50 merino/tussah, also from La Plata Farms, which I’m totally not ready to try to spin yet (“novice” is too advanced a term for my spinning ability), but what the hell. It’s only an ounce, and I can save it for later, when I feel more confident. Right? Right. And it feels … So. Incredibly. Good. I may keep that one just to pet. Probably. At least some of it. I’ll probably keep some of the merino/alpaca for the same reason … which is why I bought four ounces.
The singles skein at the top is from Plain & Fancy. (They don’t have a website – that link goes to a Knitters Review article with a bit about them in it — scroll down. But you can email them at KGAggen@aol.com). I can’t *not* buy something from Grayce and Ken Aggen, even if all I can manage is a single skein. Don’t get the idea their yarn is expensive – $15 to $17 for 400 yards of hand-dyed wool is an excellent deal – I just had an especially limited budget this year.
This one is turquoise/brown sportweight singles. This is the *softest* pure wool I have ever found – I believe it’s all merino and merino-cross. I knit a sweater for Mr B out of it, and he can wear it comfortably with no t-shirt under it.
And the colors are absolutely stunning. I always have to go back to their booth at least three times before I can pick a colorway. This one may become a scarf, or maybe a pair of mittens. Or a hat. Something. They have a 400 yard put-up, so there’s definitely enough for one small project.
Darlin’ K and the kidlets (rock band!) came with me this year for the first time. K got a little tired of kid-herding for about the last 45 minutes we were there, but then we found a playground and coffee in town and things got better quickly. The kids had a great time. We are still bunnyless, but it was a close thing.
Mr. B took that picture. I tried to tell him he’d get a better picture if he was further away, but he just couldn’t bear to be more than about six inches from the bunny. It was an albino Angora, by the way.
Mr. R liked the animals, but he liked the Children’s Tent even more. He watched the spinning and tried the weaving, and he really liked making his own rope.
They both liked the sheepdog demo (which featured duck-herding as well as sheep-herding) and the shearing demo, and they both were pretty interested in the yaks (as was I),
supplied by Grunniens Ranch (very nice folks, and the website is full of puns and other wordplay and includes a “yog” or “yak blog”, some truly scary tornado photos they just added yesterday, and, um, recipes).
Mr B’s second favorite animal after bunnies was not baby goats, as I had expected, but alpacas and paco-vicuñas. He thought they were really cute, as they are. Truly, they’re like miniature anime llamas with prettier eyes.
'allo, I am Paco. You are charmed, no?
Did I ever mention that, if you hover your cursor over a pic, you’ll see the title? No? Oh. Well, you will.
So, no new spindle acquisition, and having the kids along did decrease my time (and spending) in the vendor’s barn, which really is a good thing. Really. We also went on Sunday this year, which I’d never done before since it had always been held on Father’s Day weekend before.
Sunday turned out to be much mellower than Saturday. The selection might not have been as great (although I didn’t have any problem finding stuff I wanted), but the vendors and animal folk were much less harried and had more time to visit. Which is one of my favorite things to do, so that was good. If they keep it scheduled for *not* Father’s Day weekend next year, I think I’ll go on Sunday again.
But maybe I’ll go by myself.
Filed under: Colorado, Family, Friends, Spinning, firespinning | Tags: Apogaea, Burning Man, camping, goats, Happy Ass Ranch, milking
Hey, Anna-Liza here, a week after Apogaea and finally getting around to writing something about it. If you’re not familiar with it, Apogaea is the Colorado regional “Burn”, or Burning Man-related event. It’s smaller, the drive is shorter for us, and it’s less expensive. Shorter duration, too. But it’s got almost all the spirit and fun of the original. (Nothing will ever quite match the original).
Darlin’ K and I have been feeling a lack of freakiness in our lives lately, so we were really happy about going! And besides, it takes place at Happy Ass Ranch. What could be better?
Not only did we go with the kidlets, but I brought along more than half of my knitting group (and attached families). Four out of seven of the core group were there, and two spun fire at the event. (The four were Simone, Samantha, Chris and me). We’re thinking we need to give ourselves a name. “Knitters on Fire” has been suggested, but we don’t know yet.
We camped with Camp Chaos, which featured goats which glowed under black light,
(Mr. B took this picture)
(yes, we had black lights on in the pen at night), spinning wheels and spindles, fiber,
and goat milking workshops twice daily. Oh, and also cheesemaking. Here’s me learning to milk a goat:
The kids had a blast. We had six total in camp, ranging from infancy to 7 years (that would be Mr. R). Here are the four oldest in costume (it’s a very costumey event):
Here’s the youngest, on Chris’s lap (that’s Darlin’ K in the hat – she’s got his coffee mug):
Outside our own camp, there was plenty to do and see.
I took Messrs. R and B to make our own hula hoops. Well, the hoops were already made, but we picked the ones we liked and decorated them with fluorescent and/or sparkly and/or iridescent tape. There was loud good dance music playing to try out the variously sized hoops to, and lots of people went home with their own custom hoops, including Sam and her girls!
After I decorated Mr. B’s (under his supervision) and started on mine, he lost interest in the proceedings.
Mr. R decorated his by himself, only needing help to break off the tape when he was done with a particular color. He also enjoyed the Flip frame right next to our camp.
Simone and Sam spun fire and I didn’t get any pictures dammit. Darlin’ K did too, and I got a few of him on the night of the Burn, but they didn’t turn out so great. But here, this might give you some idea:
We were the last to leave Camp Chaos (but not the last to leave Apogaea). We didn’t want to rush ourselves or the kids as they had a few last things to do, with new friends.
Mr. B really wanted to bring home one of the baby goats! We got home late, sunburned, tired, but goatless. We’ll just have to see if we can remain goatless (and bunnyless) after Wool Market tomorrow.
