Saturday, May 30, 2009

Root Beer Float!

Out of the dye pot and skeined up today...Root Beer Float really does look like a root beer float spilled all over the yarn. it's so pretty!! Midnight Craving:

Caramel


I was going to take a picture of the kittens but I just checked them and it's time for a little bit of a bath...so I'll add an updated picture tomorrow.

Sibling Protection

Awww...

And a pocket pet before he wizzed on Rosemary's shirt...


Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Doctors are confused!

The ortho that gave me that &#$*@^ cortisone shot 2 weeks ago did a re-eval today and looked totally perplexed, basically having no clue as to whether this is carpal tunnel or not. So now I get to do an MRI. Yippee!! I'm game - that's non-invasive and non-painful. If it's a cyst, it's one that can't be seen (or felt) from the outside so this should be interesting.

Knitting group tonight was fun - I took my latest batch of yarns to show and see the reactions and the overwhelming favorites were Harbor Lights and Grape-Blueberry Freeze. And a "I must have Obama's Favorite but not today." I love this because they are receptive so it further validates that I'm on the right track.

Any suggestions for yarn names that can somehow be tied to ice cream or desserts welcome. The most recent one involved migraine recovery and I love it! Midnight Craving is coming...drying as I type. Especially for my preggy friend. Hope she agrees that the colors would satiate a midnight craving for something sweet. More pictures tomorrow.

OH! And I started an advertising campaign to launch on Ravelry June 1, and I've been accepted as a prize donation source for the Sock Knitters Anonymous group, which means **FREE** advertising on that group. Over 7,000 members on that one so that should be well worth the cost of a skein of yarn! Such exciting stuff...

It's Quads!




I went back to Brenda's house to feed her ferals and there was a 4th kitten...looks just like the other 3. Very cold but vigorous, so I'm optimistic. I've got him on a heating pad right now and once he warms up he should feed then I'll put him with his siblings. I think she had a couple more...not a pretty sight.

At least these 4 are safe and out of harm's way. Now I just need someone to take them off my hands!

Foster anyone?? They're very cute...and eat well...



Tuesday, May 26, 2009

New babies, new venture, and rejection

This yarn dyeing venture is going to take off...I feel it. Now I need to learn to set up an accounting system. Ray got me Microsoft Accounting 2009 and I haven't even gotten past the initial stage of setting up accounts. Fortunately I've been tracking everything in Excel and if I have to hire someone to set it up for me then I'll at least be able to send them something to start with.

My advertising on Ravelry starts June 1. I did a one-day feature ad on Etsy on Saturday and got 2 sales that day, so that was a good thing!

And it suddenly occurred to me that my job hunting has resulted in 'thanks but no thanks' letters...something I'm not really accustomed to. I've been turned down for jobs that I'm way overqualified for, which I guess is to be expected...but at least I'm not at TPL right now where layoffs are happening yet again. The pressure cooker environment around there when those are pending are just not worth it.

Oh! And I pulled 3 newborn Siamese kittens, 2 boys and a girl, from a really bad situation this afternoon. Hopefully the shelter can find another foster pretty quick...

Woo-hoo!! This is SO cool!!

I made an appointment with Marie, the proprietor of llama llama knit in Novato to show my yarns and see if she might want to carry my line in her shop. I didn't take everything, I was afraid I'd overwhelm, so I took one bag with a nice variety and got good reviews and a promise of an order to come. Sigh. Renewed confidence. I hope to show the newer stuff that was still in the dye pots at the time of our meeting when I take yarn over for the test sock she'd like to knit. Things like:

Berryliscious:


Atlantis:


And I took these with me and they loved 'em:
Grape Blueberry Swirl:


Desert Sun:


Harvest Mix:


There are more...no time to post right now though. I'll try again tomorrow!!

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Headaches are slowing me down

So 20+ years ago I had a problem with constant headaches 24/7 that wouldn't go away with any kind of treatment. They tried the traditional meds and nothing worked. Then 10 years or so ago a neurologist finally gave me a preventive drug that worked. She explained I didn't have just headaches, I had migraine headache disease and that I needed to take something to prevent them rather than trying to make them go away. It's worked well, so that I was just like most everyone else in the world that would get an occasional headache, take some Tylenol, and be done. And now the past week I've got 24/7 headache that isn't going away. I even tried Ray's Midrin...that just made me sick like Imitrex, Maxalt, and Zomig used to do. Sigh.

It's really hard to stay focused on the job at hand, making sure I've got enough yarn to support Sock Summit when my head is throbbing and I'm nauseous all the time. So I've just been ignoring it as best I can and came up with some really pretty yarn. I thought I'd name one of them after the headache since the inspiration came out of ache, but didn't think naming a yarn migraine would particularly appealing. The one drink that gave me a massive headache back in the day was 151 rum lit at the top and the bar called it Harbor Lights...here's a much prettier version, a blend of dark olive, dark purple, and sky blue.

Harbor Lights:


Licorice Twist:



Ribbon Candy:


and Obama's Favorite:

Thursday, May 21, 2009

New Yarn Vendor

My first order of undyed yarn was quite a disappointment. I ordered from a vendor in Hong Kong after doing lots of research for different wholesale vendors, comparing costs, and looking at samples. It bothered me that I had to buy from abroad in order to get the best pricing, but I did it anyway. Their prices were substantially less than competitors, even with the shipping it was lower, and their yarn felt great. But it was full of knots and flubs, so much so that my yield was much less than expected. When I contacted them, I was told that the "industry standard" is no more than 3 knots per 50 gram skein, but their standards were higher, no more than 2 knots per 100 gram skein. Now, 50 grams is about 200 yards and makes one sock, so I'm being told that it is acceptable per industry standards to have 3 knots in a skein that will make only one sock, which means it is acceptable to have 6 knots in a 100-gram, 400-yard skein? If I bought a skein of yarn with 6 knots in it I would take it back. I don't expect to find even 1 knot, much less 6! So when I skeined up this order, I cut at knots and started making mini-skeins of 100 yards that I was reading on the Ravelry forums people want but not many indie dyers are providing. But I was still discouraged by the numbers of knots and flubs in this order.

The new yarn I just received was from another vendor, here in the U.S. (YAY!!) and I've skeined up 2 of the 9 cones I ordered without a single knot. I'll skein up the remaining 7 I purchased later on today and tomorrow, but I'm quite optimistic that I'll be able to buy domestic product and feel much better about doing it, and have a better yield of goods to sell as well. Very happy dyer indeed.

Time to go skein more yarn...

Monday, May 18, 2009

Weekend Accomplishments

While I'm kind of beating myself up about not feeling like knitting, I realize I was actually quite productive this weekend despite it being really hot (105 here Saturday and Sunday). I got my airline tickets for both Stitches East and Midwest and made my hotel reservations. I knew stockpiling all of those air miles would pay off someday!

I have no undyed yarn left in my house...waiting for the next shipment to arrive.

I created my menu for the display table at the shows - it's so cute! I made it real simple in Word and it looks like a restaurant dessert menu - ice cream and banana splits in a wide variety of flavors.

Not exactly productive, but I did destroy a skein of yarn too and I did it badly. I hated the way it looked but it was too dark to overdye, so I tried color remover. Not a good idea for sock yarn...it was really slimy and nasty and went from the pot to the garbage. But how would I have known until I tried?? And it's a business loss for tax purposes, right?

Would it be totally crazy to dye Chanel in a nice little rainbow of color and photograph her to show how nontoxic my dye really is? She got a bit of pink and blue on her tail a couple of weeks ago and it looked really cute! Don't know how she did it...

This week's disease

Okay so last week I had castonitis...wanting to cast on more when what I've got on the needles already are not finished. Now I don't know what to call this disease...maybe it'snevergonnabefinished-itis.

My first Cookie A socks, Vilai, are at the half way point. And I'm reminded why I don't like knitting socks cuff down...I already know they don't fit because she thinks everyones legs are a skinny 8", and the foot is going to take forever. Or so it seems. I have to finish them because even though I can't wear them they'll be great to display in my booth at Sock Summit.

Jillian's lacy knee high socks have heels, and I'm thinking "how far do I have to go to get to her knees?" Umm...maybe not.

Finished the air conditioned socks and they're so cute! But I started the heel too soon to have ankle shortie socks, so I need to rip'em back to before the heel and make the foot part a bit longer. Why didn't I realize that at the time? Guess I should have tried them on more often.

I've been dying to do Hypnosis from the Electic Sole and so I started them with some yarn I'm not happy with the way the dye job came out (for sale) but I like it (for me). If that makes sense. So those got started when I had castonitis.

So NOW somebody posted an adorable pair of socks that I really want to re-create and I can dye myself the yarn even...

Problem is...I don't feel like knitting. At all. How did that happen? I hope this disease passes quickly.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Pretty stuff from this week's dye pots!

This week resulted in some pretty stuff:
Cherry Berry Swirl


Campfire Marshmallow


Fudge


Watermelon Grape Sorbet


Tequila Sunrise


Strawberry Shortcake


RingMaster's Favorite


Citrus Sherbet


BubbleMallow

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Oh the pain of cortisone shots

Egads. The doc wanted to give me a cortisone shot into my wrist and I've been resisting. I finally gave in. the shot was into the carpal tunnel and the pain was so stinking intense it caught me by surprise. I expected it to be painful, but I didn't expect it to be so painful that every foul word in the English language would come to mind as I broke out into a sweat and watched the room start moving. Good night...that hurt like hell.

Cortisone shot means immobilize the wrist and don't use it. That means no knitting! For at least 24 hours. So I waited the 24 hours, dyeing 12 skeins of yarn during that time, and then tried to knit while at the knitting group tonight and discovered I can't knit yet. So I dyed more yarn. Pictures to follow...some very pretty stuff this week came out of the dye pots! Tomorrow I get to do the least fun part of this wonderful new job I've given myself: skein the yarn.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

A disease called castonitis

I guess all knitters go through this. There is a disease I believe I am afflicted with called caston-itis. It is a disease caused by an addiction. The addiction is knitting socks. See yarn? Envision the socks it could become. But envisioning those socks isn't good enough...must cast on and start making them!

Jillian's lacy knee hi's,

which are going to be way cute, but they're knee highs so is there an end...ever?

The bright panda cotton hole-y socks

I started 2 weeks ago when it was way hot and I couldn't stand the thought of touching wool. Those are nearly done since I'm not making long socks, but simply ankle socks.

And May's challenge for SKA is cables, so I picked a pattern out of the new Sock Innovation book, and they'll be my first socks by this designer. I've gone through one exhausting 28-row pattern repeat and was like "am I done yet?" those 28 rows didn't get me very far.

OH! And May also has a mystery sock pattern. I've never done one, so I started that one too (no pictures yet...)

So what happens? I'm on the phone with Jillian yesterday and she tells me that every time she wears her socks I made (not originally made for her, but they became hers after she tried them on and fell in love with them) from panda silk that Sarah gets all jealous and says she wishes they weren't so girly because if they weren't pink she'd have to share. And she asked if maybe I would make her a pair of socks. So that translated to "I have to make them NOW!" So, Sarah's socks have officially been started.

Can I make Sarah a pair of socks and not make a pair for Noah? No...that wouldn't be a very good grandma, now would it? So I've got the dark green Tofutsies I bought for him long ago sitting out here waiting...

I dyed a pot the other day of a color I'm calling butterscotch and it's gorgeous! It has a pattern called Hypnosis from my Eclectic Sole book screaming "make me make me NOW!" The only reason they have not yet begun is I'm out of needles. Maybe that means I should actually put that yarn up on Etsy so I'm not tempted to use it myself. I can always dye more, right?

What to do what to do??? Buy more sock needles? Sounds good to me. KnitPicks is bookmarked...

Saturday, May 2, 2009

This week's dye pot revealed

Last week's dye pot yielded several disasters, but this week's provided some really nice colors!
Marschino Cherry:


Blue Raspberry



Bubblegum



Burgundy Cherry



Sprinkles

Monday, April 27, 2009

Kitty Socks!

I've had this pattern in my head for well over a year and I finally got 'em done! They are very cute and very soft and I've got plenty of yarn left to make another pair as a gift. And the dye pot is hot today! New yarn to be posted this week.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Finally some yarn is ready!!

So Nina let me know that the Etsy link didn't work, so I'll try again.I'm excited...I've been hard at work developing different colors and then making swatches and then washing them to make sure they don't fade...and the first two are now up on Etsy. I've got 3 more base yarns to try so I'll get to those next week.

Since it's spring, and going to be summer soon I hope, I'm focusing in on lighter colors. The rich dark colors will come later...

58,000 yards of yarn on order and in transit...so my Etsy store should fill up soon. I planned to launch at Sock Summit in August, but I'm on the waiting list to be a vendor. I don't know if I'll get in, so I may head to TKGA in Buffalo that same weekend instead. By that time, first week of August, I will have lots of beautiful yarn ready to go! So anyway, here's the first two. All of my yarn is based on ice cream (YUM!) and this one, 75% superwash merino/25% nylon is Ice Cream Sundae. These two colors are Lime-Blueberry and Rainbow Sherbet. It will be obvious which one is which. And my Etsy site is www.CraftsMeow.etsy.com

Monday, March 30, 2009

Original Creations

So I've decided that I have enough of an eye for color that I can hand dye yarn for sale. From my first couple that I like so much that I'm not willing to part with, however, this could become somewhat of another addiction! Anyway, I'm working on color recipes at this point, and using only non-toxic dyes. My first two that I'm happy with are pictured here. The one I'm not so happy with is not photographed...it refuses to stop bleeding and even dyed my fingers for me after it was dry when I was just trying to wind it. But these two are a success and I'm keeping them. When I get my first order of bare yarn I'll start working on it for real and put it up on etsy. In the meantime, just the stitch markers are available CraftsMeow.etsy.com.

Pictured here: Pineapple Sherbet and Fruit Bowl (top and side shots to show the colors of honeydew base, and splashes of strawberry and raspberry).

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Today isn't a lucky day!

I just read Cara's blog http://www.lazycrafter.com/ and got a laugh out of the astrological info posted for her birthday. So I looked up mine. I find it rather amusing. Some of the songs that were popular back then are ones we still hear today. Don't know that we'll be able to say that about songs that are recorded today.

http://www.paulsadowski.com/birthday.asp if you want to look up your own.


Your date of conception was on or about 22 August 1958 which was a Friday (mom was obviously busy that day!).

You were born on a Friday
under the astrological sign Taurus.
Your Life path number is 8.

Your fortune cookie reads:
Your skill will accomplish what the force of many cannot. Ah! So I am skilled...and learning new ones every day. Love it!

Life Path Compatibility:
You are most compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 2, 4, 8, 11 & 22. Ray is a 4, so I guess we really are compatible.
You should get along well with those with the Life Path number 6. Do I know any 6's?
You may or may not get along well with those with the Life Path numbers 1 & 5.
You are least compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 3, 7 & 9. But Cara is a 9 and we get along great!

The Julian calendar date of your birth is 2436703.5.
The golden number for 1959 is 3.
The epact number for 1959 is 21.
The year 1959 was not a leap year.

Your birthday falls into the Chinese year beginning 2/8/1959 and ending 1/27/1960.
You were born in the Chinese year of the Pig.

Your Native American Zodiac sign is Beaver; your plant is Wild Clover.

You were born in the Egyptian month of Epipy, the third month of the season of Shomu (Harvest).

Your date of birth on the Hebrew calendar is 7 Iyyar 5719.

The Mayan Calendar long count date of your birthday is 12.17.5.10.19 which is
12 baktun 17 katun 5 tun 10 uinal 19 kin

The Hijra (Islamic Calendar) date of your birth is Friday, 7 Dhi'l-Qa'dih 1378 (1378-11-7).

The date of Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 29 March 1959.
The date of Orthodox Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 3 May 1959.
The date of Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) on your birth year was Wednesday 11 February 1959.
The date of Whitsun (Pentecost Sunday) in the year of your birth was Sunday 17 May 1959.
The date of Whisuntide in the year of your birth was Sunday 24 May 1959.
The date of Rosh Hashanah in the year of your birth was Saturday, 3 October 1959.
The date of Passover in the year of your birth was Thursday, 23 April 1959.
The date of Mardi Gras on your birth year was Tuesday 10 February 1959.

As of 3/24/2009 6:40:04 PM EST
You are 49 years old. (Don't tell anyone!)
You are 598 months old.
You are 2,602 weeks old.
You are 18,211 days old.
You are 437,082 hours old.
You are 26,224,960 minutes old.
You are 1,573,497,604 seconds old.

Celebrities who share your birthday:

Jamie-Lynn Sigler (1981)David Charvet (1972)Emmitt Smith (1969)
George Brett (1953)Madeleine Albright (1937)Trini Lopez (1937)
Anna Maria Alberghetti (1936)Jasper Johns (1930)Eddy Arnold (1918)
James Mason (1909)Joseph Cotten (1905)

Top songs of 1959
Mack the Knife by Bobby DarinThe Battle of New Orleans by Johnny Horton
Venus by Frankie AvalonStagger Lee by Lloyd Price
The Three Bells by The BrownsLonely Boy by Paul Anka
Come Softly to Me by FleetwoodsSmoke Gets In Your Eyes by Platters
Heartaches By the Number by Guy MitchellSleep Walk by Santo & Johnny

Your age is the equivalent of a dog that is 7.12759295499021 years old. (You're still chasing cats!) I'm younger than my dog!!!

Your lucky day is Friday. Very true.
Your lucky number is 6. Didn't know that. I'll remember that next time I buy a lottery ticket.
Your ruling planet(s) is Venus. Love love love!
Your lucky dates are 6th, 15th, 24th.
Your opposition sign is Scorpio. Um...I'm married to a Scorpio. And my oldest daughter is a Scorpio. So opposites attract?
Your opposition number(s) is 9 & 11.

Today is not one of your lucky days!

There are 52 days till your next birthday
on which your cake will have 50 candles.

Those 50 candles produce 50 BTUs,
or 12,600 calories of heat (that's only 12.6000 food Calories!) .
You can boil 5.71 US ounces of water with that many candles.

In 1959 there were approximately 4.0 million births in the US.
In 1959 the US population was approximately 150,697,361 people, 50.7 persons per square mile.
In 1959 in the US there were approximately 1,667,231 marriages (11.1%) and 385,144 divorces (2.6%)
In 1959 in the US there were approximately 1,452,000 deaths (9.6 per 1000)
In the US a new person is born approximately every 8 seconds.
In the US one person dies approximately every 12 seconds.

In 1959 the population of Australia was approximately 10,160,968.
In 1959 there were approximately 226,976 births in Australia.
In 1959 in Australia there were approximately 74,363 marriages and 7,315 divorces.
In 1959 in Australia there were approximately 89,212 deaths.

Your birth flower is LILY. I've never really liked lilies...

Your birthstone is Emerald. Love emeralds

The Mystical properties of Emerald

Though not meant to replace traditional medical treatment, Emerald is used for physical and emotional healing.
Some lists consider these stones to be your birthstone. (Birthstone lists come from Jewelers, Tibet, Ayurvedic Indian medicine, and other sources)
Agate, Chrysoprase

Your birth tree is
Chestnut Tree, the Honesty

Of unusual beauty, does not want to impress, well-developed sense of justice, vivacious, interested, a born diplomat, but irritable and sensitive in company, often due to a lack of self-confidence, acts sometimes superior, feels not understood, loves only once, has difficulties in finding a partner. Okay so I didn't meet Ray until I was in my 40's...


There are 276 days till Christmas 2009! I didn't need to know that.
There are 289 days till Orthodox Christmas!

The moon's phase on the day you were
born was in its first quarter.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Knitting and Etsy

I'm headed today to a retreat for the weekend with the other folks from the local yarn store. The goal of the weekend is to finish up projects that have been hibernating. I'm taking 2 with me, maybe 3, and the one I must focus on is Paula's baby blanket. Her baby girl is due at the end of next month, but we're having the shower on April 4.

I also started making some cute stuff to sell on Etsy! I'll be doing hand-dyed yarn as well, but that is still to come. CraftsMeow


Wednesday, March 11, 2009

March anniversary

Ray and I met face-to-face for the first time today, 9 years ago. We'd been communicating via email for a couple of months but March 11 was our first meeting. Mimi's Cafe in Dublin for dinner. And during that dinner we discovered we worked less than a mile from each other in SF!

March seems to be shaping up to be sock month for me. There has been zero interest in my resume, and now I'm bored. So I knit a good part of the day. My wrist has given me some reprieve and hasn't been bothering me nearly as much...just at night. So I'll have to start wearing the brace again I guess. Anyway, I've finished 2 pair of socks already this month, and here's proof!

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Housewife?

Am I really a housewife now? Wow...who woulda thunk it? I've had absolutely zero response to resumes, and the job listing I get for payroll professionals every other week has maybe 3 jobs listed, never any that are local, when the list used to be 25-30 positions. So, I guess 25 years' experience and a degree just doesn't count for much in this economy. So my life now revolves around the house, planning menus and making dinner, and making economical choices. Such as:

  • The kitties no longer get premium cat food...they get Cat Chow Indoor Formula mixed with Costco brand. And they don't throw up anymore! So all we needed to do to quit having to clean up cat yuk every day was to put them on cheap food. Go figure...
  • If the kitties don't get premium cat food then Prada doesn't get premium dog food either...at least not as much. Her food is now mixed with Beneful and she couldn't care less.
  • Dinner is still the best cuts of meat, but we buy in bulk so it costs less and I've learned to actually do something with leftovers! Did you know that leftover chicken and/or leftover tri-tip makes for GREAT enchiladas? I didn't...now I do. I used to put leftovers in the fridge, wait until they would look like a science experiment, and then throw them away. Not so any longer!
  • Yarn diet...sigh. Nope. I won't lower my standards on this one...ever. But I am committed to knitting up everything I own before I die. The first thing on my bucket list I guess.
Ray did an in-person interview after a successful phone screening and felt good about it. But it's been a week and they haven't called. Now, looking back on it, he's thinking it was more fishing for information rather than honestly looking for a web architect. Bummer...

So life goes on. This week it's time to find an accountant to start our taxes. I sure hope there will be good news on that front.

Chanel's latest picture - she helps me knit! Actually she just sleeps.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

How much can one guy handle?


Sofie and Nelson decided they had to have daddy's lap, and Chanel wrapped her tail around his neck. How much pussy can one guy handle??