Things that make you go...really?

One looky-loo and you'll understand what I mean. Found these little nuggets of "why would someone do that?" on Etsy.

Went to my favorite local yarn shop, thanks Roxi, and grabbed some nummy linen blend for an even nummier sweater. Too tired from my overnighter to post pictures tonight but there were be some tomorrow or Monday sometime. The yarn was an anniversary gift from the Hubs for 12 WONDERFUL years of marriage. We also got a mani/pedi together and spent the night in Portland, Or. What a fun city! *Evil grin*

Another year another...year?

Whoah.

Someone shoot me.

Tomorrow is the captive slave's and my wedding anniversary. TWELVE years! Where did the time go? Seems like yesterday I waddled down the isle with ductape on my belly button. Four weeks to the day I gave birth to our oldest son.

Happy Anniversary, babe. Love you forever!

As usual, there's a new fish in my life. I've always wanted a double tailed Betta. When I saw this little cutie I managed to walk away and stay away for four whole days before going back to get him.

Meet, Turnbuckle:

More's to be merrier and never one to slouch in that department, I've got a new hobby. Orchids! I'll post some pictures in the next few days...oh who am I kidding. I'll post one now.

This hot little number is one of the few fringe colored Phalaenopsis I've had the pleasure to see in real life. One look at the white along the edges of a black cherry petal and I was a goner! It dropped a couple of leaves and some new growth so I am keeping a close eye on it. I am hoping it was stored improperly somewhere at Home Depot and it's all done being irritated now.

This is my fifth phae and the kitchen window is officially stuffed full. Here's hoping I get a garden window for christmas/spring remodel.

Time keeps on ticking...ticking...ticking...

Happy October everyone!

Fun stuff is the the name of the game. New pups, mamma dog with the trots, sleepless nights. Lol! I might as well have given birth to five puppies! While a bit weird, it's been just as much work.

There is truly something miraculous about witnessing the birth of new lives. I've had the priviledge of delivering both of my dog's litters and lending aid to a friend give birth to her oldest son. Both, while vastly different, were nothing short of awe-inspiring. For hours, their bodies were contracting-gearing up to act as a vehicle to usher in a new life. Everything was instinctual and natural.

All I had to do was watch!

In Liza's case, there was a few seconds of silence and stillness before I broke open the sac and started clearing airways. I laid out each puppy after breaking them free before I started working on rubbing them down. It was really neat seeing them encased in amniotic fluid and unmoving. There was no movement, no breathing. They laid there much like they did in their mother's body.

A few swipes from a cotton towel and small sucks from a bulb syringe induced lungs to fill with air for the first time. While I didn't cause their spark for life, I aided them to begin it. Really humbling stuff.

Of course, there's the new-baby draw and they are pretty cute! Puppies are about the best thing since sliced bread!

On the book publishing front:

I got to meet one of my favorite authors last weekend. Katie MacAlister. What a cool lady! Besides her wit and humor, she's very personable and in-touch with her readers. She accompanied another 30 authors at a gig in Bellvue. There were classes offering all sorts of advice about writing and publishing...wish I'd known about it. I knew about the authors being there but not about the classes. Ah well, next year.

As of right now my check list is much shorter.

Book is written.

Book is redrafted.

Test readers weigh in.

Copyright filed.

Query typed up.

Now I need to redraft yet again, rework the query, work with the latest test reader, and woo an agent!

My latest test reader is getting a tad lost in my wording and does feel the beginning is a tad slow. Knowing how sweet she is, it's probably REALLY slow. Lol! I am going to try and rework the first five chapters into three chapters. Trimming and stream lining.

I didn't think too much about a target audience when I started the book. I assumed everyone would be able to read it...and would actually want to. Sheesh! You have to keep the reader in mind. I want to appeal to a wide audience base and should have kept that in mind.

It's been an interesting journey overall. I truly enjoyed writing the book and would love to be published. I don't care about being a best-seller or having anything made into a movie. Would it be nice? Comepletely! If it never happens, doable! I'll rework the book a dozen more times if I have to. My only goal as an author is to make enough to make a living. Whatever else happens is just cake!

Whoah...I'm lame.

Lots of time has passed since I blogged last. I started writing a book in March and finished all content in June. There have been several redrafts, test readers, sleepless nights, and a great hunt for an agent.
It would seem writing the book is the easy part. Being unpublished is quite a stigma theses days...lol. I am sending a copy of the book to the Library of Congress for a copyright before I start looking for an agent. Like all overachievers, I have a list of agents I want to entice first. If I make my way through them with no interest, I'll get to make another list and keep going.
Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books, was turned down by thirty-four, count them, THIRTY-FOUR publishing houses! Talk about preserverence! I can only hope to have her tenacity and faith.
I truly want to chronicle what happens on the road to book-publishing-ville. If it can offer anyone else any courage to try and find their own dreams, it'll be worth it.

Slap me like a Peasant hat.

Ok...the title of this post is one of those, had-to-be-there-to-laugh things. Basically my yarn friend and I were shopping at our lys. I was browsing for something for the "Like a Peasant" hat that I have been jonesing to make. My friend has a short memory and kept asking me what I was wanting this yarn for and that yarn for to which I replied, "for that Peasant hat...the 'Like a Peasant hat'". After patiently answering her several times I got tired of saying the same thing so...I made up my own title. You guessed it..."Slap me like a Peasant". I am sorry to all Peasants for not being more p.c. about the phrasing.

I found a super yummy chashmere blend yarn that was a little out of my $10 budget so went to the very commercial Jo-Ann's. I atually really like some of their Sensations yarns! Anyway, they had a sale on Moda Dea and I bought a plain old vanilla colored washable wool for a whopping $8 for two skeins. I LOVE the yarn. It's soft and durable. It has a nice drape to it and it's a finer worsted weight so I had some play in the stitching without losing too much definition. I will use more of that yarn in the future!

I had a couple of sick kids this weekend so had a chance to do nuttin'. I knocked out that pattern in two days and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that hat! It is so stinking cute! I have plans to go back for some of the cashmere blend I coveted the other day in a fun color...something in a bright blue or purple. Shoot, I guess I could dye the hat I finished, though the vanilla is an easy color to wear.

My only "blah" about the pattern is it's slouch part (up at the decreases) is a little weird. I may go and pull out a couple rows and redo it but for now am leaving well-enough alone to see how it grows on me.

I bought some pretty beads with the idea of weaving them into the hat but I think I will match them with the new color for the second one instead. My, "Let's be practical" side is winning with this one...lol.

I have recently discovered Ravelry. Wow what a great place! I joined almost a year ago to snag a free pattern and nary darkened the site again...till a few days ago! I've been dying to knit up another lace weight scarf and for some odd reason want a hot pink skull pattern. There are a couple on there but neither one was quite what I was looking for so...I am attemtping to write my own pattern. I've just about got the skull part the way I want it. All I need to do now is figure out a nice lacey background for it. Here is what I have so far. I like the cable idea, though I am not sure how that will look in a lace weight. I am thinking of trying to make a transitioning patten where it starts out as a heart and after three morphs turns into the skull. Again, I dunno why but it sounds cool in my head...lol. Makes no sense as I am happily married...disgustingly so. *Shrug*

Anyway, it's a work in progress and I will post updates as it progresses. I already have the yarn. It's a sexy little number from Crystal Palace...their Kid Merino. I used it for the Mediera Scarf and really liked the results. It's a killer pink on pink variation. Pics to come soon...

On a not so crafty note, there's been a veritable college reunion on Facebook for me. If you haven't checked that place out do it! It's pretty safe and porn-free...so far. It can be a little hinky to navigate as it's not really a common sense approach BUT it's still a great way to find a long-lost friend or two. I was feeling pretty popular with almost one hundred buddies on there until I got an invite from an old chum that had almost six hundred...lol. Pride goeth before a your-not-as-popular-as-you-think slap...lol.

Happy Valentine's Day

The Madiera scarf is done. What a pretty thing it turned out to be. I LOVED making it and can't wait to try another lace-weight scarf again. I donated it to our church for a fundraiser and a friend of mine fell in love with it and bought it. The drape and bloom on it was soooo pretty. Uber soft and made you wanna curl up in it for a while.
The only no-no I did was I didn't block it. I used the steam setting on our iron and teased the pattern open with heat and steam. I was very gentle and careful and it turned out pretty good. The sides uncurled and the ends scalloped nicely.
The pattern had one error on line 20 (called for 5 repeats and it's like 9) and you have to double the amount of yarn you buy but other than that it was a nice pattern to use.

February Felt day...shibori tastic.

Shibori Knitted Felt: 20 Plus Designs to Knit, Bead, and Felt (Paperback)by Alison Crowther-Smith (Author)

I checked out a really cool book from the library that had a gorgeous scarf using the Shibori technique. Always one that's game to investigate unusual and new things, I've been scrounging around for pictures and tutorials on this fascinating method. There are two camps for this technique: silk and resist dying, and knit and resist felting.


The silk and resist dying by all accounts seem to be the older method of the two but I find the knit and resist felting much more up my alley.


Someone else went to all the trouble of finding spots and links for some eye candy and tutorials so I will shamelessly use hers here:

http://www.unikatissima.de/e/?p=1549


While perusing this page I looked to the left and found some really cool....really ODD projects that are a great way to make your carbon footprint smaller and put some unique bling in your life!
Check this out:
A cassette tape coin purse!
http://www.miniurl.com/5692

I am SO going to hit up the thrift store this week and see what I can find in the way of cassettes!

This is a great idea for all you soda drinkers!


http://www.miniurl.com/5691

The madiera scarf is nearing it's completion and I will get some pics posted this week. It is going to be a pretty scarf and I will hate to see it go!

I have plans to knit up the boobie scarf from Knitty and it will have nipples! Lol. What I will most likely do is knit up a scarf and make the boobies with the shibori method and then felt the nipples on. Anything to make women aware of their breast health and be a deviant in the process is ok by me!
There are tons of to-do's on the horizon (three fish hats, and a cute little pink dog sweater) so of course I want to do anything but. My fingers have just been itching for a new thread animal. It will more than likely be a camel. I've never made a camel before...lol. Something with big eyes and lashes. I've got the perfect gold shag yarn and it's all wool baby.