New family members...

Once again, I come out of the lengthening shadows; this time, of late summer.  It's been a rough haul.  Without going into too much detail -- because sometimes people just don't know what to do with all that information -- I'll say the fibro has been quite active on and off all summer, my back is crap -- I threw it out again yesterday -- and the migraines just are.  I'm pretty much literally running on empty.  I have little left for friends or even family.  All my strength and energy are merely going to care for my ailing/achy body.  Well that, and the new member of our little furry family:

Oliver doing what he does best...other than crazy-playing.

His name is Oliver.  And I adore him.  Banshee (our first kitty) could take or leave him, to be sure.  But every once in a while, I catch her playing with him.  Chances are, she's actually plotting to kill him -- and us -- and take over the house, but I like to lie to myself and say they're playing.  She chases him around the house and he in turn makes her life a living-hell most of the time.

What big eyes you have...

We adopted him three and a half weeks ago at the local SPCA shelter.  We were warned when we were leaving -- gotta love their timing! -- that he was a bit feral when he came in.  He was brought in alone, and from spending nearly a month with him, I am fairly sure he was quite abruptly taken from his mom;  his nursing tendencies are strong.  The first few days were...special.  He'd hiss whenever I entered the bathroom we were quarantining him in -- so Banshee wouldn't eat him!  And would cower at every little thing.  I was a tad worried he wouldn't settle in, and he'd be afraid of us forever.  About two weeks in, though he really just settled down and truly became part of our little family.  I call him Olly, and Mr. Wiggles, because he generally never stops moving.  I'm very horrible at sticking to the official name I give my pets.  I have a cat that lives at my parents' house who's "real" name is Zeus.  I call him Bug.  I have no idea why.  Please don't ask;  contemplating this hurts my brain.

More than anything, he's a delight to have curled up in my lap all afternoon on the really awful days.  He's warm, and purrs very loudly, which I love.  And boy, oh boy, is he filled with a kitten's energy!!!  But then he'll crash (hard) for a few hours of cuddling, which is amazing.

So, even though life is tough -- when isn't it? -- there are huge silver linings to the fog-banks!  I'm keeping up as best I can with knitting.  I'm working on a few projects right now, plus one or two that aren't documented at the moment.  I'm making a pair on mittens for evening walks with Jon, and I know there's something else, but I can't remember what it is right now.  Plus, trying to finish up some WIP's.

This feels like it's been more of a journal entry than a blog-post, but I think I needed it.  And whatever, no one is forcing anyone to read this.  :P  I hope not, that would be cruel and unusual punishment; for both of us!  I'd love to hear from all of my readers -- whoever is left, at any rate.  What're you summers like?  Are you doing anything fun, or relaxing, or (hopefully not) stressful?  Drop in and we'll chat.  I hope that everyone is doing well, and enjoying the last few weeks of summer -- although here, summer-type weather can last into October.  It's when the fog finally goes away for a while, at least.  But shhhh don't tell the tourists that Monterey is the best in the early Fall.  We locals like it to ourselves at that time!  Heh.

Take care, my lovelies.  Hopefully I'll be back soon!

Happy Thursday!
~j.b.

Two acres of Echoes

           

Our beautiful front yard...

door squeeks

Hello? Echo

Anybody still here?  Hellooooooo?

I don’t really know where to start, other than, Hello.  I’ll catch you up by saying we have (finally) moved successfully, and have been living in our own home for about 6 weeks or so.  My goodness was this an adventure, in the truest sense of the word.  I will be exceptionally happy if I never go through buying a house again.  It’s a lot of work.  And at this point, it was all completely worth it. 

my favorite tree...ever.  It's soooo pretty!

            Our house is beautiful – if a little empty.  We are still working at tracking down some furniture for our “Library” and we are in desperate need of area rugs what with entire house being floored in 12”x12” white tile!  It’s cold and somewhat sterile at the moment.  Although slowly and surely it is becoming a true (gigantic) home for the two of us.  Jon has been busy pretty much every single weekend with yard work.  Fortunately, for him, my dad lives two doors down, and has been able to walk him through the process quite well.  That, and he’s been able to lend Jon all the tools we don’t have quite yet.  Like a lawnmower and pruning shears – just to name a couple.

            And fortunately for me, my mom is also two doors down – because you know, they’re married – and she has been able to give me a hand unpacking boxes and getting various rooms set up.  I have oddly not gotten around to setting up my sewing studio, which would be really odd, if I weren’t doing a metric crap-ton of knitting currently.  Which – you like my segue here? – brings us to one of the main reasons for this welcome-back post.

            My giveaway.  Saying “I’m sorry” doesn’t really express my feelings.  I feel horrible about walking away from (yet another) unfinished project.  That is not at all how I wanted that idea to end.  And, because I am no longer allowing myself to “burn bridges” I have returned to make it right.  For you.  But also for myself.  Because acomplishing things is important to me in a way it never has been.  And I promised myself when I started this blog that I would not just abruptly leave it hanging. 

            So, here I am.  Wanna get some free stuff??  Do you?  Come on!  Of course you do!  We all do.  I do!  So, here is how this is going to work.  I am going to randomly pick a number between one and twenty-one (the number of comments on the giveaway post).  There is absolutely NO scientific method to the picking of this number, I’m just picking.  So, with without further ado:

            drum roll, please

Aaaaaand, the winner is –

Contestant Number Four.  That’s right folks!  Number 4.  Pickle, is our winner!  Come on up and claim your prize! 

            You can refer back to the original post to see all the amazing stuff you have won.  It’s honestly pretty exciting, if I do say so myself.  I hope all of my darling readers aren’t so frustrated with me that you’ve walked away to never ever return.  That would make me very sad.  And I accept it if you have.  Because sometimes that’s just life.  We clean up the messes left behind.  And, on the good days, we give awesome yarn to a complete (lovely) stranger.

            I am going to contact you, Pickle.  I am also going to see if Jamie over at Scissors and Steam – who also just came back to her blog) will put a blurb in a post to help let Pickle know.  When I can get ahold of you, I will be sending you an email with all the pertinent info.  Once again, contratulations my dear!

Happy happy Friday!

~j.b.


Oh, p.s.

I will honestly be back...very soon.  I have two+ months of stuff to talk about, people!  You really didn't expect me to stay quiet forever did you?!?  Ha!

My apologies...

Wow.  I have had a week and a half from the deepest bowels of my own personal hell.  And because of this, I have vanished from Blog-dom and left everyone hanging about the Give-Away.  For this, I completely apologize.  This was obviously not my intention, and I feel really horrible about it.  Sometimes life just truly gets in the way, and one has to clean up the mess it makes while it runs through.  So, instead of giving you a play-by-play of the last week or so, I'm just going to say I am very sorry I vanished, and will get the winner of the give-away posted just as soon as I pick her/him.  Which, I plan on doing this weekend.  I will see if Jamie over at Scissors & Steam will announce that the winner is posted, just so those of you who came from there don't miss it. 

Thank you in advance for the understanding, and I can't wait to get the box-o-fun-stuff out to you!  Have a great weekend!!

~j.b.

Breakfast of Champions...

Greetings, my lovelies, on this nearly bright Tuesday morning!  This is what I had for breakfast.  It was meant to be my dessert last night, but I had a migraine, in its place.  Go me!  I think it may have been worth the wait, though...because I think I may not have snapped a picture of it last night.  And I would be sadly unable to blog about it.  And what would my life be then? And yours?  Lacking, for certain.

Anyway, while this may seem highly inappropriate for breakfast, this is from the woman who would gladly eat pie or ice cream in place of more common breakfast goods.  Such as cereal or *gasp* toast!  But, before you cry "but it's whipped cream" at me, know that it actually isn't.  It's home-made greek honey yogurt.  I'd like to claim I made the yogurt -- which is on my to-do list -- but I bought it at Whole Pay Check (tm).  I did however mix in Honey, a teeny tiny bit of agave and some vanilla extract.  It's a much cheaper way of getting the yogurt we love without having to spend as much or visit multiple grocery stores.

As far as the fruit goes.  *giggles maniacally*  This is soooo good!  I cored and sliced strawberries.  Macerated them with sugar, a splash of orange juice, some vanilla extract and some orange zest!  They are ridiculous, and should be illegal.  In fact, I'm sure they are in like three counties.  But I don't care.  Because they're delicious.  Very.

At any rate, I am loving all the comments my giveaway post is receiving.  This makes me a happy person.  Which is what you want.  Well, it's what I want in any case.  There's just a couple more days left to sign up, so go...leave a comment.  I promise I won't bite.  Mostly.  On a good day.  Haha!

Happy Tuesday!
~j.b.

Worse for Wear...

This whole house-buying...thing...can be, at times, irritating and exhausting.  I recently received an email from the Under Writer wanting "satisfactory" explanations of things I didn't think anybody knew let alone needed explained.  Everything from why my Husband has two last names -- we both hyphenated when we got married -- to an explanation as to why Jon lived at my parents' house at one point.  Which, by the way, he never did, so I don't know why they think he did.

My initial reaction to these "requests", which read more like demands, was shock.  Then fear!  It felt like a trap.  As though if I answered any of these incorrectly, the possibility of the house would be yanked out from under us.  So, lots and lots of pressure was being heaped onto my shoulders.  But, I was putting it there.  Which is quite common for me to do when I'm already stressed.

Then, after speaking with our Loan Officer, and hearing her explain that it seemed a lot worse than it actually was, and even she was confused as to why they needed some of the info they are asking for, I feel much lighter and not quite so stressed out.  Basically, they just need us to prove we are who we say we are, and let them know we don't have any unaccounted-for debt they don't know about.  Basic stuff, honestly.  I've just never bought a house, and I was young enough when my parents bought their current house that I wasn't privy to everything they had to sign and seal.  Thank god!  If it freaks me out this much now, I can't imagine what it'd have done at 17 years old!  Good grief! 

Wow, I feel so much better getting all these feelings out in the world.  It's much nicer than leaving them cooped up in my head.  They're much less powerful, now.  Which is good.  I really think the feelings we hold onto, and the stories we tell ourselves, about ourselves, can be very powerful in terms of manifesting things, situations, and events in our lives.  We so completely want this house.  It will be such a good move for us, and fulfill a good number of dreams we've had.  And I don't want to do anything that could jeopardize our ability to obtain this house.  This is why I write.  To lighten my mood, and release stress.  So I don't carry it with me day after day.  It can get very heavy, very quickly.

Alright.  Thank you for listening.  I am so (!) happy to see everyone popping over to say hello.  It means the world to me.  Thank you all.

Happy Stress-Free Thursday Night,
~j.b.

Nonsense and a Giveaway!

Edit: this give-away is now closed.  I will be posting the winner in the next couple of days!  Thanks for your patience!

 Edit:  I have just made it easier to comment, and opened the comments up for all.  I am sorry to anyone my previous settings may have disqualified from the giveaway.  Don't give up, yet.  Just come on back!  :D

The day has finally arrived!  It is time for the giveaway!  And there are even options for this one.  I want to first say Hi Hi to all arriving from Scissors and Steam, and say Thank you for stopping by.  I know you're just doing to get free stuff, and I'm totally and completely okay with this.  I'd do it too.  Haha!  No, seriously, I would.  I have.  You're in good company.

So, this is mostly a Thank You (!) to all my followers and readers for putting up with the lax postings over the past few months.  And for reading when I'm sure I had nothing interesting to say other than moaning about my health.

Firstly, the rules -- I know, the boring part.  There are two steps to entering this give-away, and they should both be completed.  #1) Become a follower -- I promise I will not jump off a bridge...mostly.  #2) Comment on this post and let me know that you are a follower -- you know, confession time -- and say something funny.  No pressure, just say something, anything...I really don't care.  Just want to hear from you.

If you already follow this blog, just comment and let me know.  

You will have until the 7th of April -- I was going to do this on the 1st, but thought that might be kind of mean -- to enter in the drawing.  I will make the announcement of the winner on Monday (the 9th).  I will pick the winner as randomly as I am able to.  I know there's a tiny little app you can get that will pick a random number, but there really is no such thing as an algorithm that can truly pick a random number.  Plus, I don't know where to get it.  So...rambling over.

Let's get onto the important part. 

The first and best part -- in my opinion which isn't biased at all -- in this giveaway is the Stitch Markers from last week's Tutorial.  You will receive:

 

This set will actually include two more of the small orange and blue markers.  I just don't have pictures of them all.  So, all totaled, you will receive one large marker, plus four small markers.  A pretty good deal, if you ask me!  :D

Next, you will get to choose from one of two different colorways.  Here's the first:

There will be enough yarn here to complete a pair of Fingerless Mitts from PurlBee's blog.  The pattern for which I will print off and include in a page protector.  There will also be quite a bit left-over from each yarn for another small project.  Here is the second choice:

Each choice will contain two skeins of Cashmere Blend yarn from KnitPicks, and one skein of 100% Alpaca.  Also from Knitpicks.  Please understand, no substitutions are possible.  Sorry.  

I am also going to include the two sets of needles needed to complete this project -- although I do suggest you make a swatch to determine your unique gauge.  And if the needles I send don't work, then...you have two sets of dpns you didn't have to pay for!  Woot!  

Alright, I think that's it.  On Monday-ish the 9th of April, I will make the announcement.  Best of luck to all who enter, and May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor!  Why I just quoted Hunger Games is completley beyond me.  Forgive me, please.  I promise no one will die.  Really, I promise.  Stop looking at me like that!  

Happy Thursday,

~j.b.

Rain, rain...every day!

The weather has been lovely here.  And by lovely, I mean rainy and dark and dreary and beautiful.  I absolutely love this weather.  I always have.  It was this type of weather that first started me writing poetry -- along with serious depression -- and I've always had a thing for Lightening storms.  I think they're magical and powerful.  

This weather makes me want to curl up in a blanket -- hand made, of course -- and knit or read...or write.  Just depends on the mood I'm in.  It's also great tea weather.  Which is my beverage of choice.  I just found Teavana, and it's pretty much heaven in a cup.  Or a pot. Which is how I make it.  I drink a lot of tea.

I stopped by today, on this dreariest of dreary days to let you, my readers and followers, know that I am going to be having a give-away in the next couple days.  And it's going to be a wonderful one.  I'll be posting it as soon as Jamie, over at Scissors & Steam finishes her's up.  After you've received her give-away (lucky lucky) head on over here and check out mine.  I'm quite excited about it, and you'll all love it too.  

I'll give you a hint.  *whispers* it's going to contain fiber!!!

Make sure you pass that on.  And I'll see you all soon.  

Happy beautiful rainy Tuesday,

~j.b.

As promised...

So, I have finally taken all the pictures, and now I just have to write out the tutorial for making Stitch Markers.  I will also be selling these in my Etsy Shoppe, and I think I'll have a give-away for a set of Stitch Markers, for those not interested in making their own.  Because I mean, those people do exist.  Heh.

Here's where we start.  Gather your supplies:

The wire cutters and the beads shown above will be different in the following pictures.

You will need:

• Fox-tail beading wire
• Two different types of beads (one focus bead, and two each of a smaller bead)
• Crimp-beads (not shown)
• Wire cutters
• Crimp-pliers (necessary for crimping the crimp-beads)

Step 1:

Grab a small section of the beading wire and hold onto it.  I usually leave the length of it attached to the spool.  This way I waste much much less of it in the long-run.

String a crimp-bead, one of the smaller beads, your focus bead, and another of the smaller beads onto the beading-wire.

Create a loop in the wire, by sliding it back through the tops of each bead.  Just be careful not to pull the loop completely closed, because you will have to scrap it and start over.  It will cause a permanent kink in the wire.

Slide the wire all the way through, and out the end of the crimp-bead.

Now, using the crimp-pliers, press on the crimp-bead, closing it around the beading-wire.  On most crimp-pliers, there are two indentations.  You want to use the one that is smooth on one side, and serrated on the opposite side.  This will put the correct crimp in the bead.

Now the bead is crimped, and the wire will not slide around and/or out of any of the beads.  Your Stitch Marker is secure.

Next, you want to clip the ends of the wire.  I stop about 1/16th of an inch from the crimp-bead.  I don't creep closer, because I don't want to accidentally cause the crimp-bead to fall out.  Experiment, and find what works for you.

And here you go!  All three of the Stitch Markers ready to go.  I like having a set with one "different" bead to use a beginning of round marker.  

Alright, there you go!  Hope you enjoyed the tutorial.  Come back later -- possibly today, maybe tomorrow -- for the giveaway!  For those not interested in making their own.  Or anyone else who wants cute free stuff.  Sign me up!  Oh, wait...I made these.  Guess I can't be part of the give-away, can I?  Dammit.

Alright.  Enjoy your Friday night.  Jon and I are going to see Hunger Games and to dinner.  Hope you have fun plans, too.

Happy Friday

~j.b.

Itsy, bitsy...ack!

Things have been coming along quite nicely with the House Purchasing.  We're in the "signing our lives away" part, and are now the proud owners of way more debt than we know what to do with.  Don't quite have the house part signed up yet.  But, we're getting there.

And it couldn't get here at a better time, really.  It's spider season at our current place.  And by spider season, I mean that there are about to be spiders EVERYWHERE!  And I mean everywhere.  They managed to keep me inside most of last spring.  Because they pounce on you the second you leave the front door.  I tried again and again to out-smart them by leaving at different times, and leaving from different doors.  But they have spies.  They're tricksy little beasts, those spiders.  They know.  And I hate them.  I kill them the second I see one inside.

I used to be of the school of thought that if they were outside, minding their own business, then I had no call to kill them.  Not any more.  I just don't go outside any more, really.  I really really really hate spiders.  I can't wait to get out of this place and onto...two acres of land, probably riddled with spiders.  Damn.  I can't get away from them, can I?  Probably not.

Well then for now, I'm going to holed up in my apartment, armed with a box of tissue and the vacuum cleaner, intent on doing harm to all the spiders who dare enter.

Houston, we have a...house?

Wow, nearly a month and a half.  Have you missed me?  I've missed all of you.  I've missed getting a little bit of writing in when I can.  I'd like to say I've been super busy, but that really hasn't been the case.  Much.

I do have some exciting news, though -- and no, we're not having a baby...yet.  But we are trying to buy our first house.  It's been a roller-coaster of an experience, that I have tried to write about three or four times since we started down this road. I just can't seem to stream-line my thoughts into any sort of sense.  Mostly just ramblings and nonsensical...stuff.

So, the offer will be officially accepted either Monday or Tuesday.  The Earnest Money will be deposited in the Escrow Account the day everything is official.  Then Tuesday evening, Jon and I have an appointment with our Loan Officer to send off (all) our paper work to the lenders.  Then I think it's another waiting game for a while.  Which is honestly the worst part of this whole experience.  

When we first began this adventure, I told Jon that there are three things one does in life that truly feel like "adult" type stuff.

1) Buy a car

2) Have a baby

3) Buy a house

He's done #1, and we are in the middle of attempting #2.  Maybe #3 is next?  Maybe not.  For sure though, we will be getting a dog.  And two cats, that currently live with my parents.

I will try, as we continue walking through this to post updates and pictures.  I cannot promise I will succeed at this, though.  All the stress and psychological trauma of spending so insanely much money is taking up pretty much all of my energy.  Which is fairly limited begin with.  So, you may not see me around these parts for a couple months.  But, I give you all my word...I will try.

I still have a tutorial languishing in my Studio waiting for photos and writing.  I probably won't get to that until we've moved.  Just keep being patient, and you will all be rewarded.  I promise.  I think I will even do a give-away for some of those stitch markers before I stuff them into my shop.  What are your thoughts on that?

Other than that...Thank you all so much for being so patient and understanding about my absence.  I really appreciate it.  

Happy Saturday,

~j.b.

Reveling in Ravelry

Greetings fellow knitters.  I am having a wonderfully peaceful Sunday "morning".  I use quotations, because it's nearly noon, and I've only been awake for about an hour.  Busy day yesterday, and the fibro kicked in along with the tail end of my chest cold.

Part of the reason yesterday was so busy is because I began rearranging my soon-to-be Knitting Knook.  We got the over-stuffed chair my mom so graciously donated into the room, and I stored the sewing machines.  Turns out, I didn't have to break down the table the machines were on, so I can use that as a crafting table, if the mood strikes.  I'll also be able to pull out the machines if/when I want to use them.  There's still quite a bit of work that needs to be done, but it's more than usable -- I'm sitting down here as I type -- and it's quite comfortable.

I've spent the "morning" sifting through Ravelry.  My login is TheFiberNerd, for those interested in befriending me.  The woman whom I hired to clean my house just -- a month ago! -- had a new baby boy, and I want to do something for her.  So, I'm thinking of knitting him a pair of tiny little booties.  December/January babies -- all babies, in fact -- need warm feet, so I thought I'd start there.  Oddly enough, I'm not finding "the perfect" pattern.  Does any one have a perfect baby bootie or baby sock pattern that is their go-to?  I'd love to see them.  I'd like it to be DK or Sport, if that helps/hinders any.

I haven't forgotten about my tutorial.  I just have a few more pics to take of the process, then I'll write it up.  Probably tomorrow or Tuesday.  I know, I know, I keep pushing it out.  Cope.  It'll get here when it gets here.  Hehehe...

Alright, Happy Sunday,
~j.b.

Attack!

I'd post a picture of what's been attacking, but I feel that if I don't visually acknowledge them, then they might go away and not exist any longer.  So, you ask, what's been attacking? 

Moths.

Tons and mega tons of moths.  I believe we brought them into the house in a box of wood we purchased from Whole Foods a couple weeks ago.  We haven't used the wood for fires because it's been so warm lately -- 70+ degrees today -- which is part of the reason they HATCHED!  I mean, eww.  I've been slowly killing off their family-members for the last two+ weeks.  And I'm still finding them.  It's so bad, I ran away to my mom's house for the week ( I can't get Terminix in until Monday!).  I just couldn't handle them any longer.  Especially on top of having a nasty cold this week -- by the way, I'm in love with DayQuil.

But as a God-send, the Moths have been graciously avoiding my fiber and fabric perfectly.  I haven't see even one in my yarn, fiber or fabric since this all started.  Not even in my clothing.  Thank GOD!  I'd have run away from home, screaming if this was not the case.  I really dislike hate insects of any shape or size.  Mostly it's spiders I hate -- yes I know they're technically arachnids, thank you -- but even flying "bugs" make my short list of things I would rather not have in my house.  I'm honestly fine with them outside.  But once they venture in to my domain, I kill them.  Repeatedly, if need be.  I'm an equal-opportunity bug murderer.  But, I believe it's justified.  They don't pay the rent.

Enough about bugs.  I have this waiting for you:

 

These will be available two ways.  One) I will have a limited supply of them for sale in my Etsy Shoppe (I'll edit with a link when updated) and Two) I am going to be posting a tutorial on how I made these for those who would rather do the work for themselves.  

Sound good?  I can't hear you!  Heh.  So, keep a look-out the next couple days for the tutorial to make an appearance.  Might be as late as Monday, too.  Might not.  You never know.  Ever.  

Alright, that's it for  tonight. 

Praying for no Moths,

~j.b.

First Swatch is a Disaster!

Well, I managed to "finish" the first swatch for the Master Hand Knitting Course I'm taking.  I knit 2" of K2P2 (knit 2 purl 2, for those who aren't "up" on the lingo) ribbing, increasing by five stitches "unobtrusively" on the last row of ribbing, then knitting what I thought was four inches of garter stitch.  But no.  Not.  Four.  Inches.  I should have knit four and a half inches in Garter Stitch.  Ack!  So, I get to knit this stupid cute little swatch all over again.

~the wrong size swatch~

I guess it could be worse.  But, not all was lost.  Just the length.  And I don't actually mind re-knitting the whole thing.  It truly is good practice.  And I've already learned something I didn't know at the outset.  I learned how to unobtrusively increase at the end of ribbing.  

(for those of you interested: it's a k1fb in the last knit stitch of how ever many repeats it takes to get the correct number of stitches)

So, I'm fairly thrilled, actually.  And I'm only a few weeks days behind on my "Complete this Course in a Year" Plan.  I have also learned that there is a group of knitters that meet every Wednesday at the local Yarn Shop (YarnDogs) who are all doing this Course.  So, health holding up, I plan on going this Wednesday.  I'm pretty excited.  It will be nice to meet others who are fighting with loving these swatches.

That's about it for tonight.  Hopefully I will have some more to write tomorrow or the next day about my class.  For now, I will leave you with ~

~ Some Beautiful New Yarn ~

So ogle, covet and plan away.  This picture doesn't really do the color justice, sorry.  The color name is Garnet, and it's a fairly accurate description.  I believe this will be turning into mittens to keep my freezing fingers warm this winter when I take walks with the Husbie.  

Have a wonderful night, I'll talk to you all soon.

Happy Crafting,

~j.b.

Sewing Room Confession

Oh my goodness, two blog posts in one week.  Don't get too excited, it's not likely to happen very often, if ever again.  So, just enjoy it while it's here.  No expectations though, you hear?

I've decided to redo my sewing studio.  Not necessarily permanently.  Just for the foreseeable future.  I haven't been sewing much, if at all, over the past few months, and every time I walk past my sewing room, I get really sad, because I miss being in there so damned much.  So, instead of shutting the door -- literally -- and forgetting about it, I have a plan to turn in into a cozy little knitting-nook.  I am truly excited about this prospect because not only will in allow me to use my favorite room in the house, it is going to give me a perfect place to work on my knitting class and my knitting in general.  So, for now, I am looking for a chair:

The Perfect Chair

This is my ideal.  It's a Restoration Hardware chair that I am currently coveting.  I've even seen almost it in person.  We have a store literally down the street from where we live.  It's very dangerous, to a point.  The point is where we can't afford anything in the store.  And stealing is hard because I'd look somewhat suspicious walking shuffling out with a couch stuffed under my jacket.  At any rate, this is the goal.  I am going to be looking at thrift stores for something that will do perfectly.  I *may* have it re-covered.  We'll see.  It depends on how much we spend on the initial chair.  If it's cheap, then I'll spring for some nice new fabric.  But, I don't necessarily want to recover it myself.  Don't know if I'm up to that much physical labor at this point.  We'll see.

So, I'm also looking for side table to place next to the Perfect Chair.  And this caught my eye this morning:

YardStick Side Table

Something like this would be perfect, as well.  I have a small sewing cabinet that my Mother-in-law gave us quite a few years ago.  It is being used as a side table in the living room, though.  Maybe if I can find a new table for there, I can take it down stairs where she would feel more at home.  :)

Now, I also have some furniture I am going to have to store for an indeterminate amount of time.  Namely, my sewing table.  It's an Expidite desk from Ikea.  I love it, don't get me wrong.  I just don't have room for it and the Perfect Chair.  So, it will be removed and stored for now.  As will my cutting table.  I think the cutting table will fit in the corner where my spinning wheel currently lives.  And my spinning wheel is going to make a comeback as well.  As I plan on doing some spinning here soon.  My mom gave me a bunch of amazing fiber last week that I can't wait to dive into.  Literally.  I want to lay in it.  It's that soft.  I have silk, and Alpaca, and Llama waiting for me.  Plus some merino blends and cotton that is still in its husk.  Cotton spinning is something I've been wanting to learn to do for a while, now.  It has such interesting tools.

Alright, I'll keep you posted on the Studio Redo as I make progress.  I truly can't wait to make the room useful again.  And thank you for your patience with the lack of blog posts these past few weeks.  You all knew I'd be back, right?  Right!?!?  Ahem...

Happy Crafting,

~j.b.

A quick hello...and a book review.

So, it's been a while.  And it's been a while since I've needed to write that pesky little sentence.  It's been a fairly crappy couple of days weeks here.  And while I have been trying to live them gracefully, I am worn the heck out doing so.  I've been getting migraines basically everyday for the past...well, nearly 8 years, if you must know, and the last six months have been really taxing.

Because of this health-forced hiatus from all things crafty, I have resorted to reading and watching TV.  I hate TV.  Let me be a little more clear.  I hate commercials.  I yell at them, bad mouth them, and pretty much make watching any sort of program with me very uncomfortable for any and all innocent bystanders.  I don't mean to.  But because of this, we don't have cable.  I watch TV with Netflix and Hulu.  I know, Hulu does have commercials.  I can deal much better with one to two commercials per break than six or seven.  The anger scale stays within tolerable levels.  As does the yelling.  And my marriage is saved.  Which is good.  I like being married.  Specifically to Jon.  But he only likes me when I'm not yelling at commercials.

So, watching TV, I have discovered Downton Abbey.  It's a great period piece set in turn-of-the-century England.  The costumes are amazing, and the acting isn't bad, either.  I'm also not allowed to watch period piece with other people, but that a different story, all together...

I've also been reading Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's book Knitting Rules.  It's hysterical.  She does an amazing job of making me feel creative even while I'm wasting away hours watching Netfilx.  I highly recommend her blog as well.  The Yarn Harlot.  Her writing is amazing, and her sense of humor seems to be what gets her through her roughest times.  Which is very familiar to me.  If it weren't for my sense of humor, the past eight years would have ended me.  Or, I'd have ended me.  Either way, not so good for the crafting.

Speaking of crafting, I recently found The Master Hand Knitting Level I correspondence course over at TKGA.com.  I found this a couple of weeks ago, and just signed up for it two days ago.  I'm so excited I could run around the house like an amped up on sugar two year old singing at the top of my lungs.  Fortunately -- for my marriage, and sanity -- this is not possible given the current fibro-flare.  Maybe this is a blessing in disguise?  I'm going with that.  Yeah.  That's it.  A blessing.

So, I received the course requirements via email yesterday, printed them all out -- after searching for twenty minutes for the ream of paper I knew we had -- and ever-so-gently put them in a binder I had lying around from my college-days.  Now, the task is to create daily/weekly goals so as to actually finish this program in the year I'm given.  Sixteen swatches.  In one year.  Plus loads of other fun stuff.  I believe I can manage.  Yup.  Can't wait!!  Now, back to the running and singing.  Even if it is all in my head.

Happy Crafting,
~j.b.

Suck it up? Really, is that necessary?

I spend entirely too much a bit of time on Pinterest (link opens in new window).  And I have noticed a sad, sad trend recently -- beside the stupid silly bucklist pins.  I have been seeing a lot of pins suggesting that the only way to loose weight and get in shape is to be not only hard on yourself, but down right mean to yourself.  This is something I don't particularly like, and it's something I have been working very hard at not doing to myself.  This pin is what inspired me to write this post today.  The person who created this photo, I imagine is a very angry person.  Either angry at her/himself or just angry at the world and all its people in general. 

As the New Year is well under way, and reducing the amount of anger I feel toward myself is one my primary goals this year, this really makes me sad.  Anger is not the motivation I want to use to accomplish things in my life.  All this does is leave me feeling wiped out before I even begin, and in the end.  Then, even if my goal is accomplished I still feel like crap about myself.  So I ask you, what is the point of this?

To shame oneself into action?  Does this really work for any length of time?  It might get you to act in the moment, but action will become increasingly difficult to achieve without also increasing the damage you're doing to your self esteem. 

As I begin to climb down from my soap box, here, I will leave my readers with one final thought.  Having been on both sides of the thin vs. fat battle (120lbs and 190lbs) yes, being thin is nice.  Being able to fit into just about anything at the store is wonderful.  Being thin makes shopping (which I hate doing) much easier.  But sacrificing your sense of self and your self-love in order to become thin?  Totally NOT worth it for even a second.  Because the truth is, no matter how thin you become, it will never be enough for you if don't love and respect yourself to begin with.  Accept where you are now.  Love yourself as you are now.  Learn to make you enough.  And the rest will come and go as it's supposed to.

Alright, off my soap box, for now.

Happy Thursday,

~j.b.

darling finished projects...

I have had this finished Needle Book languishing in a drawer for a couple years, and I finally got up the courage to put it up for sale on Etsy this morning.  There are a few more waiting to be finished, so depending on this first one, I'll get the others up for sale, too.

I had a ton of fun making this, and why I never finished the lot of them is completely beyond me.  Other than the fact that I get very ADD with crafting/sewing/making things.  I do not seem able to complete a group of items.

My ultimate goal is to have a replenishing supply of hand crafted items for sale in my Etsy shoppe.  It's a fun and relatively simple way to pay for my crafting/yarn/fabric/etc. addictions.  Yes, I have tons of grand ideas about become interweb-famous for my crafts and my writing.  Unfortunately, I let these ideas of grandeur affect my ability to actually do the crafting and the writing.  Well, in this New Year I really want to change that.  I want to be able to set a goal and follow through with it.  Let the dreams fly, and then come back down to Earth and do the work.

Happy Tuesday,
~j.b.

Instagram-ish...

So, my dear friend Jamie over at Scissors and Steam asked me to do an Instagram 366 -- who knew this year is a Leap Year? -- with her.  Well, I do not have an iPhone, and Instagram is not quite available to the geeks like me who use the Android OS.  Alas, I had to say no.

But, this got me thinking.  Android has many apps in their Market.  So, I found a Camera app that allows me to edit my photos on the fly, Camera360.  This is not a review of the site I just linked to.  If Camera360 is an app you would like, please check out your android market on your phone.  Do not download apps from unknown sources.  Just a general bit of good advice -- from my techy husband, actually.

That being said, I downloaded this program from my market-place and have been playing with it.  It's super fun!  Here is my first photo:
   (I'll post more about this project at a later date)

The camera app has this Tilt Shift filter that allows me to auto focus on a particular part of the photo and it blurs the rest.  I didn't know this was even a thing until I started talking to my husband about it.  I also edited this photo in Picnik on Picasa.  Which is where I store my not-yet-published photos.

So, all things considered -- and I do mean all -- I believe I am going to participate in the 366 photo "thing".  I think I'll do as Jamie will be doing, though, and post a compilation of photos once a week, so I am not bombarding my lovely readers with photos every single day.  The above photo will act as number 1/366.  And this photo -- being that it actually is the second day of January, 2012 -- will be number 2/366

Even though it took a few days after X-mas for it to arrive -- lost in transit, apparently -- I got Jon and I Nerf Guns as a gift.  And we played with them New Years Eve for a while.  And now, I'm finding these little disks everywhere in the house.  Made for a fun evening, though.  Guess we'll be finding these things for years! 

Happy Day-off-Monday,
~j.b.