Saturday, May 31, 2008

Crisis Averted

It wasn't that bad. After I spent all that time getting myself psyched up and girding my loins, it turned out that he was just trying to butter me up for permission to take my son (no. 5) to see one of my sister's for several days this summer.

You know a salad wasn't enough to bribe me into sending my 10 year old off with two people I don't consider to be responsible adults. WHO KNEW HUH???

So, no big huge bombshell. Just a butter up session to pretend like he actually thinks I am "somebody" so he could get what he wanted. And ask for something I've already said no to twice. Oh and to say, "Well I do respect your feelings BUT. . ."


Um no you don't. I said no, and bugging me incessantly isn't going to make me change my mind. Do I strike you as someone who folds easily under pressure?

Sheesh.

Not a lot of knitting to show as I've been superbusy with kid end of school activities etc and mostly just working on The Secret of Bad Nauheim which is turning out pretty snazzy. I do have a new sock pic for Monday though. Laterz!

Friday, May 30, 2008

Parental Advisory

Ok, let me just start by saying that if you live ANYWHERE near me, you are gonna want to run over to the Crazy Horse Steakhouse at noon. Here's why:

My dad, who we all know drives me nuts, is coming today. Normally he doesn't give a shit about anyone but number 5 (dude, whatever takes his focus off criticizing the shit outta me), but yesterday he called me and asked if I would go have lunch with him.

He has a history of taking you somewhere so you can't get away and then dropping shit on you so you are completely TRAPPED. So of course I am suspicious. Being me, I asked him flat out, "Why? What's going on?" I'm sure even though we were on the phone, he could tell I was squinting suspiciously. I KNOW in my soul that something is up. He didn't just spontaneously decide he wants to spend some time with his psycho bitch of a daughter who he thinks needs meds and mental help. (This is possibly true, but that is NOT the point). So last night I was folding laundry and talking to the Chief in the laundry room and I told him about this invitation. Of course he knows me, really KNOWS ME and he is smirking. I am not 14 anymore and Bitch WILL raise her voice if her last nerve is tread upon. (Check me out talking about myself in the third person) I'm not sure if this frightens the Chief, or if he loves it, or if it's sort of a sketchy combination of the two.

Anywho, if my dad (a hot mess) lied and something is up that he's going to dump on me, I WILL be making a huge scene and stomping out of that place. So you might want to be there is all I'm sayin. If I'm going to make a spectacle of myself (and make no mistake OF HIM) you might as well get some entertainment out of it! I mean I was clear that he dumps on me when he gets me alone somewhere without a car and that I was suspicious and wanted to know. Of course he acted all innocent. You're no Laurence Olivier, Dad. He also made the extra effort to pretend he was hurt that I'm suspicious. NOT BUYIN THAT EITHER, LAURENCE.

Ya'll say a wee prayer for me. The only reason I even keep dealing with this is that I do think my son should know his grandparents, plus I never expected my dad to live this long, so I figure he's on borrowed time at this point. I should try to make an effort to be decent even if it is giving me lightheaded heart pounding anxiety.




You guys, I am selling my old knitting machines because I have new additions. I got such a sweet deal, I think I can sell all the old crap for these two upgraded machines. Wish me luck! Hopefully I'll have pics after the weekend but it's going to be pretty busy with kids and end of school stuff.

If you've read me a whole year, you know about the TV rule in summer. AND the fighting punishment. We're reworking the TV rule for this summer so stay tuned. I should get some decent comedy out of kids who can't play video games.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Handspun Socks and Important Information

So, number five went on a field trip with his grade (4th) to Mackinac Island. It's a historic part of Michigan dude. Anywho, he was paired with one of his best friends and two other kids from his class. they had an awesome time and stayed overnight in a hotel. How fun is that?

So he gets home and a few days later, this convo ensues:

Me: So, now that you've gotten to know Jae and Logan better, do you like them more?

5: I like Logan better now that I know him more. Jae, I think I like LESS.

I always encourage him to say how he really feels because I think people who fake just to appear nice are just pathetic. If you can't BE nice, then Appearing nice is just lying. I always tell him he doesn't have to play with kids he doesn't like, but he does have to treat them with respect, but OOOOOOOOOOO this cracked me up.

Let's face it, sometimes the better you know a guy, the less you like him. It's just that simple.



Now, handspun socks. They're superwash wool from Sheepshed studios. I dyed the roving with number $ and the pattern is Slippery
I finished them up while rewatching Dexter with my mom. I wish the new series was starting earlier.

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Oh and I dyed some yarn for a sweater this weekend. I think it will be a long sleeved version of Wicked. It's a nice hot candy pink with some lighter/darker spots which was the plan.

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Hopefully soon, I'll have it on the needles!

Oh yeah! I'm spinning for my first handspun sweater too! i believe a spinner or two reads this, is 2.5 lbs enough for a sweater? I haven't counted WPIs yet, but I'm hypothesizingthat I'm getting a heavy DK to light worsted weight. It's natural Shetland spun before dyeing. I'll dye the yarn when I'm done. So far I only hae like 1/2 a lb done, but heck I just started on Monday.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Cuz It's Hard to Understand People With Only Two Emotions




You Have Your PhD in Men



You understand men almost better than anyone.

You accept that guys are very different, and you read signals well.

Work what you know about men, and your relationships will be blissful.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

You Know You Wanna Squoosh it!

First, thanks for the emails I received with peptalks, concerned questions and stuff. It really wasn't a bid for attention but that was cool of you!

Second, I am hosting a dyeing workshop at my house in June and I made up a bunch of color samples with recipes. The attendees will be getting a bottle of each primary color and hopefully these recipes will help get people going on their dyeing. I want to show them that they can get bajillions of colors with a very minimal investment if they learn about color theory. I got more than 40 colors, but have yet to achieve a nice chocolate brown. I'm not giving up though ;)

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Next, dyed fiber photos as promised. Two batches of Suffolk for socks. It's very noily but since I spin a three ply yarn out of it, the noils sort of disappear in the plying and I get a flippin sweet sock yarn! Very hardwearing.
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This one is the first merino for me. I'm relaly looking forward to spinning it.
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And then, two batches for my mom. We believe these are Shetland.
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Makes me want to spin so bad!

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Just a bunch of stuff

Ok, my husband's ex wife is really putting us through the ringer (again) so I am stressed out, not sleeping and generally not functioning well, BUT I am still knitting, spinning and dyeing so NEVER FEAR!

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These hederas are made from my lemonade stand BFL. I would have to say it is my fave, or perhaps equal in favortude to the superwash from Sheep Shed. I really enjoy spinning both and dyeing them too.

I'll have some photos of newly dyed fiber tomorrow. Yay woo hoo!

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Where I Warn you about Crack

Soooooooooo, we visited the famous (and wonderful) Threadbear Fiber Arts. Sooooo I was getting my change from the lovely ladies at the counter, and I requested a five and five ones. One of them said, "Beer money?"

So of course being me, I said, "Nah, I need singles for the strip club tonight."

Who knew that little exchange was prophetic and later i would be oh so glad I had a few singles. I mean it was all I could do to pass up this chance to slip a single in there.

THIS showed up at the Stitch and Pitch and I SHIT YOU NOT, it was no more than six feet from me. I think this qualifies for a collective WHAT THE FUCK!!?? How do you not feel a draft all the way down your ass crack huh? It was like 50 degrees. The bonus is, she stood up, pulled up her jeans, pulled down her sweater, sat back down and exposed this. It was actually approximately two inches LESS than was originally exposed. Yeah, this is covered up.
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It was like a train wreck. I couldn't look away. Dude, if you show up like this at an event with me, you are screaming to be on "The Blog". At least I didn't put her face in the photo right? Consider yourself Kinneared, honey!

Anywho, it was a super fun night, even though a bit cold and rainy. The Lansing Lugnuts beat the crap out the Dayton Dragons! (Go Nuts) You know I couldn't pass that up.

The ladies I went with did the YMCA dance. Hey spelling is hard.
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LOL it was funny. I liked it.

There was Threadbear fun.
Deb did some shopping:
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Why yes, Deb. I do think that will make a shawl that is just your color. It coordinates perfectly with her hair doesn't it?

KaRi took photos, so I took a photo of her taking a photo next to sock yarn.
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Val paid for her purchases. That blonde lady is the one who knew where the strip club was. I feel like Maury exposing this "secret" of hers.
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All in all, a great night. Freezing, but great.

Please people, don't abuse crack. Hey where were her underpants anyway?

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

That's why God invented hats

So tonight I'll be at the Lansing Michigan Stitch N Pitch. I won't lie. I'm going for the goodybag and hours of knitting. I also get to see the famous Threadbear store in Lansing. Check out this perfect weather for a ballgame. Mind you this is 10am. Here in Michigan you might as well take a photo a month ahead because you're just about as likely to get the same weather from morning/evening as you are from April/May.

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See that shine on the deck and the barbecue? Yeah that's rain.

Oh well, I have hats.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Woo hoooooooooooo

I did it. I got a decent two ply laceweight out of my BFL. This is the first skein which is just under 550 yds. I think i have about 200 yds of singles left.

I wouldn't have tried it without encouragement from Ladybug knitter and from some spinners in the Spinner Central group. Thanks everybody!

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ohhhhhhhh and I actually counted wpis which I never do! 33. That's right I counted woo hoo!!

Monday, May 12, 2008

May

Well I've been busy doing I don't know what. I finished some yarn I like to call Bozo's best shirt.
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The dyes were picked out by number four. It turned out very bright. Not lovin it, but I'll make an outdoor headband or socks or something out of it. It'll get used for something.

Saturday I went with Lori to Marrhaven to fiber shop. I had a great time and it's always fun seeing the lambs and stuff. I was sorely tempted to buy some of her wool on cones, but not this trip. Next time though. I had planned to dye some fiber when I got home, but instead I decided to try laceweight. Lori had just spun some up and gave me some encouragement, so I tried it. It'll be a two ply eventually and here's a single.
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and yeah, I know I kind of forgot to switch hooks and got absorbed in the laceweight rhythm.

It's BFL that I handdyed awhile back. Remember this?

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Well that's what I used. I think I'm gonna love it!

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Here's to you!

Ok so here's a little piece of information you probably don'tknow about me. When I spend my 45 minutes on the stepper, I like to watch a foreign film if I'm alone in the house. It's like the only time I can keep my eyes on the TV because I'm not knitting and I'm not sellin' books (eyes on the computer off and on).

So yesterday, I chose a Belgian horror film. Yeah you didn't know they had those? Yeah they do. I even recognized an actor from the french films I watch a lot of the time. I believe he was in Amelie which is one of my top five films ever. Anywho, I saw the best burning car scene I've ever scene. It was a shitload more real than American burning car scenes where the gas tank explodes the car fifty feet in the air. Also, there were people (remember it was a horror film) having sex with animals. Who knew that was a theme for backwoods people all over the world huh? Apparently it's like a real thing which is just kind of hard to believe for me personally.

HERE'S TO YOU BELGIAN FILMMAKERS! I had no idea you were any good. You made a truly gross and creepy movie when you made Calvaire (which incidentally means The Ordeal), but next time get someone just a tiny bit more fluent in English to translate. There was a lot of weird syntax there.

I've been knitting a bit too, but hopefully I'll have a few blocking photos for you soon. laterz!