Nettieville

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2011-12-25T11:04:00.000-08:00

I hope you are having a great one. We are spending the day in our pj's today enjoying ourselves. Food's done cooking, and movies all day on the tv :)

Merry Christmas Everyone!

1st Loom Project Done!!

2011-12-21T20:33:00.000-08:00

I guesstimated how long I needed to make the warp for 6 place mats with fringe. I was hoping to get 12x15 size. I ended up with 6 14x13 inch place mats including fringe. Not bad! I still need to wash them. I think they will shrink up a bit (tighten up in the weave some). Here is a slightly blurry picture of them :)

Starting Fresh

2011-12-13T07:39:00.000-08:00

It's been pointed out that I have been slacking on on the blog this year ;)
And I have I ever!
So with that I here is the first post in 5 months or so.

We have a new Christmas Tree! And it's HUGE. We couldn't put it where we usually do.... Behind my computer chair near the front door. I couldn't move my chair and the younger two boys couldn't get in the house! So now the tree is in the dining room. Hopefully next year it will be in the living room again :)

This years new ornament is a real favorite. It is a blown glass Santa from Poland that I found at Marshall's. I usually wait until after the Holidays and hit the sales, but just couldn't pass this guy up :D

Happy July 4th!

2011-07-04T23:06:00.001-07:00

I hope you had a good one!
I had cake :D

Derek is Graduated!!!

2011-05-26T22:10:00.001-07:00

Woot!

2011-05-18T17:32:00.000-07:00

Progress

2011-05-03T16:42:00.000-07:00

I never posted Jenna's Socks!!
Cookie A's Monkey Socks
They should be in the mail in about week :)
I love how they turned out. If they weren't too long for my feet I might have just kept them for my self :P

This next pair was in a knitting war. I only managed to get 1.5 of the socks finished before the "Assassination Socks" arrived in the mail. Here is what one finished sock looked like. I turned a purchased yarn (Malabrigo Sock yarn) into a striped yarn... The Theme. This pattern is called Ampersand

And I have 3 other pair of socks on the needles in varying construction

Summer!

Parallel Twist

Miss Marple

Now if I could just make up my mind on what pattern to pick out for my Dunkle Kirsch Wollmeise yarn for a cardigan. I would be set then!

As a side note:
We did survive the tornadoes. They all scooted east of us before landing anywhere. We were quite happy about that, but sad for all the damage it brought to the neighboring towns. thankfully there were no deaths.

Progress

2011-03-25T08:41:00.000-07:00

Jenna's Sock's are almost finished! I was hoping they would be finished by the end of the month. We shall see. I also striped up a couple of skeins of yarn I have had FOREVER.... The pink purple has brown stripes, and the blue green has black stripes. I think they came out pretty well. Maybe now I will be inspired to use them up :)

Spring Break

2011-03-17T11:24:00.000-07:00

Yes it's Spring Break and 2 of the boys are sick! Derek got sick Sunday and is just now coming out of it. Deven I think its more allergies and sinuses.

During the week here Deven spent some of his time dyeing some yarn. He hasn't done that in a while. He really has talent. Here is a group photo of what is going into the shop soon. It is MCN DK (Merino Cashmere Nylon)

Last Weeks Snow!

2011-02-08T10:34:00.000-08:00

We did survive last weeks snow storm. KVUE was calling it "The Big Chill" ;-) We ended up with 3 inches!!! Derek was snowed in with his Mommom. Here are a couple of picture of the other two boys enjoying the white stuff. they haven't seen it since they were little. The dog wouldn't leave the porch LOL

Looks like more is coming tonight or tomorrow. Just in time now that it is all melted and muddy :D

Phat Fiber Samples

2011-02-02T09:57:00.000-08:00

This is what went into the mail for the Phat Fiber Box this month.

Silk Scarves

2011-01-31T16:56:00.001-08:00

They are coming out nicely!
Here are Deven and Logan with a couple of recently dyed beauties

Custom job

2011-01-21T07:35:00.000-08:00

I love doing custom Dye jobs. They are my favorite.
This one was scary. Reds are scary. They bleed and sometimes never stop. I dyed this on MCN DK (Merino Cashmere Nylon, Double Knit). Bigger than fingering, smaller than worsted weight. I really like how it feels. AND it turned out great! No bleeding after 3 washes :D

There are 2 picture below. One with a flash and one without. There is no sun here sadly. Hasn't been for days. It's gloomy and grey. The actual color is probably somewhere in between the two photos.

Traveling Button Box

2011-01-11T10:21:00.000-08:00

The button box arrived a few days ago and I finally picked some buttons. The gold hearts didn't make it into the photo. For some reason they enthrall the oldest boy. He was in a silly mood I guess. ;-) My favorite are the "Only Lonelies". Especially the white one up front and the purple one.

Potholder Swap

2010-12-29T16:02:00.001-08:00

Thank you Debby!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2010-12-25T08:12:00.000-08:00

All The Way From England!

2010-12-22T13:38:00.000-08:00

Another ornament came in the mail today!
Isn't it too cute?!
A little non-melty snoman :D

Look who is 16!

2010-12-14T13:05:00.000-08:00

He went from this...

To this...

Finger Spinning on Chop Sticks

2010-12-12T16:41:00.000-08:00

Yes!
You read that right. A couple months ago I read about that on a blog. I wish I had saved it so I could link here for you. It looked really neat!! I decided to try it out on the fiber I received this week in the ornament swap. You can see it in the 1st photo from the post below. Here is my progress today. 1/4 of the bag!!!

The label says 100% Wool. It feels like it may have some lama or alpaca in it. At least that is what my face is telling me LOL it itches a little. ;-) The spinning is coming out really nice though! Can't wait to see how much yardage I get out of it :D

Holiday Ornament Swaps

2010-12-12T09:18:00.000-08:00

Yesterday 3 came in! 1st there was the package from Courtney. this was a 2 person group. She sent me the following.

The Next was a group of 6 including me. So far 3 have come in. Here they are!

2 New Yarns

2010-12-07T21:13:00.001-08:00

These should be in my etsy sometime tomorrow. the 1st skein is spoken for already. Every other color in the picture is the same ;-) Berry Christmas & Old Bird.

Berry Christmas is full of the pink family, Orchid, Mauve, and Magenta.

Old Bird is a Striper. Depending on gauge you should get 2-3 rounds of color each. I tested with US 2 needles on 68 stitches in the round. The colors are a Sagey Grey and Flamingo Pink

Fun colors, Soft yarn. hope everyone likes it

12 in 2011

2010-11-27T09:19:00.000-08:00

I have bagged up 12 yarny projects in hopes of getting them done this year. I especially want to get 2 cardigans for myself finished. One out of tan and navy cotton that I just traded some Noro Kureyon for. The other will be out of my Dunkle Kirsch Wollmeise. I have some beautiful vintage buttons for the Dunkle Kirsch cardi, I'll figure out buttons later on the cotton cardi later (maybe red ones). It looks like 6 pairs of socks. Colorwork, mosaic, and a Wizard of Oz themed pattern! A couple baby things for charity. Mittens, and a couple small shawls. Fun stuff! I know this is VERY ambitious. Only 3-4 are very important to me at the moment, and some of the patterns may change. The challenge is to use what you have on hand. Last year I failed in the regard and ended up getting very little done at all in comparison to years before. Maybe I should shouldn't plan at all.

Sewing wise I have 2 quilt tops that need finishing cut out, and another cut. Of course they all need sewn as well. A little girl dress needs a zipper and hemming. A wool coat needs finished. I need to finish a summer dress even though Summer's over LOL. Make 2 pair of jeans, and several blouses for myself. For some reason I always put those needs aside. And its starting to show in the closet!

So I am going to try and get 12 sewing projects done this year as well!

I guess this makes a kind of New Years resolution....
I hate those haha

Partner Swap Package is in!

2010-11-01T14:35:00.000-07:00

I love my swap partner. she is the greatest.

Sew What Trim?

2010-09-01T14:14:00.000-07:00

I am making a little jumper dress for a friends little girl. Size 4t. It's almost finished. Hand sewing the neck and arms down, putting in the back zipper, and putting on the ribbons and buttons. But which ribbon!!

Back to School Sale

2010-08-24T10:18:00.000-07:00

The boys have started school again. So let's have a sale.
Buy 2 Get 1 FREE
I'll send a new invoice our refund the free item amount through Paypal. Let me know in the message part of your order.

Big Bear Hugs Fiber Club

2010-08-20T11:01:00.000-07:00

I finally listed my first club. It is a non-committal monthly fiber club. The first edition is for September. It will contain a 8 ounces of Superwash Wool fiber and a bag to hold it in. Then I will have several goodies in there for people to enjoy. You can find the Big Bear Hugs Fiber Club for September listed on my Esty. It should be fun! Here are a few pictures of past fiber that I have dyed for you to enjoy.

Fruit Trees

2010-08-15T09:53:00.000-07:00

So I have checked on my tree again. And with all the rain we've been getting, the Pear is loaded! Several branches are broken :( and the red wasps have made a home eek! There are also more Persimmons than last year. I will say though, that this tree still doesn't put much out compared to other fruits. According to my taste tester, Derek. The pears are bland this year, even with all the rain. Very crunchy, just like last year. Here are a couple pictures of their progress so far...

Knitting Wars time again!

2010-07-27T10:34:00.000-07:00

I've done Hat Wars twice and Sock Wars twice.
Now its time for Shawl Wars!
I've received my target and am now in stalker mode.
Everyone is making their avatar pictures. Mine isn't shrinking right. I may have to get a different one.

New Rooster

2010-07-26T09:08:00.001-07:00

Here he is!
Picard the Rooster. Isn't he pretty?!
Same breed as The Grannies were when we first started.... I miss them. Dominique.

My Scavenger Hunt Swap Box Is Here!

2010-06-09T13:55:00.000-07:00

I will just post the photos. There is so much in it and I LOVE it! I'll edit back what all is there.

The Box!

The Goodies!

Purple Iris Bulbs
Really cool zippy pouches
Assorted buttons
Hello Panda Shortbread Cookies w/Strawberry filling
Purple Chico Bag
Creamy Buttons

3 Fat quarters of fabric!
Mango lotion
A Verb for Keeping Warm sock yarn

Manos Silk Blend yarn in PURPLES!
A Japanese pattern book! w/charts
Woven bag from India

Local bag
I love the note pad, and they are always needed
fairy stickers...so cute :)
Yummy soap
Wasabe Peas
Sour Watermelon Gummies
Swedish Fish

Welted Fingerless Gloves Pattern to go with the Manos yarn
I think the buttons are up above somewhere. They make a kit with the pattern and yarn!
Sour Patch Kids

Chocolate Covered Sunflower Seeds
Tea
Puppy and Frog key chains. Too cute
LOVE the mints tin
A set of cards made by my Swappee's Children :D

A felted doll pin
and this is a closer look at one of the blurry pictures LOL

This was one of my favorite swaps so far. The Scavenger Hunt Theme was a lot of fun! I think we all have and are making out like bandits :)

Yummy

2010-06-07T13:46:00.000-07:00

The Plums are Coming in Fast

2010-06-04T14:10:00.000-07:00

The Cherry-Plums fresh from the tree. I think this is about 10lbs. or so. They are no bigger than a quarter.
Here they are being pitted so I can get them in the pot for jam making. This was the last bit of them. Deven decided to do these so I could start cooking the first batch. I ended up with 23 cups of pitted plums. Aren't they dark! They were sweet to eat too ;-)
Here they are! 26 8oz jelly jars full. Plum preserves. No added sugars. I used Stevia to sweeten. They are a little tart. I didn't think the sour skins would make that much of a difference in the flavor but it did. It still tastes great though. Something about doing it yourself :D Now to wash the hard water residue off all the jars and put them all away....

It's Quilting Time!

2010-05-31T22:42:00.000-07:00

I haven't done a quilt since we moved back to the states in high school. It was a pin wheel wall quilt that mom and my sister and I did together.

I am going to do the Joseph's Coat Quilt in scrappy greens. I'm thinking a beige cream for the background. Phillip wants brown or tan, but I am thinking that may be too dark. We'll see... I am still collecting greens. I think I am up to 1.5 yards or so of the 4.5 yards needed.

I've cut my 1st template ever. I think I bought the wrong kind. It was the thicker one. I think for this project the thinner template plastic would have been a better choice.

I also have 2 dresses cut out and ready to sew up for the summer. Can't wait!

Pins and needles

2010-05-16T11:08:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the big day according the the DC# I got in my email from the Loopy Ewe. My favorite "local yarn store". ;) They really aren't local like in town. but the shipping is fast enough that they might as well be. :) The have a HUGE selection of yarns. I even got some Wollmeise from them once! I love that stuff!!! And now I have enough of that color (Dunkle Kirsch) to make myself a cardigan. if only I could make up my mind on the pattern.

So tomorrow is the big day is the for my sock kit light. I can wait to see what's in it. May next year I will win the lotto and get in on the sock kit club :D

Boxbag Tutorial

2010-05-14T10:29:00.000-07:00

This tutorial is for my friend Elaine and anyone else having a hard time learning how to make one of these bags. Have fun!

I will say right now this is SUPER picture heavy. I may have to split into two posts. We'll see :D

This tutorial is being done without a zipper foot. Not everyone has one. I do, but I thought I would do it this way. Sometimes it's a pain to keep switching them out.

First off you will need two fabrics, interfacing, a long zipper, tape measure, and some pins.
Cut your materials 16x12, 17x13 somewhere close. Or bigger! Your zipper needs to be 2-3 inches longer than the short side.

Next we place the zipper on the main fabric upside down with the fabric right side up.

Then we line the interior fabric wrong side up, and pin them all together, making sure everything is lined up straight at the top.

This sewing foot has three lines and a clear viewing area. My needle is set for the center line. The fabric is filling the entire viewing area. The metal bar of the foot is against the zipper. You can feel the zipper with your fingers as you guide the materials along. This should help keep you a straight line, not always though.

We made to the end! So far everything looks great.
Now, turn your fabrics so that the zipper is on one side like this and finger press. Then start sewing. You want about an eighth inch seam on the fabric side.

Now back to square one. Main fabric facing up with interfacing underneath. Zipper then the interior fabric facing down.
It will look like this when you hold it up in the air.

Here is where you repeat everything you did on the first side of the zipper. Now it time to put your hand into the main fabric tube and pull it out.
It will look like this. One side has the finished edge the other does not.
It is now time to fix that. Unzip the bag . Finger press again and sew. Pick the side that is most comfortable for you. Zipper on the left or right. I don't know why this picture flipped. But if you look close the metal bar on the presser foot is "in the ditch". This is a good thing. I moved my needle to the the left notch position. This is a guaranteed straight line :)
Here we are at the end of the zipper. It's not that bad. Just make sure to keep the rest of the bag material out of the way and to turn the zipper straight :)

Now we need to bring in the measuring tape and pins. You are looking for the center. Always measure. And do it for both ends. Pin it to keep the zipper from sliding. ETA open the zipper halfway so you can open the bag at the end!
Now I actually forgot about the handle and tab. But found these in my scrap pile. Whew! They were already finished and measure 12 inches by 1 inches-ish. They were probably the same width of the short end of the fabric by 3-4 inches. Then double folded and sewn down both edges. I just cut the other one short so it could be a tab. ;)

Here is the placement of them. Zipper end gets the tab, and zipper head gets the handle. Rough edges to rough edges. Curve to the inside.
Find the spot you want for your seam on the sides. It isn't always going to be 5/8's or 1/2 inch. I left the selvage on the brown fabric so this time I thought it would be quite a bit. I was wrong... I have had to cut off an inch or more on one side and only a little on the other. It evens out sometime LOL Always backstitch a few time on the zippers/handles, they get a real workout.
This is really important. PLEASE be careful when you are trimming the extra off! That bunch right there in the middle can be thick depending on the fabric you choose, and if your scissors slip or twist you could really get hurt.... Oh and those dots... I poked my self with a pin. :(
Here we are all trim and no cutting accidents :) Did I forget to mention to make sure the zipper was open half way before sewing ends shut... I am so sorry if you made it this far. Let me edit that right now!
This is the magic spot on my machine for making corners. Anywhere else and they come out wonky.
It's time to make the corners.... I know its the scary part. Here is a front and back picture of the first corner before sewing.
I line up the corner with that magic spot. Pull back and start sewing.
This is an aerial view of a corner with the handle end. You don't want it in the way.
Here I am making sure the triangles are the same size before I start sewing again.
Here we are. All the corners are done! Almost home free. :)
Clip the corners off leaving about a quarter inch. If you have pinking shears, even better.
Tada!! All done. You should feel super! You did a great job finishing this. Hopefully it was easy for you. I had the hardest time figuring out how to do one of these things on my own :D

Notes*
Finger pressing - using your fingers to even out the fabric and flatten it before sewing.
Pinking shears - larger heavy scissors that cut zig zaggy triangle edges on your fabric to prevent fraying/unraveling.

New Hair !

2010-04-19T13:20:00.000-07:00

I dyed and highlighted it myself. Since I can't seem to find a place that can cut my hair, I surely don't trust them to color it... So I did it myself. I like it. But think maybe the Light Golden Brown would have looked more natural than the Medium Golden Brown I chose. What do you think?

Spring Green

2010-04-03T11:24:00.001-07:00

scissortail

cherry-plum tree. The other one barely has fruit on it

mulberry tree

pear tree

OMG Glasses!

2010-04-01T18:10:00.001-07:00

More Sock Roving

2010-03-30T09:21:00.001-07:00

Coming Soon to HuggyBearKnits.etsy.com MORE Sock Roving!

The Pink, 1st braid I haven't decided if I will keep for myself or not just yet.
This picture is w/o the flash, the colors are a little dark, but you can't quite see the nylon

This picture you can see the nylon, but the colors are a little brash due to the flash.

The purples will not be going into the Etsy shop just yet. I know boohoo. I just noticed they need an extra rinse.

Mini Skeins for the DFW Fiber Fest

2010-03-29T11:21:00.000-07:00

My something chart isn't working :(

2010-03-15T20:46:00.000-07:00

I may have to scrap it or start completely over. I was hoping to have it ready to print for the Dallas Fort Worth Fiber Festival. But it's not looking good so far. booo.

something I am working on

2010-03-09T08:19:00.000-08:00

March week 1

2010-03-02T15:49:00.000-08:00

A few pictures of what is going on in my knitting and swappy world this week.

This is what I chose out of the Robin's Nest Traveling Box Swap. It was 10lbs! at least when Phillip brought it home today. Now after adding my bunch of goodies it STILL weighs 9.75 lbs! I really really wanted the Noro but it had alpaca in it. Sad frowns to the allergy.

Picture is a little flashy, but the colors are pretty true. These are the first batch of my sock rovings that will be going into my Etsy store in the next couple of days. The next batch is drying right now :) The sheen that you are seeing is the the nylon that is found in the sock yarn. Depending on how you spin will affect the amount of shimmer you get in your yarn. It's really a cool thing.

And this is the newest shawl pattern I have going. I actually have 3 or 4 on the needle. 2 are Mystery Knit Alongs where I get 1 clue a month. But this one I am knitting for the Malabrigo March event. Pattern is Damson by Ysolde Teague, yarn is Malabrigo Sock in Rayon Verte

Feeling Tropical

2010-02-27T19:07:00.001-08:00

Snow!!

2010-02-25T09:52:00.001-08:00

Getting to Know You Swap Package

2010-02-22T14:58:00.000-08:00

HappyTeacher aka Jenn is my swappy partner and her package came today! She lives in Toronto. I really enjoyed reading the questionnaire/letter. This was a really cool swap. It is basically an "All about me" swap. So everyone makes a package about themselves and mails it off. She sent me her favorite book, cd/musician, candy, and coffee. There were a couple Kinder Eggs in the box but they exploded/ got crushed in transit. Derek and Deven got them since they were the ones home when the mail got here.

Here is the picture minus the Eggs.

Congratulations #200!!!

2010-02-15T11:53:00.000-08:00

Mrs Claus Sewing Room won as the 200th person to favorite the store. :D
She won a sewn bag similar to one in the pictures below, a braid of roving, and discount coupon on her next purchase at HuggyBearKnits.etsy.com !

I made a purse!

2010-02-10T14:56:00.000-08:00

Yes I did.
It's full of chickens!

6 outside pockets
Fully lined
Handles
Zipper

I am really happy with it. :D

Contest!

2010-02-09T07:41:00.000-08:00

It's Contest time on my etsy. All you have to do, is go to HuggyBearKnits.etsy.com and favorite the store. If you are the 200th person you win a prize. OR if you are the 100th purchase you win a prize. It's that easy.

The prize will be a sewn bag, a yarn or roving, and a coupon on your next purchase.

The Neighbors Had Babies!

2010-02-02T12:54:00.000-08:00

The beige goat with the center stripe had twins. In the 2nd picture she was off to go get the other one so it could have some milk too. The one with her kept trying but momma wouldn't let it with out the other one there.

The white goat with the brown neck hat 1 baby. That is hers in the background sitting.

Aren't they just the cutest?!

Etsy Update Day!

2010-02-01T17:37:00.000-08:00

4 more skeins of MCN sock yarn and 5 braids of 100% Superwash roving.

Also today 5 POUNDS of sock roving came in the mail! I can't wait to get that dyed and in the shop :D

Here are some pictures...

Sewing Sewing

2010-02-01T09:10:00.000-08:00

I was making a frog bag last night following a picture tutorial. I missed something HUGE because mine looks NOTHING like a "box bag". It's more like a large fancy pencil bag haha. Oh well. I haven't really been sewing for such a long time! I figure 6 years ago was when my Husqevarna quit on me. I'm not doing a bad job. I'm just rusty ;-) Luckily I have enough fabric to make another one. Here is what I ended up with!

A little zip

2010-01-26T16:18:00.000-08:00

My fabrics from the Repro Depo are coming along. I'm really enjoying my new sewing machine. I have 2 bags cut out, and a few zippy bags. The zippy bags are the perfect size for notions or pencils or what ever littles that get lost. Here is a picture of my first one. It's a japanese print of little squirrels. VERY cute! As you can see, I still need to finish hand sewing the liner in :)

The hot pink kitties are at a stand still for now. I need a lining similar to quilt batting, so that means going shopping in a couple days. :D

I haven't decided what to do with the chicken fabric. Someone pointed me to a really nice tutorial. So I may do that.

Sneak Preview

2010-01-22T13:01:00.000-08:00

Here is a sneak peak of what is going in the shop today.
I couldn't wait for the rest of my yarns to dry. So here is a mini update of the new MCN yarn base going on.
Cowboys, Raspberry Sour, Mossy Glade, and Evergreen

Goodies in the Mail

2010-01-20T15:05:00.001-08:00

A package from Oklahoma full neat stuff. A mitten kit. some lady bug cuteness, origami paper, a notepad, a soap sample, a couple a cards, and some starbucks VIA coffee.

Here is the fabrics I ordered from Retro Depot! I love them!. The baby blue one with the stuffed animals on it is for the baby quit top I found. The squirrels is a heavy almost canvas. The chickens and cats are not reproductions they are actually limited older prints. I didn't get much of them. I hope to get a couple project bags or lunch bags out of them for the shop. It will be fun :)

Trying to get a good color shot

2010-01-19T12:33:00.001-08:00

This is a big 8 ounce hank of merino bamboo. It didn't do what I wanted it to do. And I am very surprised with the output. It was supposed to go from light to dark, from one end to the other.... it didn't :( I've done this before. Off to the drawing board...

My Roll is Done!

2010-01-12T16:37:00.000-08:00

Yes my knitting neede roll is finished finally. It's the one I started a while back and got sidetracked. I started off with a so called "pattern" and ended ip doing my own thing. It was one of those word patterns. I couldn't understand what they were saying and kept leaving things out because none of made sense to me LOL. But it's really cute. Another mistake I made in the beginning was cutting out double the pieces. So I cut out more in the opposite materials. In a few days I will have another one in paisley :D

There are 15 pockets for circular needles. It looks great I think :)

Traveling Scarf #1 is Here!!

2010-01-11T12:15:00.000-08:00

I never posted that is was finished and here! It looks great and has come in SO handy with the freezing temps we've been having the last week or so. Oh! and is it warm :) The 1st section I spun the wool (Corriedale) and Logan dyed with Kool Aid. Cherry and Strawberry Lemonade if I remember right. It's been a couple years since he dyed it. I spun it last year. This is also the same pattern as his whole scarf was knit in.

New MCN Base is in

2010-01-05T13:40:00.000-08:00

I am really excited about this yarn base. The Merino/Cashmere/Nylon is so soft and nice. I think everyone will enjoy it a lot. It has been on back order for a while. With the holidays over I think maybe I can get back to dyeing again. I just wish it were warmer ;) These unusual freezing temperatures are hard on my hands :)

10 in 2010

2010-01-05T13:30:00.000-08:00

10 shawls/wraps in 2010. am I crazy for trying the challenge? They can be knit, crochet or a combination of the two. So far I have finished the Eva's Shawl pattern in Noro Silk Garden Sock yarn. I am using stash yarns only until at least my birthday. So this particular shawl ended up a shawlette due to the no buying yarn for self rule. It's really quite pretty.

I am working on 2 others now, but only one counts towards the 10 count since I started the other on the 27th of December. Darn me for not knowing ahead of time! haha. One is in Wollmeise 100% Merino Thriller the other is Noro Kureyon Sock pinks/purples.

New Member of the Family

2009-12-30T08:18:00.001-08:00

Knitting gifts for the boys is done!

2009-12-24T09:16:00.000-08:00

I finished JUST before midnight last night with Derek's. Which made me done! He gets a "gator"/cowl/neck warmer. Deven and Logan get the scarves. I think I already posted pictures. If not I will go ahead and do it again ;)

Derek's Neck Warmer. It's a tube you pull over your head. He'll love it. Especially since the yarn color name is Blackwatch. Picture is a little dim.

Deven's Irish Hiking scarf. Done in a color changing yarn. I loved the way the cables worked. Very fast pattern. Another 1/2 a skein and it would be truly the perfect length for his tall self. ;)

Logan's My So Called Scarf. Took FOREVER! Or at least felt that way LOL. Same yarn as Deven's just green. It's a 2 row repeat that I began to hate after 1 skein of the yarn. :( I quit after 1.5 skeins of yarn. This pattern makes a long scarf!

Sewing Day!

2009-12-22T11:18:00.001-08:00

I sat down to sew this afternoon.
Step 1 cut fabric
Step 2 cut interfacing
Step 3 run around like a maniac... no interfacing!

So I ended up rummaging around the closet and finding a box from Grandma B, FULL of wonderful fabric. In I found a quilt top of what looks like vintage piecework. And I wonder if her mom made it? It's full of pinks and baby blues. I would like to finish it. How do I do that and make it look right? I don't think modern fabrics will work.

Step 4 is washing in the machine right now. A scrap piece of like weight of material. I'll "pretend" it's sew-in interfacing, and move on.

Traveling Scarf sections

2009-12-13T08:19:00.000-08:00

I have been participating in 3 Traveling Scarves, and knitting sections as they come to me. we are about to wind up this swap and hopefully the 1st of my 3 scarves will be here soon.
Here are a few of the sections I have recently been working on

Project Done!

2009-12-10T12:07:00.000-08:00

Deven's Irish Hiking Scarf came out great. Would be perfect with one more skein of yarn but I am out and I can't get it locally anymore. Fits Derek perfectly. Of course he is quite a bit shorter haha.

Pictures

2009-12-07T12:53:00.001-08:00

Yarn I custom dyed. The Pansy I am happy with. The other not so much. I am mailed it as mentioned before. Now I wait and see if she wants a redo on the left skein. The dark blue looks VERY black, until you lay it on a pair of of black jeans. Not what she was going for I think....

Logan. Can you believe he will be 13 this month!

And look at Deven!!! 15 in a few days....

I LOVE this picture. My oldest son Derek & youngest nephew Zander. the 2 biggest hams ever ;)

Ornaments

2009-12-07T10:47:00.000-08:00

I made some ornaments for a couple swaps. They are now off in post traveling their way to new homes

SPecial Orders

2009-12-03T06:25:00.000-08:00

We've had a few yarny special orders.
Deven had one where there was a skein of yarn that a person wanted to buy but they needed another to match. He said "Mom, This is one time I am glad I had a journal that you made me keep!" LOL . those two skeins should be at their new homes now.

the other 3 will be soon. Here are the pictures. My camera is trying to die on me so some colors aren't true. In Pansy that is a beautiful purple not blue. The Moonlit Sky is a very dark midnight blue not black.

Merino Bamboo in Moldy Zombi

Kona Bear in Pansy

Huggybears' Sock Moonlit Sky

It's going to freeze!

2009-12-01T13:01:00.000-08:00

I am so cold!
It may snow Friday. Can you believe that?!
I am literally an ice cube hand wise already. The family runs when they see me coming LOL

Something New

2009-11-02T12:34:00.000-08:00

I made 4 sets of 5 stitch markers. They are made of porcelain chips. Each stitch marker is different. I think they are cute. It looks like they will fit knitting needles US 10-6.0mm. I haven't listed them yet on Etsy, but I think I will :)

German Yarn

2009-10-27T15:43:00.000-07:00

My Tausendshoen order came in today! and they are pretty! 2 Herbstfeuer and 1 Elfenblume.
The Herbstfeuer is a ton lighter than I expected & they don't match but I am sure I can find a project for them. Maybe even the one I had in mind will still work. :)

My Etsy

2009-10-12T09:20:00.000-07:00

There is no update like planned.
I was sick for a week. It has gone from one family member to the next. :( lasting about a week. So far only relapsing on Deven. We had an ER visit with him the other night. Of course my broke tooth and wisdoms being pulled have added to the delays. When this is all over hopefully I will be back on track and dyeing up a storm. I certainly have things to do!

Wisdom Aftermath

2009-10-12T09:08:00.000-07:00

All went well. The teeth pulling itself took 30 minutes!!! according to Phillip. Can you believe that?! Today I feel butchered. The swelling is going down, but my mouth doesn't feel like it on the inside. My teeth hurt. My face hurts. When it's not throbbing it stings. The stinging is actually my inside cheeks. I think they are cut or torn. :( The Minty Mouthwash burns too. I think it's an acid that eats away the dead flesh....really! I'm not a happy camper. Sleeping in the living room recliner. I'm afraid I'll roll over in the bed and land on my face. The boys made me laugh last night. That DID hurt, but dang it sure was funny!

Wisdom Teeth Tomorrow

2009-10-07T11:31:00.000-07:00

I have been putting off my wisdom teeth for a while now. Well two days ago i was eating a hamburger and broke a tooth. It was a wisdom. they say i broke it at the gum line :/ So! tomorrow morning at 8am I will be getting it and the other 3 pulled. Wish me luck. And hope for no seizures. i haven't had one in 2 years.

More Wool!

2009-09-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

I have more roving in the house to dye for my Etsy shop! I'm very excited about it. Superwash wool, Merino-Tencel, Wool. MCN (Merino Cashmere Nylon), and Merino-Seacell is on the way. Some of it may be in pieces, and if it is, I'll need to decide whether to dye and sell as is or dye, spin, then sell.

Here is a picture of some Superwash wool I have ready for sale soon. I just need to dye up few more things to go with it!

Swap Time

2009-09-29T06:43:00.000-07:00

And they are starting to come in!

I LOVE the big swaps :)You never know what will be in the box/bag. It's like Christmas. And the Secret Swaps are super fun because you don't even know WHO is sending the the stuff to you! Last night I received my Fiber box from Kelly in the SSS group on Ravelry. It was great. Fingerless gloves from yarn she spun! Of course Phillip claimed the quick. He thought I made them for him. I have some similar wool that I have been spinning MUCH thicker.... and he does love the browns and green :)

There were also some more of the wool like the gloves were made from, a white/brown mix, and some pretty red batts. I've never spun from batts before. Lots of tea, cookie mix, a sheep soap (really cute!), stitch markers, sparklie thread, bath bombs, lotion, and some flower seeds for the Spring. All in all a really nice package.

Now I must wait for a yarny one in October from my "Secret Stalker" haha

Is it right yet?

2009-09-24T11:28:00.000-07:00

Its funny how things look perfect when they are wet. But when they dry out you just aren't quite sure. It's like that with my consignment. Really dark purple that its almost black. What I have is beautiful. When it was wet it was exact. It is not now that it's dry :( So I must figure it out. Where did I go wrong.....

What I've Done This Week

2009-09-10T17:37:00.001-07:00

I grabbed this at HEB thinking "Ooh! Fluffy nutter only with nutella!" I haven't opened it yet to find out because my my nutella jar isn't empty yet. But now that I look closer it may be a vanilla/chocolate thing. Either way it looks YUMMY!

Here is the little chick we have. It's really growing! Hardly any fluff left at all...

This is a Wisp. It is a shawl pattern using the fisherman lace pattern. I used Jojoland Harmony yarn on it, which is cobweb lace. It was SO thin! I did not do it this week. I finished it and mailed it off to my swap partner. She recieved and LOVES it. Whew! Her favorite color. Because of the size of yarn it's a scarf size instead of a shawl :) It's really soft and warm she says.

Here are some rovings I did. 100% Superwash wool. The 2nd batch feels VERY Autumny to me.

Our cat died this week

2009-08-31T08:57:00.000-07:00

She was old.
She was here when we bought the house.
The dog liked her. They slept together as if they had grown up together.
Callie dug in under the house and never woke up.

More Dyeing

2009-08-19T12:06:00.000-07:00

Deven is busy dyeing yarn so he can have some up in the update tomorrow :) They are looking great! Logan is even going to have one up for sale too :D I'll try to have a preview picture like normal soon.

It Almost Time For School Again!

2009-08-17T09:45:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it!

Poor Logan is starting to freak out. He did SO well last year at public school. It was his first time. He finished 5th grade. He got the help he needed from the special ed department. He made a few friends. It all worked out. But now He will be going to the Middle School and his "routine" will be drastically different! So the panic is setting in. And the attitude. Poor guy! We keep telling him his friends will be the same and so will his helpers. Just different teachers and a different building. Deven will across the parking lot. Deven was in the Middle School last year. Just ask him, he knows where everything is. :) The people are super nice there. BUT these words aren't helping him LOL. Orientation/schedule pickups are this Thursday.

Deven! on the other hand has been ready to go back for over a month now, Hah! Mr. Socialite.... He will be at the High School this year. He is excited High School yea! Freshman boo! (bottom of heap.) LOL His words in jest. 8th graders were the "big guys on campus" now the 9th grader are the "little guys" he was speculating. Truely he will never be a "little guy". He is already 6ft 4 and 253 lbs at 14yrs old.

Then there is Derek....
He wanted to be an Air Force Pilot. Of high altitude planes. He recently found out that will not be possible. He has asthma. and they won't let him be a navigator for one either :( Now he is looking into Helicoptors ! Looks like he is Homeschooling his last year of school this year too.
Derek has added a few classes to his list. We'll try to get them added in.

Driver's Ed-- Doing now
Government & Politics -- on the way
Intro to Physics -- on the way
Math -- have
Language Arts-- Working on it
Modern History -- Working on it
Spanish -- have
Drafting (1 Semester) -- need to get
C Programming (1 Semester) -- need to get
British Literature -- working on it
Scuba -- PE credit ? Maybe if the college has it. Would be perfect!
Home Economics aka Life Skills -- Have it
Art/Business -- Have it

Mini Update Today on Etsy

2009-08-06T08:14:00.000-07:00

The only thing that made it to todays update was the lower row of yarns and the roving. The lace will have to wait until next week. I didn't have enough umph to get it skeined up. It is Merino Cobweb Lace over 1000 yards.

Texas Etsy Swap Package Here!

2009-08-02T15:44:00.000-07:00

Yes it is here! And thank you so much :)
Pepper my pug will look great after his bath in the new collar :D
Everything is very pretty. I loved the wrapping.

My secret swapper was Crazyforcollars from my Texas Etsy Team

Thank you!!!

One Lonely Chick

2009-07-28T11:13:00.000-07:00

After many tries Prissy has one little chick! Several weeks ago 3 days before she was ready to hatch her brood all 11 of her eggs disappeared over night! she was a mess. Attacking other hens squacking. It was aweful. So we put some more eggs in her nest. Then Phillip caught Honey eat an egg... whole... you couldn't tell there was ever an egg there. He put out of the hen house and before his back was turned she was at it again! A few days later Granny was attacking Honey..... So! We have a problem..

And we moved Prissy and her new batch of eggs. She ended up with one little chick this year instead of 1/2 dozen like last year. But with all the drama I'm glad she finally got something. even if it did take a couple months longer than normal :D

1st Monday!

2009-07-06T11:28:00.000-07:00

It's 1st Monday again!
And that means it's time for the 1st Monday Sale with the Team Etsy Texas group.
I am offering Buy One Get One 25% off anything in my Etsy Shop.
Take a look :)

Pictures

2009-06-09T10:58:00.000-07:00

Derek's Birthday cake Raspberry truffle something

Group picture

Wyatt & Pepper

Wyatt's Chicken

Fallon's Dye job
Christmas Lights

Jenna's Dye job
Summer Breeze

Everytime we open the back door

George posing

Summer

2009-06-09T10:44:00.000-07:00

Summer is moving along. the niece and nephew have been here a couple of weeks now. They are doing great. Fallon has had to do some adjusting to being the youngest and how things are done here. Rules are a little different I guess. We took all FIVE kids to the movies Saturday. I haven't had that many with me in a LONG time :) We saw Night At the Museum 2. Not bad. They all had a good time. On the way home I surprised them with DQ dip cones & lots of napkins. It got to 101 that day. Hottest day of the week. since then it's only been like 94.

I caught Honey breaking eggs and eating them last night. And my 2 broody hens proceeded to attack her for it. One went for the face wattle and wouldn't let go. Then when I pulled an egg from a nesting box she jumped at my hand and tried to get the egg. :( So I guess she will truely be noodles since she is bonkers for eggs. While we're at it we will cull the extra roosters. Jennifer and I pulled 4 out of the mix while she was here. They have grown a TON since she left. The 5th one we left out is a toss up what it is. It hasn't grown any yet. so maybe its one of those masculine hens ;-)

May Socks

2009-05-11T08:59:00.000-07:00

Here is a progress picture of the 3! Yes 3 pair of socks I cast on this month. From left to right (all 1st socks, and #1 sock of 2)... Glynis from my Sock Innovation book I mentioned before that I am in a group knit with. The middle sock is Pomatomus, same designer, different group. They are knitting the book as well but in a different order and with alternates. I chose the alt, mainly because I been "going to" for a long time and never did & had the yarn. The last sock, still looks like a sock monkey butt to me. That will change soon. It is a "Mystery Knit-a-Long". Which is fun. No one but the designer and test knitter know what it looks like before hand. Every week a new clue is released. The deadline to finish the 1st 2 pair is May 31. The Mystery Sock is June 30.

Broody Strange Chickens

2009-05-07T12:32:00.000-07:00

AnnaBelle has gone broody. And only one of the eggs she is sitting on is hers haha. It looks like there are 7 eggs.

Honey is being a bully to the babies. I guess it's her turn. The other hens were really aweful to her when we got her.

Hershey keeps to herself she's still a bit spastic but she's no longer at the bottom of the pack.

The chicks are now 3 months old. We are down to 20. Total. We figured out what was getting them when they were smaller...snakes. Last night when I opened the main door for me a snake zoomed into the hen house. Deven tried to stop it with a board and missed so I went and got Phillip. We ended up finding 2 snakes in the hen house. It was 2 dark for the bigger chickens to see them or they would have killed them themselves. They were non fanged snakes, but they were right next to chicks that wanted to nest in the hay floor instead of the lower roost. They were 2.5 - 3 ft long skinny snakes with small heads. It was too dark to see true color. I think they had stripes. We've already had 2 rat snakes in the nest boxes eating eggs this year. THOSE bite! and 2 5 ft snakes by the driveway. Last year we had a total of 2 snakes. ALL YEAR. So for us, it's the year of the snake LOL

2 of the white pullets that had hot pink "hair" as chicks are actually cockerals! We separated them out. They've been causing problems.

The other night only one chick got lost on the way to hen house to go to bed. Last night 8 decided to sit where they were?!

The little runt black cochin has pulled all her feathers out that she can reach, clear to her ankles. and when they grow back..... she pulls them out again. We call her "Nakey Butt" She just looks SO weird flapping her wings and all you see is skin.

The Chickies are Integrated!

2009-05-04T14:16:00.000-07:00

We moved the 20 chicks in with the other big chickens. They seem to be doing great.

April socks

2009-05-01T13:51:00.000-07:00

I finished them :D
They can now be given to their new owner !

Rain Rain

2009-04-28T08:48:00.000-07:00

Spring rains are finally here. 4 days of rain and the weeds are above my waist. There was a texas rat snake in the hen house swallowing an egg. We had to take off the outer siding to get the snake and shoot it.

The first tornado of the year was the other night. I as usual slept thru it and the hubby stayed up and worried over it. It landed 12 miles south of us. Last night it was just thunder and lightening :)

Now it needs to quit and dry up so we can cut all the grass and weeds.

Socks!

2009-04-20T12:01:00.000-07:00

So I am on a sock binge. I love them anyway... But I have two new sock books and I want to make them all!. Is that crazy or what?! I joined a Knit A Long and we'll be knitting 1 pair of socks a month from one of those books until we have all the socks from that book. Yay! Such inspiration for me. It's the Makin' Cookies group on Ravelry. I love them. They're a great group of people. May 1st we cast on the 1st official pair from Cookie A's Book "Sock Innovation". We've been warming up with some of Cookie's other patterns before hand. I'll be done tonight crosses fingers with one pair and working on the other. My goal is to be done by the end of the month with this other pair. But knowing me I'll be late ;) No biggy. The socks aren't walking away hahaha

Picture of my april sock toe

On a side note I finished my Etsy update Friday early and am very happy with it. I hope it sells well.

Chickie Pics for Wyatt!

2009-04-03T10:17:00.000-07:00

Ok! They are a good 3-4 weeks old now. Some still look teeny, some look huge, some are in the ugly stage, and some are starting to look beautiful. Like Miss Fluffypants. My one and only Silver Laced Lahkenvelder died. I found her in the pen today. :( If I can ever get the pictures off my camera's minis SD card I'll post them. She was one of my favorites. The drastic up and down temps were too much I guess. Even with the heat lamps. The others seem to be doing just fine. Another thing I need to remember is Certain breeds aren't truly meant for this climate and it's a risk to raise them here. I chose a mix "Surprise" box and this happens. Next time I will choose more wisely in breeds.

So! Here come the pictures for Wyatt!

The Other Pair of Shoes

2009-04-02T11:16:00.000-07:00

They aren't black and hot pink, but they'll do ;)
A little roomy in the toe area. But I have weird toes and a narrow-ish feet. Plus these are running shoes. The only reason I know this is because the shoe laces say "shut up and run" LOL

Deven swears the jell things in the heals will keep my feet from hurting when I am standing on them for long periods of time or walking on concrete in town. I don't know how he knows this since he is wearing bright blue/black Nike Air Shocks. :P

Needless to say I like both sets of shoes. All I need now is a pair of sandals, since the sole flew off the ones I have currently. (I know... I am terrible about buying shoes before they fall apart) and a pair comfy casual dress shoes.

I'm Almost Famous

2009-04-02T09:39:00.000-07:00

My friend Anona asked if she could name something after me. I said "sure". Here it is at Sonny & Shear. I am "Huggybear" on Ravalry.

Isn't it pretty? Spinning and felting wool. The boys LOVE it. The Karmalicious & Stashmore ones are my new favorites as well. To bad there are only 3 left each of them. :( She does great work. If you spin go get you some before it gone :D

Looky Looky

2009-03-31T16:12:00.000-07:00

I got 2 new pair of shoes. Nikes and New Balance. The 1st pair of Nikes I tried on fit perfectly! They were black and hot pink!! Of course they had every size BUT mine! I'll take a picture of the ones I bought when I where them :)

Here are the New Balance :)
OMG are they comfy. My first pair of this brand.

Also here is a little package I made up for a swap. I made up the cloth pattern and soap sack pattern. I'm thinking the soap sack may be too "holey" though. We'll see. The "scrubbie" was a Japanese pattern. I don't know/speak/read Japanese. It was interesting reading the charts. I'm pleased with how it all came out. The soap sack has some of the yummy soap from Green's down the road. I hope she likes her package. Can't wait to see what she made me.

I'm thinking about coming up with a similar package for my Etsy store. I just need to fine tune it and price it. :)

Etsy Update Day!

2009-03-27T10:14:00.000-07:00

I got up with the family like normal.
I did not go back to bed like normal.
I gathered my things and did my fibery update for my online store.
I even put up some handspun yarn I made! The boys talked me into it. I was going to wait until I had more.

Here is group sneak peak of "some" of the things I put in the store.

Now I guess I'll go eat lunch before peaking to see if anyone is looking at my stuff :D

2009-03-13T13:01:00.000-07:00

They are growing bigger! Losing fluff, and getting feathers. Here they are snuggling.

One of the Reds tried to jump up on my head... Deven pulled her down and she got her picture taken.

Here are the big mommas taken a look at all the chickies and hoping I drop some baby food.

Yes they are speedy zippy little things now. Flapping their wings all the time! Hmm Where did Nisi, Anona and Vandy go? ;-)

Here is that hand spun I have been working on. It's finally finished! My first 2ply. It varies between worsted and DK. But not drastically. I think its pretty consitant. Flash brightened it up.

I won!

2009-03-10T14:11:00.000-07:00

I know I mentioned it already, at least I think I did. About winning 1st place for the "No Brainer Day" Submission on the Texas Etsy Team. The prize was an exclusive ad listing for March with a link to my Esty shop :) THAT is exciting! Here is the ad