Tuesday, September 28, 2010

I hate unplanned breaks....

just wanted to throw out there that I have had to take a little break from all things loved.  Was on my way home from work a couple of Mondays ago when BAM....rear ended!  So, no fun here...aching neck, shoulders, back and wrist (hit the steering wheel).

Accidents happen, but I have to say I'm angry and trying to get over that feeling.  I STILL don't have my car back, having to deal with some nasty attitude people at the insurance agency, still aching, etc.  So, unplanned break.

Long story short...16 year old girl, license 2 weeks, car 5 days, wasn't watching the road (she said she had looked away and didn't see me, a lady that saw it said she was using her phone)....rear ends me at full speed :(

It happens...life is full of crazy things.  No one was seriously injured, so I am blessed....but still mad :)  I am getting over it and have knitted a little this week without a headache starting or my wrist flaring up.  Anyway, back in the game soon.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

How do you roll...top down or toe up?

I finally finished my "as I'm traveling" socks, which are a generic Magic Loop Top Down sock, so have to start another pair :)  It made me stop to wonder about top down vs toe up.  See...(there is always a see...) I am magic loop socks (didn't jive well with the DPN method because I kept getting 2nd sock syndrome) and the only way I have done is top down.  But I always misgauge my yarn and have extra.  With these I had 144 yards extra.  (that will become baby booties)

I would LOVE to learn toe up, but I don't know anyone that does toe up and I am frightened by it.  Yes, I'm skeerd!!!  I may have to check out YouTube for some tutorials and encouragement, but I want any opinions you may have on doing toe up.  That way I won't worry about the yarn!! :)  Brilliant!
Since I finished the socks and finished a headband, which became a short scarf and is blocking right now.  I had to cast on something else and grabbed some of my handspun/handdyed.  I am now making a hat out of it.  The hat is from Ravelry and is called Hannah and it is looking quite nice so far....
I am getting ready to start the head part and was able to knock out the band last night while watching Hoarders on Netflix.  Let me say if you have not seen this show GO WATCH IT!  I was so terrified that I would become a hoarder that I started cleaning...it is a little scary.  Anyway, loving the hat and also getting ready to cast on for a sweater, ikes! 

Okay, let me know how you roll...top down or toe up and give me pointers for toe up please!!

Thursday, September 09, 2010

Like Frankenstein....she is alive!!!

I am alive!!!  I have use of my right hand/arm, I can hold my coffee cup, I can dry my rear, I can knit for a few minutes before it starts to ache....but I can't turn a doorknob, push a stapler, carry a bag, lift anything, or hold a leash with it.  Bummer!!!  But I can knit :)  good times.

So, I haven't taken any knitting pictures because I am basically behind on that front, but I do have a few bellydance pictures to share.  Now, I HATE to have my picture taken.  I have lopsided eyes, my teeth are huge, one side of gum shows more than the other, my hair is flat, etc.  I just don't have my picture taken, except on recital night!  Then I want all the paparazzi in the world to snap away.

I think it is due to my love of costumes....LOVE them.  Love putting on make-up, big earrings, jewels on my face, feathers in my hair, LOVE it...love to play dress up...so take my picture.
I did one part of a tribal combo with the tambourine, which was so much fun and I got into shaking that bad boy.  And then I did the 2nd combo with feather fans...
I adore the feather fans, they are so gorgeous!  I have a thing for feathers.  You can't see, but when I made my coin bra and tassel belt I added feathers all around.....so cool!

And I had to throw this picture in, so you can see my enthusiasm for His Majesty's picture taking.  He usually gets about 20+ pictures of a blonde and brunette...that are not me....every recital.  I have lots of pictures of them....not me.

Since I won a bellydancer award this time (cool beans!!!) I was giving him the face...the one saying "you had better get a picture of me, not all the other gals up here!!!"  And he did...he got a picture of the face :)

But he didn't get a picture of this skirt...and I made it right before the recital and LOVED it.  Oh, I love bellydancing...we have a blast!

Okay....now off to take a picture of the knitting I'm not doing right now...

Tuesday, September 07, 2010

I never said I was graceful....

heck, I'm a clumsy mess most times!  I proved this over the weekend while hiking with the poopies and His Majesty.

Okay, it happened like this...but first, this is where I grew up and where my family still lives.  I live about an hour away in an actual city.  This is Wilson's Creek, also known as "the gorge."  Gorgeous place full of mountains, trails, water, and rocks.

We pulled over in a little spot and decided to climb down a trail that was not an official trail.  It was steep, but I made it down the gigantic hill, wondering how the heck I would get back up??????

His Majesty has the poopies at this point, we had taken them off the leash so they could descend.  He is about 20 feet ahead of me climbing out on rocks. 

Well, I proceed to climb across these rocks here...and step on a little trail of water.....BAM, down I go sliding down the rocks, heading for the water, unable to stop...just like a movie!  (I slipped on the bleeping water trail!)

I yell for HM and finally grab an outcrop and stop.  I am freaking out, thinking I am plunging to my death.  (see below these rocks is actual water with more rocks, but when flying down the rock you don't think about that...you think "crap I'm going to bash my skull in and I can't pay my deductible!")

Anyway, I survived, HM grabbed my backpack and helped lift me onto the big rock.  BUT I landed on my right hand and couldn't move it....AT ALL.  No knitting or spinning...that's what I was thinking...and I can't pay my deductible so no doctor visit!

I told him no ER or Urgent Care, I would be fine...and I didn't cry!!!  I wasn't being brave, I was being frugal...health care sucks! But today is the first day I could move my fingers or hold a coffee cup....and actually dry myself!  (Imagine, trying to dry yourself with your nondominant hand!  Go try it, it is near impossible!!!  You will get a bladder infection from trying not to tinkle, cause you know you can't get dry!)
My wrist is fat (really swollen) and bruised and gross, but I have movement....yay!

Though I tumbled, we did have a good time, the dogs LOVED the water and he wrangled them for me.  Afterwards we stopped and saw mammaw, then headed back to town and had shakes (peanut butter fudge for us, hot dogs for the poopies....yummy Cook Out).
 
This is how they played, don't you love it!!!   Then Ava was spayed today...boo for her pain. 
Oh, the whole reason for my babbling about this....I am not able to sew, knit, or spin!  It hurts too much!  I can't open a Diet Sundrop bottle either......travesty! 

Wednesday, September 01, 2010

Where to begin...so much to share!

A co -worker brought me these lovely old aprons from her grandmother's collection.  Geez, what a treat!  I love aprons and these are so wispy.  They are hanky aprons and I washed them, hung them up to dry and they are waiting to be pressed and hung in my sewing room.  Love it!  (and I do wear them too...I feel like I'm on Mad Men :)
 If that wasn't enough of a sweet deal...I went to a fiber event...fiber yard sale to be exact.  It was about an hour from my house and well worth the trip, though it poured buckets and was cold.  Anyway, got this lovely little pile of unknown batting for spinning. (10 little puffs for $10.00)  Then...
I found a bag of handspun and a bag of bias tape and quilt binding...grabbed it up (2 bucks!)

Then... I found a table with fabric samples from a furniture store and they screamed tote bags to me!  Fifty cent each...I was elbow deep, fighting other tote bag fabric lovers.  I thought I was going to have to throw an angora rabbit on one lady, she was after my squares!!!
But I managed to grab a few and turned around to grab these two fabric bundles for a whopping $2.00.  No clue what to do with them, or even why I needed them, but $2.00 for about 6 yards....I just couldn't say NO!

I loved every cold, wet, fist fighting minute and will go again!!!  I finished it off with a Wendy's chili and side salad and headed back down the mountain :)  Good times.
...and a little pic from the Saturday night recital....all decked in my tribal gear...loving tribal.   I have to go through all the pics and share a few from the event.  I survived and as you can see I even smiled!  I didn't look constipated, like His Majesty says I usually do!  I made half of this costume and even have some of my handspun in my hair ;)  what fun!