Category Archives: Life

The experiment with getting up early to work…

Is starting to falter a bit. This was, of course, inevitable, but I was hoping it would be a little longer before it totally got sidetracked. I did get a bit done this morning, catching up with the shop a bit, but nothing like I was managing the first week. I just can’t get to bed early enough consistently enough. I seem to remember a far-distant past when the children went to bed at a reasonable hour, but I suspect that was before it stayed light *quite* so late. I suppose another month or two will cure that.

Anyway, off to work. Updates if I ever get near the yarn again…

Time to catalog the WIPs again…

Because they multiply quickly, and because it’s fun. Not so much on the pictures this time, though, I’m afraid. The sun, the clouds, and the children have not been aligning favorably. Heh.

Designs: One new pattern is out for testing, another is in the writing-up stage. We won’t count the insanely long list of ideas that are the top page of the notebook that lives on my desk.

Charity: I make rectangles for HAP, which is an ongoing thing. I’d been sending squares all over charity-dom, but I have little time and less money and needed to focus, and this is the organization that I chose.

Other: This is where the list gets long.

On the too-hot-to work-under-because-we-have-no-air *sob* list:

–1 giant granny intended as a gift eventually, perhaps 1/3 done.

–1 spiral baby blanket. I’m unsure whether I’ll even finish this. I’m not completely pleased with how it’s coming out and I’m very much considering finishing it off as a doll blanket and giving it to the kids. They’ll probably steal the FO anyway, lol.

–1 Monster, which I could probably work on anyway but haven’t talked myself into just yet.

On the knit list:

–1 drop-stitch scarf (this one, to be precise), done in sock yarn on size 3 straights. It’s coming out wonderfully. I was going to put it in the big bag of gifties, but it might just have to stay here and live with me.

–One plain garter stitch scarf done in Bernat Softee Chunky on size 10 straights. I love making things I don’t have to look at. And it’s pretty, too.

–The dishcloth that lives in my lunchbag. This one is scraps for something vaguely log-cabin-ish, since I wanted to practice picking up stitches. Yes, I’m aware that my idea of fun is a tad off.

On the hook:

Doris Chan’s All Shawl. I called it the “Immediate Shawl” in my Rav projects because I saw it and immediately grabbed yarn and a hook. *grin*

–I started making granny squares out of my Softee Chunky scraps. Which isn’t a WiP as much as it is me being sort of random, but it won’t take much to have enough for a lapghan, if a delightfully clashing one.

–It doesn’t count as a WiP if I haven’t started yet, right? But I’m fixin’ to get at least one more scarf out of my leftover Red Heart Soft that I’ve been steadily turning into scarves. That will probably get started later today.

First, the new design. Because I work Wednesday through Sunday and I won’t have a better chance. Also, if the light holds, I’d really like to redo the photography for the new pattern. It’s not bad, but I’m not happy with it the way I want to be happy with it. That will be out as soon as testing’s finished and I’ve made the inevitable corrections.

Not a bad list, ‘eh?

I was going to write something for this blog today…

But I have children.

I am clearly insane.

The lengths I’ll go to to get time to crochet…I’ve started getting up an hour earlier in the mornings.

I’ve lost my mind.

But I have high hopes that I can lose my mind in a productive way.

You know, all my life I’ve wanted to find a passion, to figure out what it is that I love so much I’d be willing to go to great lengths to pursue it. Color me shocked that this is what it turned out to be. I’d never have guessed it. Never.

Life is amazing.

A little anniversary.

A year ago today, I listed my first item on Etsy.

I could wax rhapsodic over everything that’s happened since I took a deep breath and hit that button to put that first item live (where ohmygoodness someone might see it and buy it and what then?), but it seems more a time for celebration than introspection.

I think I’ll have a sale. *grin*

Yarn Envy.

I’ve developed this sort of weird love-hate relationship with Ravelry, because even though it’s expanded my horizons (yay!) , it’s expanded my horizons (dammit!). To wit: there are so many crazy-beautiful yarns out there, and I am dead broke. Undead broke. Monetary zombie here.

People, I can’t even afford the infamous Red Heart Super Saver at this point.

But I’m a total ass, and I can’t stop looking at all the pretty yarn. And reading all the threads arguing about the pretty yarn. (And there are some really interesting class issues in there that I’m sort of dying to deconstruct, but I won’t. And some interesting knit v crochet issues, too, which I think are actually class issues, see above.) And I keep looking at the pretty yarn and wanting it. Desperately.

It’s not Ravelry’s fault, really. It’s human nature to seek what others have. It’s just that it’s all in one place. Where I can torture myself by looking at it. *sigh*

I am so damned glad that I have stash. Not huge by some standards, but at the rate I’m going I’ll be able to work for quite a while before I really need to worry about running out. It’s wicked cool to have a ton of thread, too…lots of entertainment for the buck, there. And I have plenty of cotton to design with. So I would be happy, if I could let go of the bout of shinything! that I’ve been suffering.

I’m not quite sure why I feel compelled to say something about this particular piece of angst, but there you go. Blogging’s like that a lot, isn’t it? Maybe it’s the hope that someone will wander through and say, I know just what you mean. Or maybe it’s just healthier to have it out of my head. Only Poppins would know. 🙂

Phew!

I had almost developed a fresh twitter habit. Thank heavens they went back to being down constantly just in time! Narrow escape, that was…

Today is devoted to the new dishcloth pattern. I’m really excited about this one…it’s a visual treat, IMHO. At the rate the kids are letting me play with yarn, it’ll be done in a couple of weeks instead of a couple of days, and that’s fine. I tend to get far too wrapped up in work and forget how different the world looks to them. They bring me back to their reality, and it’s a pretty cool place to hang out. Today we had a long discussion about mulberries and bird poop. My 3-year-old was delighted to fin out that birds poop. LOL. What’s crocheting next to that?

(Not that I can do without it, mind you, but seriously? The full-force cute is something to behold, truly.)

Patterns and Laundry

Finally working on that pattern! It’s not terribly complicated, but trying to concentrate with 3 little people helping me and after a full day at work is taking some getting used to. I’m up tonight since I need to wash work clothes anyway, so it all works out. Soon they’ll be off to bed. The thing is that getting up at 5 means I will be, too!

Ah, well. All progress is progress, you know?

More of the same, but with a heat wave!

Not a very productive week on the yarn-y front. Made a couple of dishcloths. My pretty, pretty sock yarn that I was going to pass along and then didn’t and then decided to use anyway and then didn’t and then did has finally discovered what it wants to be, I think. I’m needing to write up a repeatedly-requested pattern but having trouble getting going. It was 98 degrees this afternoon and we have no air conditioning. The Mega Lo Mart is getting to be more fun/ less crazy-scary-exhausting (and now that I’ve said that, watch tomorrow be awful). My upsatirs neighbors and the downstairs ones are vying for who-can-be-weirder.

That said, I did finish a truly awesome custom order that just got shipped this afternoon.

And picked up a 5th day at work, which means that the roof over our head? Stays there, barring natural disaster or something truly strange happening. Gas has finally hit $4 a gallon here. And the heatwave? Supposed to be another day. Yuck.

OTOH, it’s got me thinking about all of the crochet cotton I’ve accumulated…

I think I need to make a resolution or something.

Because I really like this blog, and I’ve worked hard on it, and the fact that it’s languishing is anguishing.

I don’t believe I just said that.

OK, yes I do. Too much time at the Mega Lo Mart.

You know what, though? It’s more or less working out there. Sure, I have no time to design, and I’m falling asleep on my keyboard as I write this, but my rent is paid and all is right with the world because the roof thing? Major.

Things should settle into some sort of routine soon, and then I’ll have more to report than another dishcloth knit. Thanks for hanging in there with me while I get this figured out.