Neatly Tangled

The great destash of ’08. All sold! Thanks so much!

Posted on February 6, 2008 by deb | Comments Off

At least, this better be the only one! LOL. Actually, it’s kind of nice to sort out what you know you’re not likely to use every once in a while. Makes you feel lighter, somehow. 🙂

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Posted in Business, Life

This is how you win a customer for life.

Posted on February 4, 2008 by deb | Comments Off

Be Lisa.

Not necessary to get into the details, but she’s one of the most helpful people I’ve ever had the pleasure of doing business with.

Just thought y’all should know that.

Carry on.

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Posted in Business, Yarn

Le sigh.

Posted on February 4, 2008 by deb | 2 comments

I think the time has probably come to start selling off some of the yarn and thread that I don’t have immediate plans for. It’s crunch time around here…don’t you love February? LOL. This year it isn’t the fault of an overdone Holiday, it’s just life playing catch-up with us. I haven’t decided whether to post it here or at the ‘ville or in my shop. Stay tuned…

2 Comments

Posted in Life

Poor blog.

Posted on February 3, 2008 by deb | 1 comment

The awesome thing is that I’m running my behind off because the shop is busy. Yay! It’s been steadily taking over the time I had set aside for everything else, though. Good problem to have.

Today’s agenda: finish a pattern I’ve been working on. Silly to have willing tester(s) and no pattern. Maybe a run to Joann’s/Michael’s, since both have Sugar ‘n’ Cream on sale this week and my big order of it won’t be here for another few days. Keep the kids out of the husband’s hair so he can work. Laundry.

Pretty average Sunday. 😀

1 Comment

Posted in Blogging, Crochet, Life

This isn’t the post I was going to write today.

Posted on January 28, 2008 by deb | 1 comment

Of course, that’s partially because I can’t remember what it was I was going to write about. Which, I suppose, begs the question: if I can’t remember what it was I was going to write about, how do I know that this isn’t it? 😀

I’ve finished a few things in the last few days but in all of the blog drama I seem to have broken the upload function on this thing and I’ve gotten rather too absorbed in making it work right. It would be far simpler to just put the things on the server and then, you know, link them, but that wouldn’t be nearly as satisfying as frittering away a week’s blogging time kicking WordPress in its virtual behind.

So if you’re wondering where I am…

1 Comment

Posted in Blogging

FAL update. Again. Because I’ve got nothing today.

Posted on January 23, 2008 by deb | Comments Off

So my Finishalongapalooza list looked like this:

1 magic scarf…I’m still working on the first pattern repeat. Of course, I just started last night. Heh.

1 Irish Hiking Scarf, which despite having been frogged still makes the list because I’ve started it twice already and I WILL make the dratted thing, since it’s lovely and fun.

1 log cabin ‘ghan (starter panel done)

1 small rectangle granny ‘ghan (maybe 1/4 done, at the outside)

1 giant granny gift ‘ghan (probably 1/6 of the way into it)

1 Monster

3 small freeform projects

1 freeform project not yet started for submission

1 yellow pouch

2 little design projects

1 “fishy fishy”

and the design project that’s been costing me what hair hasn’t been leaping off my head of its own accord (oh, the joys of childbearing, lol).

And after most of January, it now looks like this:

1 magic scarf…~~I’m still working on the first pattern repeat. Of course, I just started last night.~~ Heh.

~~1 Irish Hiking Scarf, which despite having been frogged still makes the list because I’ve started it twice already and I WILL make the dratted thing, since it’s lovely and fun.~~ Abandoned to the whims of my pocketbook. It’s yarn diet time, hardcore. No going out to pick up yarn and needles for this one.

~~1 log cabin ‘ghan (starter panel done)~~ Abandoned to the baby, who is using it as a teether.

1 small rectangle granny ‘ghan (maybe 1/4 done, at the outside)

1 giant granny gift ‘ghan (probably 1/6 of the way into it)

1 Monster

3 small freeform projects

1 freeform project not yet started for submission

~~1 yellow pouch~~

2 little design projects

1 “fishy fishy”

and the design project that’s been costing me what hair hasn’t been leaping off my head of its own accord (oh, the joys of childbearing, lol).

Not too bad. Not too bad at all.

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Posted in Crochet, Knitting

On the other hand…

Posted on January 20, 2008 by deb | 1 comment

I’m not so sure crochet needs a “movement.”

The problem being, of course, that it’s very tough to keep the thing from devolving; these things tend to stop being for something and start being against something else very quickly, no matter how they get started or how hard folks work to try to keep them positive. They also seem to very rapidly start to consume each other from the inside, as various factions form and reform. It’s never long before a good-sized hunk of your group looks an awful lot like what you were trying to escape from in the first place.

People are funny.

1 Comment

Posted in Crochet

Okie dokie, then.

Posted on January 19, 2008 by deb | Comments Off

I’ve had this post sitting open in my browser for a couple of days, because I have a lot to say about it that I can’t seem to manage to say. Most of them probably involve sounding like a crazed fangirl.

But really? She’s right.

It’s ridiculous that it’s so hard to just *do* what you know you can do, that so many of us have such elaborate mental barriers. It’s freaking ridiculous that we talk ourselves out of doing things that we love. My favorite way to do it is to assume that if I enjoy a thing, it isn’t serious. And why does it have to be serious, anyway? I struggle with this every day, since we’re having some challenges around here right now that makes time sort of ridiculously precious. Doing something fun seems so wrong, *even if it’s productive in a more traditional, money-making sense.* Somewhere along the line I picked up the idea that it doesn’t count as work unless you hate every minute of it, that the highest badges of honor only go to those who are miserable.

Gotta ask: who needs a steeeenking badge, anyway?

I love making dishcloths. Are dishcloths serious? Not really. But they’re useful and they’re fun to make and I’ve gotten a lot of pleasure out of making tons of them and trying them myself and handing them out to friends and refining the damned things until, 6 months later, I feel like I’ve made the *perfect* dishcloth. And soon, no doubt, I’ll set out to work out another one, because I love my dishcloths. Love them.

But…they’re *crocheted.* From *cotton.* Oh, the horror, the horror…

Being online is such a mixed blessing. Because for every CLF that builds you up, there are 12 naysayers sitting *right there* telling you you’re doing it wrong. The sheer amount of brutal snobbery I’ve seen in some places recently…whew. It takes precious mental energy to repel that stuff. I’ve been trying to practice telling the world to go f*** itself lately, but it’s not easy at all. My best solution has been to avoid even coming in contact with the places I know I’ll find that sort of thing, or people who’ll sneer at me, however politely. Because you know what? Just. Don’t. Need. It. Not right now, not ever.

In any case, I’m glad the CLF exists. And I suppose I’d best figure out which design(s) in progress to whip into shape and submit for the book. Hey, I’ve got to try…

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Posted in Blogging, Crochet, Design

Finishalongapalooza Update.

Posted on January 18, 2008 by deb | 1 comment

From this list, the following modifications:

The Magic Scarf is well underway now, though it’s still likely to take me the next 6 months at the rate I knit/make time to knit.

I’m crossing the IHS off the list because I have no idea when I’ll be able to buy needles or yarn better suited to it and I don’t like the way it’s staring at me.

2 of the 3 freeform projects have caused me to throw my hands up in frustration and start a 4th, because they are just not telling me what they want to be, and that one is willing to for right now.

One design has me beating my head against the wall, now that I’m out of hair.

And the log cabin? Abandoned to the baby, who snatched it out of my lap to chew on.

Big plan today is to finish the Organization of the Stash. And clean the bathroom. Stash first. If I’m lucky, it will take aaaallll day and I can worry about the bathroom tomorrow. Which attitude explains why my house perpetually looks like hell.

1 Comment

Posted in Blogging, Crochet, Knitting