back to basics gloves

I've been working on writing this new pattern for a while now, and it's almost ready to be published. still debating whether to publish as a free pattern or not, but it's been test knitted like crazy lately. so we'll see. here's a pic from one of the finished gloves:


the background is a shot of my backyard. which looks like Revendell right now.

musings

I'm taking a cue and updating because I haven't lately, so here goes . . . .

1. I absolutely love this time of year. I used to say spring and fall were my favorite times of the year, but the more I think about it, nope. fall is my favorite. it's the time of year I'm generally happiest. there's the whole lead up to Christmas (my favorite holiday), and all of the goodies that come with that. I'm generally a happier person in the fall. love (13851335192353154354)

2. I took in three inches on a favorite pair of pants last week because I didn't want to go shopping for new jeans yet, and they were literally falling off. I'm not kidding. I'm also eating amazing chocolate, butter, greek salads, berries galore, steak, and as much other fabulous food as I want. no drugs, not crazy boot camps, and I'm going to have to suck it up and buy some new jeans in about a week.

3. the move is absolutely going to happen. when? still not entirely sure, but it's coming, and very soon.

4. things are better for me around here than they had been. I found an amazing church with people my age and I love it there. it's great to walk away challenged and encouraged and feeling like you fit. love that. missed that. a lot. I've also been teaching part time at the LYS (Local Yarn Store) and that is awesome. it's a second home there, and I don't know what I would have done without it these last couple of years.

5. it's just over two weeks until Twilight opens, and I'm so excited. I just downloaded the soundtrack off iTunes this morning and it's awesome. but how could a new MuteMath or Paramore be a bad thing? love (16513654365436843)

6. if you don't get the love (1.......), then you're not on Ravelry. or not enough anyway.

that's enough for now . . . more to talk about later . . .

a friend of mine from Nashville posted this video that he starred in. at one point I think we were the only Artists in our group of friends who were mostly artists. if you say "artist" in Nashville then people immediately assume music. anyway, here's the video:

a friend of mine has been living in New Orleans for a couple of years now, and has evacuated with most of the population. the follow is a note he sent through his best friend . . .

We're staying in Baton Rouge at the Tracy Center.
There are some folks from Catholic Charities who just rolled in and are getting things together.
When I left New Orleans last night, traffic to BR was OK.
During the night, I've heard it took some folks many, many hours to get anywhere to the East.
But the interstate looks to be flowing rather smoothly through here.
What I've seen on the news suggests all roads out of NOLA are clear or are becoming so.

This may have something to do with the fact that we've evacuated 95 percent of the population of the coastal parishes since I have no evidence to back that up but word of mouth and what I'm reading on the internet. Friday. The Times - Picayune is reporting 1.
1 million have now evacuated the coast to areas north of I-10 and I-12.
That is a very, very good thing.


Now the real waiting begins.

Waiting to see what friends
As if we haven't done enough of that already. Waiting for the storm to turn. and family are doing and where they are going. Waiting in traffic. Watching as the storm pummeled Haiti and Jamaica and Cuba and knowing what may be in store for us.
Wishing it would just go away and not hurt anyone else. Waiting in line at the grocery store.
Hoping it is not our turn.
Seeing the green and yellow rain bands coming into the Weather Channel's radar sweep, and waiting for them to start rolling
over our own zipcode. And the waiting is terrible.
Everything is closed in this part of Baton Rouge, so I don't have the distractionsof being out and about.


Not that any sane person would be out and about right now, but I like having the option.


I'd love to take a nap.
I'm exhausted and sore and didn't sleep well last night.
I've had that bitter taste of adrenaline in my mouth for about 18 hours now.
Or that may be the coffee and cigarettes mixing together because I forgot to brush my teeth before I went to bed last night. Whatever it is, I can't get rid of it.
I feel like I used to back in Athens after an all nighter.


Went to mass at noon. Prayed.

Once you're done petitioning the
Thanks to everyone out there praying for New Orleans and South Louisiana. Almighty, please remember that we've got a lot of evacuees out there. Some may have come your way.
Drop off a canned good or something at the local shelter.
I know you've got something in the cabinet you aren't going to eat. And some Crystal hot sauce.
Everything tastes better with a little hot sauce.



I've gotten so many texts and calls and voicemails today I feel like one of the cool kids. That reminds me, I need to charge the phone up. Power won't last too long once things really get going, so the phone and the computer will need to be charged.
Cell towers will probably be down for some hours, so if you call and don't hear back don't worry until Wednesday.


Yup. I'll try and be back later with updates.


p

let them eat cake

Jen over at 144 Inches if I-Cord posted a link to this blog. the following clip had me almost falling out of my chair (at work!). that never happens.

something to teach Sable:

Ireland . . . day 4

we had breakfast at the hotel, and then checked out at 8:30 and loaded up the bus to head for Waterford, stopping first in Kilkenny. the drive took a few hour. I think today was the first day we encountered any actual rain in Ireland, but it wasn't anything heavy. we had a little time before our tour of the castle at Kilkenny, so the group scattered a but to checked out the crafts center and grab a bite to eat. the crafts center is located in what used to be the castle stables. the front areas are now two very nice gift shops, with a mixture of handmade local pieces as well as plenty of Irish souvenirs. above the shop is a little cafe. this was a very nice. however, if you cross the stable courtyard towards the back, you'll come to a pair of galleries. first let me say that the gallery spaces are walled almost entirely in windows, so the lighting is fantastic. the collection that was on exhibit that day was basketry from all over the world. it was a fascinating collection, but I might be a little biased. the array of styles, techniques, and materials was amazing. after I wandered around in there for a while, I headed back over to the castle for our tour time slot.

the castle is completely restored, and beautifully so. they don't allow photographs inside the castle, so the only ones I took were around the outside, and from the village bridge. the castle was fantastic - thick stone walls, tiny winding stairs, and grand staircases. the collection of landscape oils in the main drawing room reminded me of the American Art course I took back in college.

after the tour of the castle, mom and I walked through town and hiked (not kidding, it was a hike) up to St. Canice's Cathedral. besides St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, this was probably my favorite of the churches and cathedrals that we visited. the wooden roof is a restoration, and was carved and built without even a single nail. Bill was allowed to play the organ in this cathedral as well.

after the group gathered at the bus, we loaded up and headed for the town of Waterford, where we were staying for the next few days. Days Inn Waterford is actually three (maybe four now?) old buildings linked by enclosed hallways. it's a little odd, and if you ever stay there make sure you shower later in the day or at 6am, otherwise the hot water might run out on you. other than that the hotel looks very modern, and the pub downstairs is great for meeting some of the locals. later we headed out to dinner at a pub a few blocks over.

Ireland . . . day 3

after and early breakfast at the hotel we climbed onto the bus at 9am to head for a day in the Wicklow Mountains.

Powerscourt was once a huge estate with a vast Art collection. in the 1970s a fire started in the mansion which destroyed everything but the stones. three months later the stone walls were still too hot to touch. sadly, the insurance on the estate was not sufficient to cover the damages, and the home and grounds were sold. eventually the first floor was restored, and is now part of the visitors center. the grounds and extensive gardens are now open to the public.

walking down the stairs that lead to the pond is like walking though a movie. if that wasn't enough the view from the stairs is incredible. it looks over the valley and mountains. truly spectacular. of course I had to see the Japanese gardens. they were full of little streams and nooks and even a grotto. standing in the grotto was like shutting out the world while standing under an open sky. all you can hear is the water dripping through the moss and ferns that cover the rocky walls. just you and the moment. it wonderful and very very strange at the same time. we came out of that garden and walked back up to the pond, where a mother duck was guiding her ducklings through the water. they almost disappeared against the water plants that covered the surface of the pond. we then climbed the path that led past the pet cemetery and up to the kitchen gardens. those gardens were once walled to protect the food, so of course the gates were gilded . . . yes, the gates were accented with gold. now it's a lush flower garden full of poppies and tulips and such. there's a fountain with a mermaid as well. after the garden we headed inside and grabbed a bite to eat. the little cafe had the best lemon curd tart I've ever tasted . . . so now I have another recipe to work on. no complaints about that of course. after wandering around the shops for a bit we got back onto the tour bus and headed to Glendalough.

Glendalough is home to a monastic site dating back to the 6th century. it was founded by St. Kevin. the site is now in ruins, but the stone chapel with its stone roof still remains. we actually were asked to sing inside of the tiny chapel, which is closed except to tours. it's in a beautiful little valley, located between two lakes.

after a day of hiking up and down hills we headed back to Dublin. mom and I decided to try a little fish & chips place around the corner from our hotel. I'm not exaggerating when I say that they give you half of a fish. we really should have split one order, but it was still worth it. the cod was great. after that we decided to call it any early night considering we would be checking out the next morning at 8:30am.

Ireland . . . day 2

an Irish breakfast varies a bit depending on who's serving, but it generally consists of some combination of eggs, sausage, bacon (ham to southerners), roasted tomatoes, toast, and black pudding. that's what they served in the hotels every day, with a selection of cold cereals as well. now, I know what they put in black pudding, so I skipped that. however, after a week of these hearty breakfasts and hiking all over Ireland . . . I had to go out and buy new jeans because my old ones were too loose.

St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin (there are others of that name in Ireland) was only a couple of blocks away from our hotel, so we walked over there for the second lunchtime concert on Monday. it's lovely and full of history, as most of these places were. in one part hangs the flags carried into battle over the centuries. some are so burned and blackened that the fabric and colors are no longer distinguishable, and a sort of net has been attached to hold the remaining pieces together. they hang as part of the memorials to lives given and lost over the centuries.

my favorite photo at St. Patrick's was one that I took from behind the altar. there is a space behind where the choir rehearses before the concerts and services. sort of a backstage area that is only separated by half-walls and wrought iron gates.

Melody and I stayed long enough to take some pictures of the concert, and then headed out to explore more of Dublin. we headed down to some of the shopping areas. I had to stop in the music stores, though as it turned out both shops that we passed were for sheet music and instruments, respectively. I didn't see any record stores. odd. eventually we headed back to the hotel and I did some reading and rested before getting ready for dinner that night.

Gogarty's Pub is in the heart of Dublin, and has a "beer garden" on it's first floor. we went up to the third floor restaurant for dinner. if you travel to Ireland, keep in mind that though the menu prices seem high, you're actually getting enough food for two people. if you want to try to eat it all yourself, you're welcome to, but it won't leave much room for beer. just saying . . . anyway, dinner was delicious. the cuisine is generally simple everywhere there, but the quality of the ingredients more than makes up for it. after stuffing ourselves we headed down to the second floor to hear live traditional Irish music. it was fantastic, and it's a tradition at the pub. if you're ever in Dublin, go find this place - it's well worth the trip.

Ireland . . . day 1

we landed in Dublin just before 7am local time, after about a six hour flight that departed Newark around 7pm EST. I tried to sleep a bit, but of course that came to little actual rest. the flight wasn't bad though, and if I remember the flight to Amsterdam correctly, this one was easier.

we were met by Andy, our tour guide for the week outside of baggage claim, and then all fifty of us followed him to the bus to load up for a tour of Dublin. part of the tour took us through Phoenix Park, where the residences of the Irish president and the American ambassador are located. America is well loved by Ireland, as we were the first country to recognize them as a country after they gained independence from Britain. no other ambassadors live in the park.

eventually we stopped outside of Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. now this was exciting to me for several reasons. I've studied it as Art, as musical inspiration, but most of all it is a book of the four Gospels . . . Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. in some of the darkest times in history, the saints and scholars of Ireland preserved the written texts of the Bible. the Book of Kells is one of those. it is an illuminated manuscript many centuries old. pictures aren't allowed inside the areas where the book is kept, as light damages the over 1,000 year old book. the room where you can view it is kept extremely dim. still, it was amazing to see the actual book, instead of slides on an auditorium wall.

after Trinity college, we piled back on the bus, and met John, our driver for the week. more on John later . . .

John drove us to Jurys Inn which is in downtown Dublin. our check-in was later in the day so we unloaded our bags into a secured room that they had for that purpose, and then wandered over to some local Pubs and restaurants for lunch. or, as it turned out . . . brunch. it wasn't quite noon yet so not all of the Pubs were open. in Ireland, Pubs are the places to go eat. trust me on this. after the meal we headed back to the hotel where some of our rooms were beginning to come ready. the hot shower was fantastic at that point.

around four we headed over to the Brazen Head Pub, Irelands oldest pub. it dates back 1198. I had the beef and Guinness stew, which is going to become a staple recipe in my kitchen. it was wonderful. the dinner took quite a while, but eventually we finished and I went with the choir to Monkstown for their evening concert. yes, it was that night . . . they were troopers. while the choir warmed up I went across the street with a couple of other "non-singers" from the trip and had a real Irish Guinness. it's not the same by the time it gets over here to the US.

the concert was a joint affair with the Dun Laohghaire Choir at the Parish Church in Monkstown. it was exceptional, and the audience was quite receptive to the FCC choir. afterwards there was a small reception across the street for the performers and friends. they were very nice. after that we piled back onto the bus and headed for the hotel and our beds.

I'm leaving for Ireland in less than three days, and I'm really looking forward to it. it's been years since I've been overseas. I even had to get my passport renewed. to be honest, I wasn't all that excited about the trip to begin with. you see, it's a tour (music) of Ireland which my mother is singing on and my dad was supposed to be going with her. but work picked up for him and he's in the middle of a least one major project, so traveling out of the country for eight days isn't the best idea for him. my dad is amazing, he never asks for anything, and he never goes on trips like this. I really REALLY wanted for him to go. but, the trip is already paid for, so they put the ticket in my name. after all, it's IRELAND (said like "it's IT-TAH-LEE" by Sandra Oh in Under the Tuscan Sun). the funny part is that so many of my friends have been asking whether I've seen P.S. I Love You . . . that would be a yes. I think I saw it the weekend it opened actually. "that could be YOU!" well . . . maybe. I plan on having a blast and having a Guinness as it should be.

I'm also coming to what looks like the end of a very hard, very dark chapter of my life. at least I have PLENTY of material to mine for songs, right? lately it feels like when I take one step froward there's a wave waiting to slam me five feet back. well, the wave can try all it wants . . . I'm not giving it an inch. not a chance. it's exhausting, sure - but you fight anyway. I am truly blessed to have some amazing friends in my life. ones who call when they know things are bad, and we pray for each other all the time. because we all have to deal with something. we all make mistakes, and we all have days when everything hurts. then you wake up the next morning and the day couldn't be more beautiful. there's a saying around here . . . "feelings are like the weather in Georgia, wait a minute and they'll change." there are good times and bad times, and that's just the way of it. you savor the good, the wonderful and remember that the bad will be over soon.

so many things

my pastor has been preaching a lot on running on empty, filling our lives with to many things, too many commitments. to be honest it's a struggle for me right now. sometimes I feel like I'm ten feet under the waves fighting to get a breath. my job is great, but working full time at the University and working on bringing my art to full time is a lot of very hard work. I know that it would be when I decided to go for this, but it isn't any easier. so some days I come home and just want to collapse on the floor. but I can't just do that. even though I'm going back to Nashville in less than a year, even though my circle of friends here has diminished substantially (this is a very transient town), I still want to give this place and the people that I love the time and attention that they deserve. it's my hometown after all, even though it feels less like home every day.

I don't know what is going to happen when I do move. if I have to get a desk job, even for a while, I'll do it. even if no one ever hears a song I write, or falls in love with any of my work, I'll still do it. it's just part of who I am and I'm a mess when it's not a part of my day-to-day. art is something I do, and music is like breathing. they've been there as far back as I can remember. no idea why piano recitals had me in tears the night before as a child and singing was so much fun, but that's how it always was.

for now I'm working and fighting as hard as I can to make these things happen. if one of my friends needs to talk, then the torch and the palette can wait. plus I can usually be found online during office hours.

new pendant series

I've listed some new pieces over in my Etsy shop!

apparently this is one of my blogging weeks . . . good times.

so as life goes on you learn more about yourself and how you work (hopefully). I've found that if I'm in a funk, or depressed, or whatever, and I haven't been in my studio or at the piano then that's probably why. I just don't function well for very long if I'm not creating something. I'd had conversations about this with several other creatively-minded friends about this as well. take last night for example - I'd been out of town a few days earlier, hadn't slept a whole lot, and had picked up my guitar maybe once in the last week. I was rather out of sorts. so I worked on a piece I've been composing and then headed downstairs to work on a series I came up with (@ Fido's, btw . . . it's my Blue Sky in Nashville). the new pieces will be finished tonight, and then posted over at Etsy tomorrow. anyway this morning I woke up relaxed, happy, and motivated to get to the next project.

now if I can stop running to the piano every time I run out of chords that I know on the fret board, maybe I'd learn to play my guitar a little better . . .

there is always someone

trying to make a difference somewhere . . .

Here is an article about scientists working to provide medical technology to people in countries where it isn't really available . . .

(thanks to RELEVANT for the link!)

back in Georgia

at 3am this morning in pulled up in front of my house in Georgia. my heart is definitly in Tennessee, along with a few of my best friends. it was an amazing weekend in many ways, one of them being that I was able to get away and clear my head. of course I more ideas now than ever. not a bad thing for an artist. :-) I'll be in my studio a lot this week working on new designs, and thinking about where to go with the next ones. there is so much to do between now and December, and then I'll be packing to move back to Nashville. sometimes it takes getting away to realize just how much one thing fits and another doesn't. there's pain in life, and friendships take work in some way or another, but the real ones stand the test of time and distance. so Athens & Watkinsville will always be my hometown - the place I grew up, and very soon Nashville will be the home I choose.

oh, and I'm flying to Ireland on the 17th . . .

after that last post

see more crazy cat pics

last weekend . . .

started thursday night with a bachelor/bachelorette party for some friend who got married over the weekend. it was rockin. literally. the groom's old band got back together and played, the couple's friends played, and the grooms parents performed. all very cool.

saturday began the baby shower WEEKEND. two baby showers in one weekend! now this could make some women (like me) go a little nuts. I mean, there's only so much pastel icing and rubber duckies that a gal can take. unless of course one of the showers includes wings and beer and a rock band. Wild Wing made an EXCELLENT baby shower location. props to Alex for throwing that one. now, the one sunday was good too. the game wasn't too bad (I won, thankyouverymuch), and Ginger did a lovely job throwing the shower. but still . . . the hot wing buffet was pretty awesome.

nice cut

I spent all of last night going back and forth between the ER, my house, and various stores. my dad had an accident involving a circular saw that decided to kick back, and his leg. dad is fine, and didn't have to have surgery to clean and repair the wound. it happened to be a 8-9 inch gash that was about 1.5 inches deep. no bone was hit though. so they gave him a couple of layers of stitches, and lots of antibiotics. lots and LOTS of antibiotics.

but anyway, that was my night . . .

day ??

the babies, they are growing fast, and o-m-g CUTE! and they're the last of the rabbits waiting to be adopted. Sable isn't going anywhere, unless it's with me. I let her out to run around in the mornings while I'm getting ready for work, and she's always coming up wanting scratches on her head and such. she's awesome.

here are pics of the babies:

day 11

monday morning update

Bella keeps getting hassled by the bunnies (and then I go writing about it on the web). one morning she even got karate kicked by Sable. Sable was doing one of the happy jump/kick/twist moves that rabbits do when they're running around enjoying themselves, and kitty got kicked. it was hilarious.

the babies started opening their eyes saturday morning. they still sleep all the time, but they're starting to explore a little. it's cute how they lurch forward on their little wobbly legs. pretty soon they'll be all over the place. I'll take some new pictures soon and post them.

right now I think I have a cold.

Spring

according to the calendar that I keep at my desk at work, today is the first day of Spring. I'm in the South, so we already knew that - there are lavender-pink blossoms all over the peach trees over at Hot Thomas, and little green buds are popping out all over the place. the really cool thing though is what happens after the leaves come out. everything is fresh, and green, and lovely . . . and then it explodes. like someone reached over and amped up the volume on all of the green. you really have to see it to understand.

lots of the rescued bunnies have found new homes. however . . . one had babies. they're a week old today, so here are some pics:

day 1

day 5

stuck on my playlist

I checked out this artist named Brandon Young who happens to be on (dozens??) of my friend's "friend" lists on MySpace. well I thought his songs were pretty good and now I'm listening to them over and over and over.

check him out . . .

safe and sound

this weekend we rescued twenty-five rabbits. TWENTY-FIVE! four are in their new homes, and other people are helping us find new, permanent homes. this one is peering out of his old cage:

some of the rabbits are ready to go to new homes now, but some are in need of a little tlc, and maybe even a nursery. in a month we'll know for sure if any of the does are going to have a litter. for the most part though, the rabbits are very healthy. only two of them I'm concerned about, so they'll stay with me until they've recuperated. overall they're also much sweeter than I was afraid they'd be - just a little on the shy side for now.

we're looking for good homes, and I'm working on what questions I'll be asking for the screening process. the big thing with that is, we want people who will actually commit to taking care of the rabbits. I also want to make sure the rabbit is a good match. "Bear" is one of the larger rabbits, so he needs more space than one of the smaller Rex rabbits. so far two of the local papers are going to run ads, so hopefully more of the rabbits will have new homes soon.

still life

a PSA

at the request of the (very well fed & spoiled) critters of the studio house, we would like to post this for critters everywhere . . .



moar humorous pics

thank you very much.

update

my mother was admitted to the hospital yesterday with a fever (102.5) and abdominal pain. they were concerned that she had Diverticulitis, so they ran a CT scan. this morning her temperature had dropped to a normal range, and the doctors don't think that she needs surgery. they did however confirm that she had Diverticulitis, so they're keeping her in the hospital for a couple of days for IV antibiotics. she's doing well. we tried to get her flowers on the way over to the hospital yesterday, but that turned out to be a small disaster seeing as it was Valentine's Day. this morning I got her some roses and took them to her hospital room before I went to work.

thank you to everyone who has been praying!

sunday afternoon

sunday morning

I thought I was fine until I walked into church yesterday morning.

or had it together anyway.

since we've been in the new building, there is a period of time before the morning service when we have open worship & prayer time. the songs are a little softer, and if you want to talk you can step out into the cafe area and find a table. well, as soon as I walked into the sanctuary the waterworks started. but that's the thing about our church - it isn't the place where you have to try to save face by pulling it all together or acting the part, it's the place where we all come and love each other when we're a mess and life hurts. it didn't used to be so much. then years ago this pastor came in and God gave him a vision of what we wanted from that church. he got a lot of grief for that. people got mad, people left. why? because people who looked different started showing up and getting their lives changed. some guy with dreads would be sitting next to some guy in a business suit. Chinese students who barely spoke English would fill rows and anyone could walk in wearing jeans and a t-shirt. interracial families came in and joined the church. I sometimes forget that this still isn't normal.

when contact shakes you out of your supposed composure and lets you work through your hurt into healing, that's love and friendship, and most of all that's God showing us just a little of how much He loves us.

please pray

something really really bad happened today. I can't really talk about it, except to say that it has to do with my family. so if you read this, please pray for us. I wish I could tell you more but I can't right now.

thank you.

local knitters

Main Street Yarns put out a (partial) list of local knitters who blog. Check it out:

• Carrieoke
• Jodi's Weblog
• Lotus Knitter
• Studio Bleu
• Wool and Words
• Pixie Purls
• ChickChick Studio
• Inside a Black Apple
• Hissy Knit
• SouthBork
• Woofgang Pug
• Famous Steve Knits
• The Knitting King
• The Chickengoddess Knits
• Fibermeister
• Knits4Bears
• Casting On... and On
• Knit and Purr
• iPurrl

concept sketches

they are really rough, but I'm working on layouts for the new banners in my Etsy shops.

props

I ordered a couple of tools from some ebay vendors friday. well, they were waiting for me at my house yesterday when I got home from work! that's the kind of service that makes monday a little better. :-)

(no, I didn't have a "case of the Monday's")

people who have their numbers blocked

shouldn't leave messages saying to call them back when they don't leave a number. or a name.

just sayin'.

ugh

I'm going to go ahead and say it . . .

I am not happy about Valentine's Day.

whether by coincidence or not, Valentines Day and I have had a very bad history. something goes wrong, something that usually has absolutely nothing to do with pink & red hearts, flowers, or chocolate. things like a four and a half hour drive taking seven. so from about the time they start covering the shelves in merchandise to Feb 14th, all of this red and pink kinda puts me in a funk. I have nothing against the holiday, or the sweethearts, or any of it. it's a really sweet little day. or I'd really like to think so anyway.

I just really wish it was the 15th already.

knitting update

Main Street Yarns & Fibers (my LYS) just sent out their latest newsletter, and they mentioned my blog. awesome! but I've been keeping up with my projects over on Ravelry lately, and not here. oops! well, here's an update (and I'll post more projects soon!) . . .

socks, socks, and more socks . . .

I learned toe up on circulars (oh GASP, the audacity! according to some) and I love it! it's personal preference, but I like a smooth toe. I just do. also, not so fond of pattern going down the back of my heal. nothing against it in general, but just not a favorite on socks that I wear. so to each their own, but I like the short-row heel for this reason. I also tend to go for thicker socks, like this pair that I made for my dad as a Christmas present:

it's an organic cotton/merino blend by O-Wool, with ribbing going up the cuff. my one complaint about this yarn is that it gave me lots and lots of SPLINTERS. i know, that's what happens when fibers are minimally processed, but it was still painful. other than that it was pretty good, even for a cotton. and the heathering in the yarn is lovely.

there was also a second pair of socks that I made for dad's Christmas present - also a simple toe-up pattern with ribbing up the cuff. did I mention that ribbing isn't my favorite thing? I must have forgotten when I planned these.
the yarn is a hand-painted bamboo blend by chick chick studio. really lovely, and nice dimension in the solids. dad seems to be enjoying both pairs!

I'll update you more in the next few days, but for now I've got to get back to setting up my metalsmithing bench again.

it looks like this at my parent's house quite a bit:

moar funny pictures

The Birds 2

first, please accept my most sincere apologies for not having my (shiny new) camera in hand when the the story I am about to tell actually happened. second, I am very happy to be working for an educational institution which shuts down on major national holidays (I had yesterday off).

as I've probably mentioned before, I have a pair of lovebirds ("lovies" as they're called in some circles), which are by nature little feathered clowns. if they will stay still for long enough, I might post a decent picture of them sometime. however, Bitty is alarmed by most anything inanimate that is brought near him, and flies away with a high-pitched call of alarm. Pip is quite the opposite. well, over the weekend I had the lovies out quite a bit to play - Bitty seems to think he is actually a help when hanging up clothes for some reason. well, Bella (the cat) decided to observe. she's learned that the birds are off limits (although she still isn't left alone with them), and after dragging a cage over on top of herself once, she doesn't bother that either. well, the birds aren't so passive. they decided to fly down to where Bella was curled up and began chewing on her. ears, whiskers, fur - it was all fair game. almost immediately Bella tried to get away from her feathered terrors, so I stepped in, but it was still quite a sight.

the lovies seemed to wonder why their "toy" had been taken away.

I also cleaned cleaned cleaned, cleared out more things I don't need, clothes I NEVER wear, etc. I'm trying to avoid a major purge cleaning, because I usually end up throwing out things that I really need to keep, and that's no good. I also needed to clear some space for the new tumbler that I ordered last week. I had been putting off making any chain (jewelry) because polishing without a tumbler is at the very least problematic, and at the worst at the cost of one's limbs (literally). seeing as I like my hands attached to my body, I needed a tumbler.

oh . . . it snowed over the weekend, only none of it stuck. however, several Georgia reservoirs are back up to normal winter levels, and some are even at regular normal levels.

what happend?

so yesterday we got some snow. SNOW! big soft white flakes and clumps of flakes flying every which way (but mostly down), and they even stuck in a lot of places. lovely. and then it started sleeting. and then it started RAINING. so all that was left this morning was patches of slushy stuff here and there . . . *sigh* . . .

at least it's January and we have time for more. last year there wasn't ANY.

oh, and there were predictions of a warm, dry winter . . . HA!

happy moment

moar funny pictures

new year, new things

I'm beginning my second week off of sugar, and it's AWESOME. no, I'm not kidding. I've done this before, and it worked, but I stopped probably because I didn't know enough about body chemistry. or whatever. so how am I feeling? awesome! and a little wired, which I wasn't expecting. but I FEEL so much better, and my skin is loving the break because it looks amazing. it's actually not that hard, and I'm finding that I don't even WANT sugary stuff. now I might enjoy a slice of Cecilia's chocolate cake, but I don't want to waste my time on a ring-ding. no thank you.

I've been looking at tumblers lately (for jewelry polishing), and I think I'm going to order one by the end of this week. it's all part of the "get-the-business-full-time" plan. and I found a non-toxic acid pickle solution (for cleaning metal). score!

more new stuff happening, so more later . . .