New computer, new location

We had been planning for the last couple of months to move the locations of our computers from what is technically the 'family room' back over to the L area that the designer considers the dining area. We're a terrible family, we eat together but not at a dining table. ;^)

I have mentioned the new computer table that Brandon and I had been working on. Monday Brandon cut down one of the old computer tables to make a smaller version for himself. We started moving all of my craft stuff out of the new area and into the old computer area that I'll now get for my crafting.

Today, became the day that I moved to my new (to me) computer. It's Brandon's old computer (faster than my old one) that also has Vista on it. I'd moved a good portion of my stuff over a while back just keeping my knitting patterns on the old one for easy access. I've spent the afternoon getting odds and ends moved over, installing programs and the like. Thankfully my old one wasn't 'dead' so I also have it sitting beside me and my LCD monitor has two video inputs so I'm able to use the one to switch between the two computers. Does mean that I have two keyboards and mice too.

I'm sure over the next few days I'll still have adjustments that will need to happen. Finding how Vista does things, getting web sites up and running again. Brandon still needs to get my .pst file found and relocated. I could probably do it, but I'll let the techie do it instead.

Wednesday is all about cleaning up the disaster area that is now my craft area. Brandon still needs to make my new craft table. I want the old one cut down and made smaller so that it doesn't take up so much room. Moving the pieces around so they're in working order. Does look like unless he gets the table made this week, I'm not going to be able to start on Keri's baby quilt.

I had planned on making her a mobile, a handful of baby booties and a baby cardigan. Then with moving things around I found all this baby flannel from a previous baby quilt, so figured it would be a good idea to use it up and have an easy gift. I did order a few skeins of nice cotton yarn for doing the booties from Knit Picks yesterday so it will be fun to see how fast it gets here. But after a quick check looks like the money is coming out of my account tonight, so another day delay. I think I'll save the cardigan, Tulips, for Christmas.

I was able to chat with Lisa the vendor of Three by Hand Etsy store that I won my Challenge Day prize from. I got a discount on my second roving from her because she was having a sale plus she reduced my shipping costs. So very cool. She says that it averages 5 to 7 days though to ship from Ottawa. This gives me time to finish up Hydrangea though. I have two more bundles of that to spin up as a single then I start plying.

After asking Brandon what he thought would be a good color to get for the border of the Cascade Lizard Ridge, and his response of 'black or nothing'. I went for the black. I'm double crocheting the border without the scalloping effect that was done for the original. I think it will look cleaner that way personally. I didn't want to do two layers of single, so one round of double will work for me. I of course didn't have a full skein of yarn, just what was leftover from doing strips in the blocks, and seaming up the whole thing. I ended up two and a half blocks short of finishing it. So I'll buy the black tomorrow from The Knitting Bee and finish it up at knit night at Hagen's. That'll be a quicky project so I'll also bring along the Happy Hour hand towel. I think it's getting closer to being done too.

worst day for a migraine

Today has got to be one of the worst ones for having a migraine. Neighbors letting off noisy ear drum piercing fireworks, okay they've been pretty good and with dusk starting it's starting to get noisy.

I think though with full dark and the neighborhood display that I will go back to the bedroom and continue reading Kim Harrison's Outlaw Demon Wails. The flash of fireworks would not set well and since I have also been strangely nauseous today with the migraine, not something I want to unbalance further.

Migraine does not equal knitting. Too difficult to concentrate well on stitches. Sigh. I also haven't done any of the planned work on my drop spindles so I can start trying them out for Tour de Fleece.

Speaking of Tour de Fleece, yesterday I must have had the precursor for my migraine because I totally missed that it goes through the month of July. I was thinking it was only three days. Oh well, this does allow me to improve. I have my two slivers and I've checked - Stitch Jones has at least one or two rovings that I like the colors of and she's local. I can arrange to drive over and pick one or two up. I could also get a hold of Carrissa Marie for one of hers too. Her punk pink and purple/black looks cool.

Dogs and I are off to the back bedroom....

dogs, books, knitting, gaming

Well this weekend didn't go exactly as I had hoped for. I did stain my new desktop and have two coats of finish on it. I still need to steel wool, wipe it down and then apply another coat of finish according to Brandon.

I was able to get a coat of finish on the spindles though. I think another coat will be needed before they are ready for their hooks.

I've finished up Shaun the Sheep. I want to do another one of him changing the angle of his head, making his various bits either in the round or as i-cord. Seaming up small bits sucks.

I also finished up a cat for Bailey. It's the same pattern I used for the one for Jenna. Except I like this tail better and I decided to add a face. I think the face works for this one.

I tried doing a scalloped choker necklace that was in my queue. Poorly written instructions. I strongly disliked the I place my beads this way, but nothing written down about 'exact' placement. I also think that either I got off on my row count or there is an error in the pattern. The black cotton even done under a bright light may not have been the best bet either. I found a cool dragonfly drop charm that would look cool with the black, but I'm not sure I'll be happy with using a silver jump ring, or if it would just be easier to pre-string it like beads. It was a quick knit and didn't use a lot of yarn. I have the first one drying so I can see what other types of mods I may want to do.

Since I was blocking the choker, I got the other cotton headbands and bracelet that need to be refreshed with blocking and have them drying on the ironing board.

I've gotten some leisure reading done lately and that's really nice. Plus its whittling the stack by my bedside down to a manageable level too. I have not done any dog book reading and that's bad. Well that's not strictly true. I've gotten a few books from the library to try out to see if I want them on the list, thankfully, I'm not spending money on these books too! I do though have several Dogwise books that I really, really, really need to do reviews on. Must get those done this week!

Norbert, the 1K+ dog, had his ear unwrapped today. That was a painful experience for the both of us. The glue stuck really well on one point of his ear on the bandage so he has a little raw spot. I guess we didn't ask as many questions as we should have either. He has buttons on both sides of his ears. For some reason, Will and I both thought it was just on the inside of the ear flap, not also on the outside. Poor Boo Bear is now Button Boy wearer of the Cone of Doom, +4 Annoyance.

Norbert goes back in on Monday and they'll remove his buttons. That should be loads of fun. I'll need to remember to give him a pain pill a few hours before we go in to help out with the process. Then we'll be back in a week after that for a follow-up check on the progress of his bacterial infection to find out if its gone or not.

Nessa is definitely allergic to flax seed. I tried California Natural Herring and Sweet Potato as well as Dick Van Patten's Fish and Sweet Potato and she's got tons of her skin pocks on her chest and back legs. Poor baby.

I had hoped to start the Cleopatra Stole this weekend with the Habu Bamboo. But found that my scan of the chart sucks to the point of not being able to read it. So I'm re-checking it out from the library, but will have to wait for it since I'm #5 on the wait list.

The boys were able to have two D&D games this weekend so the whole group was happy. Brandon loved it because I suggested hamburgers on the BBQ and made my homemade potato salad for him. I enjoy listening to some of the tangents the group manages to go off on during the course of the game and throwing in my thoughts here and there.

an author (long so split into smaller ones)

Last Tuesday for the Yarn Harlot's visit, I managed to acquire 64 points for the Portland Inexplicable Knitting Behavior Scavenger Hunt. I spent waaaaay too much time on making a Google map of my endeavors, putting photos on easily viewable printed pages to discover that Blue Moon Fiber Arts people did a simple - Those of you who earned 5 points please stand (we received a nice pin for this), continue standing if you have 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60 (there were five of us standing at this point), 65 (I had to sit down - put Wait! They noticed this and asked how many I had "64", so they had me come up and get a skein of yarn from the overflowing tote they had up front - I scored a beautiful Silkie Socks That Rock skein, valued at $24). They continued on until there was one person standing, Susan with 88 points. She had maps, many maps and had planned it all out.

But I forget, before this was the acquisition of more photos, you can see them at the web albums linked previously. Picking up something to eat and heading to the MAX station. The car I was sitting in did not appear to have any other knitters on board. Getting off at the Zoo there were four others just before 5pm. We walked through the pouring rain to get to Miller Hall at the Forestry Center where luckily they were opening the doors to let people inside. This is where someone didn't put a lot of thought into the layout. You had to go by the yarn, special one for the event with $3 going to Doctors Without Borders, the colorway called 'Knitters Without Borders' and you were limited to one skein per person and picking up your copy of the current book, and any other past ones you wanted to add to your library. (I forgot one of mine at home, darn it!) Then the long line came if you were doing a credit purchase. I could have made money charging to let people go through the line to get into the seating area. Lots of money.

Then there was the two hour wait before Stephanie came out to talk. That's where I was the abnormal person. Everyone else is pulling out their knitting and getting started. Me, I'm people watching and checking out what people are knitting, and really some of the interesting people that showed up. There were even, men, who came to see her talk. Okay, there were a couple that came with their significant others, I'm not sure if they came willingly or not, I didn't ask. I did talk to Bob, you can see him in the pictures I took wearing a blue and green cardigan that he designed himself, in line. Very amusing and fun to talk with as he knitted from his 'emergency knitting' he'd brought in from the car just as Stephanie was talking about just such a thing. It was a hat that hadn't fit the way he wanted so he was redoing.

I saved a seat for Camille who was coming from grad classes at PSU. By the time she arrived, it would have been challenging finding a seat. It was fun chatting with her and by then I was ready to pull out my knitting. I brought my 'sock in progress' but I wasn't going to start on that there, so I had also brought my 'Odessa' hat. I worked on it during most of the talk and then put it away towards the end. The long wait came during the signing portion. They were going to do it by rows but that quickly went bye bye. So I jumped in line behind Sarah and crew from Knit/Purl which also had Bob with them and chatted with them through the line. I have photos of their simulation of a 'Charlie's Angel's' type knitting pose in the Yarn Harlot photo album. Along with a couple photos of Camille and her first sock with Stephanie. I gave Stephanie some stitch markers, she quickly recognized would be good for socks (my intention) and had my book signed. I didn't ask to have my photo taken with her, I really hate having my picture taken, but I kind of regret it now.

Beading and Knitting

Today I played with both beads and knitting. I was going to use up the last of my Tahki Cotton that I've made two different styles of head bands out of by doing up a new style. So as I was reaching for one of my "One Skein Wonder" books compiled by Judith Durrant, the other one drew my attention. It had a beaded necklace on the cover. I vaguely remembered it when I looked through the book.

Brandon has put in a request for a choker style necklace for me. So I thought this might be a nice start towards that. Opened up my bead box and found some pretty purple glass beads that I thought would go well with the yarn and the beading needle. After putting 178 beads on and getting started on the pattern, half way through the second row I discover that there had to be a mistake in the instructions for row one. Great, tinking back a whole 3/4 of a row and figuring out if I had made the mistake or the author. Turns out it was the author/editor. Left out a simple CO2 at the end of the first row which was really the cast on row, but since you were also adding on the beads this row I mentally counted it as row one.

It came out looking great! I was so enthusiastic about it that I immediately jumped in and grabbed another bottle of beads, pretty sapphire blue ones and strung those 178. Two hours later I was done with the second necklace, even with putting the findings on. I got a few pictures with the setting sun shining on them on the table. I'll have to see how those come out. I'll have Brandon take a few with them on also.