Life can sometimes suck...

Well, it's official. I've been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I knew it was coming, so it wasn't a surprise, but it's definitely going to take some getting used to the idea that I will be chronically ill to some degree for the rest of my life. The Golden Boy, (my rheumy) gave me 50,000 ius of Vit D to take for the next 8 weeks. He offered cortisone/novocaine injections, but I politely declined (something to the effect of "Hell no!")
I started an exercise regimen doing 10 minutes of yoga in the am to stretch out my f*ed up body and it seems to be helping. Today was day four. I also am trying to do a video which is basically walking around my living room for 15 minutes and then I've walked a mile two to three times a week. I think it's geared for the "Sweatin' to the Oldies" set, but hey, it's at my ability level for now, so a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. In order to stay motivated, I've developed a sticker-based motivational system where I get to put a number sticker in my agenda each day if I've attempted to/completed exercise. Just getting to put a sticker in my book is reinforcing enough, because it means I get to use the next consecutive number. If I miss a day, I have to start over from one. For days where I do the walking exercises or other new/challenging/different things, I get to put extra sparkly stickers in addition to my number on that day. I think that when I reach milestones, I will decide how to reward myself. For now, I think that I will exercise with a friend, or find a new video or something exercise-related to keep me on track and exited about my progress. I've also been eating a little better, making sure I eat breakfast and more fruits/veggies throughout the day. I have an appointment with a PT on Friday, and look forward to it. The therapist is a good colleague of the Golden Boy and seems really friendly. Hopefully, he'll work out some of the knots in my shoulders/neck/back and it will help when I exercise.

No knitting lately. Been tired and my fingers and hands hurt, especially today after wrestling with an adorably cute but dangerous pinching student with autism. I think my fingers got bent back somehow when I was trying to get him to sit down in his chair instead of inflicting the deadly Vulcan pinch on me. Is it Friday yet?

I'm so tired...

All my Amazon stuff, save for my silk artyarn, came in this week. I'm very excited to report that. Knitting Lingerie Style is super-cool and I can't wait to make a slip. I've got some stuff on order from friends and family, one shrug and two bikinis, as well as a shower present for my cousin's fiancee. I'd like to finish that stuff up before I work on my own stuff. Mom's shrug is coming along nicely in Moda Dea TweedleDee. It's bulky acrylic, but really soft and nice. She picked it out, and it's working beautifully in the pattern, which is supposed to be for a mohair yarn!

In other news, schoolwork has been non-existent, so I decided to do some ABA on myself and put myself on a schedule this Saturday. I've done a bit of cleaning, ate breakfast, worked on my mom's shrug AND did some schoolwork. My reward is a trip to Smileys and AC Moore, to get more yarn for my mom. Smiley's is having an awesome sale. I'm getting there when the doors open so I gotta go. Being this productive is super tiring. Did I schedule in a nap for later?

I didn't schedule in a nap, but ended up taking one anyway. Mom's shrug is coming along, and I switched from dpns to magic loop on my alpaca cuffs. Here's a haiku about it:

Alpaca glides on
Two pointy, silver needles
My world is all right

I am so happy that I can work on this project again! Insubordiknits might be having a weekend workshop in August and I will be so pysched if it can happen!!! I can't afford her new DVD, but for my b-day, nothing beats a fiber workshop. Art yarns. I have books, and I have sort of tried, but I will be ready by the end of summer. I plan on making a daily schedule for myself to help me organize my time better. It will include fiber processing and knitting, to keep me motivated and on track.

I'm feeling so crafty!

So I started knitting my fun fur bikini titled "Grassy Knolls" It's coming along swimmingly, I might add. I wish I could find my pompom maker so I can make the dandelion pompoms.

This week I've been taking pictures of my outfits as I leave the house in the morning, and can tell you already that it's enlightening, but not too enlightening(thankfully) I saw myself in a long sweater and wow, no more long sweaters for me unless it is a dress. Everything's gotta stop at the hip. My little belly pooch sticks out too much for my taste and cutting it across the hip breaks up the line a bit. It also keeps my legs looking long while adding a little bit of length to my short waist. Cutting straight across the waist is baaaaad for me, except in very rare outfits.

I went to the dinner dance on Friday and made my matching fascinator and work my crazy eyelashes. I'll have to take some pics today of all have been working on. Lastly, I went to Jo-Ann fabrics and got some 1/2 off linen blends for a summer skirt and top. I used Lion Cotton and wooden beads for the yoke of a cute print top I will sew as soon as I figure out the pattern. I'm also making two more t-shirt bags for grocery shopping. Signing off for now. Lots of stuff to do!

It's finally done!!!!

Swallowtail has flown off the needles!!!! She's blocking right now, as we speak, on the living room floor on the rainiest day! She measures 27 inches by 58 inches. Don't know if that sounds right or not. The foam blocks are colorful kids alphabet blocks I borrowed from one of the "never use" closets at work. They work great, and the best part is that they were FREE :P I am starting on a pair of ruffle-y beaded wristlets to go with my navy blue spring jacket using some turquoise blue variegated Araucania Atacama that was on sale at AC moore a zillion years ago and sitting in my stash, waiting for the perfect thing to knit. I decided to buy beads for it, so that makes this my first official beaded knitting project. I might add some more if I like how they look.


This is part of my wardrobe overhaul. My lack of interest in accessories has to come to an end. Usually, I don't wear any jewelry, save my wedding band. If I'm getting all fancy, I put on silver hoops, medium sized ones are the norm, huge ones to look extra-hooch. The right accessories are important, but I don't want to be an accessories-whore, so I'm trying to start with dolling up my jackets first, since they get the most wear. Since I'm working from my stash on this project, all I bought were the beads, and I hope to have enough yarn for a small lacy scarf. Not swallowtail, but something similar. This has become very exciting for me. I hope to have "influenced" about 1/4 of my wardrobe by the time I'm done with this project.

On my spring sweater front, I'm scared of binding off the shoulders and making sleeves with no pattern, so I put it on the back burner. The weather isn't exactly right for it anyways, so I have about two weeks before I could be using it regularly. Also, I decided that one slightly felted tan old-navy wool sweater can use an overhaul. I think I will turn it into a cardigan, but I haven't come up with all the details yet. I only know I would like to do some embroidery on it and a collar-very Anthropologie, I know... For Earth day, I'm making a t-shirt shopping bag with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn on the side. Hopefully, I'll remember to bring it to the store. Maybe I'll make a pouch for it, too. That's all for now. Feeling hungry. Must eat...

Back to the Wardrobe Business

I found a sewing blogger who has the same idea I have! Added to blogroll to keep up with progress. She had a few helpful ideas and linkys that I'd like to share :)

First it's the S.W.A.P. thing. Sewing with a plan. I guess the offshoot group I will start is K.W.A.P. Ha ha ha! It's the idea of planning fabrics and patterns to match your lifestyle and create a basic wardrobe. This is exactly what I was looking for!

This was borrowed from "The Sewing Journal" blog:
The plan recommends evaluating one’s lifesyle, then sewing 11 garments out of 2 basic colors and 1 complementary color.
2 pairs of pants
2 skirts, one solid, one print
6 tops, matching and coordinating
1 jacket

This website has more info on the concept and its implementation.

So I think I may go with olive and either taupe or steel(gray-blue) for my basic colors for summer work-wear. I'm excited to have a plan. There was a great idea to use paint chips when going fabric shopping so you can have a range of colors to coordinate with. Love it! It works for yarn, too! One woman carries a mini-swatch book of her basic wardrobe fabrics in her purse so when she is shopping, she can assess right away if something will match. I can't tell you how many times I have to carry a skirt or shirt around with me for days until I find something to go with it. I've got a garbage full of clothes ready to donate to the salvation army and I seriously hope that this year will be the last that I have to do these massive clean-outs. Parting with loved, hunted, but ill-fitting articles has become easier over time. After I clean out winter stuff and switch to spring/summer, I may take pics of all the saved clothes on me so I can get a better idea of what I actually look like. Also, I really do need good pants. I'm gaining weight and think I'm an 8 now, and I would like to exist without buttons and waists digging into my skin. Bye for now. Off to dream of matching clothes...(I really do need a life!)

I lurvs teh internetz!

I've been wanting to knit a spring/summer sweater for a few years now, but this is the first year I actually started knitting sweaters, so I'm excited that I will actually get some done! Last year, I started on Coachella after much consideration about shaping and fit, and gingerly decided to go for it.  Unfortunately, I lost interest once I decided it's probably too small and the cowl neck and racer back aren't really flattering on me, even if by some dumb luck I mangage to get them right.  Pages of the projects on Ravelry tell the sad tale of disappointment in the fit of it.  So, I did what I needed to do.  Coachella is no more.  Deleted, needles ripped out, and the sad, floppy mess of what what started lay in my craft room somewhere for me to find the next time I clean it out.  That brings us to now.  I found a great pattern.  Problem is its f'ing British, and is not sold anywhere in the U.S. or online.  After much thought, I'm going to design a copycat for myself.  I've only designed a hat, and knit 3/4 of a sweater and one shrug.  Both of those had raglan shaping.  This is more like a set-in sleeve project, so I've been nosing around to find info on designing.  Basically, the sweater has an empire-waist, a mock wrap top, and cap sleeves.  I found a handy tool on Knitting Daily that gives me the pattern based on my measurements to get me started on the bottom and I so very excited, that I added the button to my blog!  Check it out.  It's awesome!

MITTIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, it's Saturday morning, and true to form, I have to weave in ends, make a cord and tassel and start and finish the second thumb. I am also baking a coconut lime pound cake. The last one came out broken and made me really angry. Party at 1:00. Awesome. Watching Bye-bye Birdie, and I have to go to work at 9:30. I'll have a little time to finish between job and swap. I am the world title holder for "Last Minute Lucy." Oh well. Hope she likes 'em. She will, she will :D

Scrounging on Starr Street

Hey all.  Yesterday I went thrift shopping and scored a button stash.  OMG, it was awesome.  I've been so inspired by all the embellished purses and accessories on Ravelry that I needed to expand my button stash.  It wasn't terrible, but it could certainly be enhanced.  What stash couldn't?  I went to my favorite thrift shop on Starr Street.  First, I beelined my way to where I know they hide the sewing supplies, scrounged around in the drawers and dug, dug, dug into the buttons.  Then, I grabbed a cup because I couldn't hold anymore in my hand.  My cup overfloweth, so, I found a clear box of buttons, dumped those out and continued building my custom button stash.  Also, I found a thread organizing box.  What luck!  Add to that a copper mold of the sun to add to my kitchen collection and two vintage 50s knitting pattern books (one for men's items, and another for people who like knitting dresses with size 3 needles.)  All for $19.   I could've haggled, but it really was a deal.  Those thread boxes cost that much easy.

Today, I'd like to see some FOs, so I'm off to find some material to line my purse.  Also I got some cute accessories for my Korknisse (gnomey cork toys) on Ravelry, like tiny jingle bells and mini candy cane decorations.  Yeah for gnomes!

Another Lazy Day

I better be careful, or all my posts will have this title.  Working on finishing my Sit n' Knit gift exchange present, a felted clutch.  I love it so much, it will be hard to part with.  I keep imagining that the person who will get it will scream and jump up and down like when they call your name on the Price is Right.  I should be prepared for, "Oh, it's nice," just in case.   I had a hard time figuring out strap.  Clutch bags are inherently impractical if they have no strap.  Who wants to grab onto their purse all day/night long?  What about grocery shopping, trying to put the key in the door with all the packages.  I just couldn't do it. 

So first, I was going to do a strip of felted fabric and attach it.  That was voted off because there are no gussets on the clutch, and the correct width of fabric for the strap would look bunchy at the joins.  Then I thought about felted i-cord.  That would be too thin and the design would not be balanced.  So then, I wanted to get a chain and thread a thin strip of felted fabric through it, like a Chanel bag.  That didn't work, because there was no suitable chain at the craft store, and Home Depot would render chandelier chain, which would be too heavy.  So THEN, I went back to i-cord, which I will felt, and use a 3 strand braid, possible with some gold ribbon woven with it.  Note, that each time I changed my mind, I frogged the last idea, and started from scratch.  This better work!!!!!!!!!!

It's Like Christmas!!!

Hi all. I finally got my KnitPicks order!!! Yeah. DPN tubes, sock needle set (Harmony) and wpi tool. I can get started on my ankle socks!!! I registered for my last teaching exam: The Multi-Subject. I'm so excited. The last one. No more. Finito. Fin. No mas! I'm so happy. December 13 is D-day. Wish me luck! Only 12 credits to go. Will I make it? Survey says...