Eye Candy Friday...

...where did January go? [sigh]

Since there has been little-to-no craft activity this week, you get sky and garden pictures. First up, this morning's clouds:

Our garden is still in a dormant state, except for a few stray snapdragons, some weeds, and a few of these:

This is Romanesco cauliflower, a very interestingly-shaped vegetable. I want to get a shot when the light is a bit better because you can't quite see all of the weird knobby bits and the color variations. The leaves on this plant are also very interesting with their ruffled and sort-of purple edges.

Up this weekend: a collection of tasks. I need to get a package together to mail to the Daughter's BFF. I want to go to Purlescence Yarns'  Yarn Swap  tomorrow...I have some yarn I'd like to send to a good home.

I need to do some tidying up around the house and run my normal weekend errands. (I think the cats would be happy if I remembered to buy them some food...)

Craft-wise, I definitely want to finish plying Sonnet and Lute, and wash it and Simpatico. And I want to see if I can get closer to "done" on the Paint It Red quilt.  If I really get on a roll, I'll make Flower Power's quilt sandwich in preparation for finally finishing it (no picture yet).

I need to stash-dive to look for red fiber in preparation for Ravelympics 2010. I should be committed have committed to do three events for my team (go Team True Blood!). For the Flying Camel Spin, I am spinning as many red or red & black yarns as I can. For WIP-Dancing, I am finishing the Twinkletoes slippers (see this post). And for Labryrinth Weaving, I am weaving a wrap with some sort of lace pattern using one of my early handspun yarns.

Somewhere in there, I need to catch up with some sleep!

WIP-It Wednesday and another IDJ round...

...well, not much WIP to show.

I am at somewhat of a standstill, project-wise. I haven't finished plying the Sonnet and Lute yarn. I haven't touched the Rusty Dahlia socks in several weeks. And the Paint It Red quilt hasn't seen any action since December. The only thing that is remotely calling my name is another cross stitch mermaid (Mediterranean Mermaid by Mirabilia), but I haven't exactly started that yet.

Hmmmm, how about another round of IDJ (It's Dead, Jim)?

After much consideration, I decided that the Twinkletoes slippers (see the 1/13 post) would become one of my entries for Ravelympics 2010 [Ravelry]. This project will be entered in the WIP-Dancing event and it will be finished!

So let's take a look at the updated UFO list:

1. Angora Cottage 70% Merino and 30% Silk 4 oz.roving in purple [Ravelry]
2. Cascade Fixation anklets (knitting)
3. Central Air socks (knitting)
4. Chasing Rainbows Heather--one Merino-Bombyx (2 oz) and one Merino wool (2 oz) (spinning)
5. Corrugator scarf (knitting) [Ravelry]
6. Dogosaurus Rex sweater (knitting) [Ravelry}
7. Flower Power quilt; top finished, need to sandwich and quilt (quilting)
8. Happy Pumpkin Scissor Fob by Shepherd's Bush (cross stitch)
   
9. Hopi by Susan Portra (needlepoint)
10. Jungle Songs quilt; top finished, need to sandwich and quilt (quilting)
11. Morning Surf Scarf (knitting) [Ravelry]
    
12. Peacock Majesty by Just Nan (cross stitch)
13. Sangria shawl (knitting)
14. Sea Foam Wrap (knitting) [Ravelry]
15. Wisteria Angora-Merino top from Tactile (spindle spinning) [Ravelry]

I think the next to go on the IDJ list is Morning Surf Scarf:

This is my own handspun. I love the colors and the feel of the yarn. The pattern is essentially the same as the Sea Foam Wrap:

I like the pattern better with Sea Foam Wrap. I think the Mermaid yarn in Morning Surf wants to be a woven scarf. Adios, Morning Surf Scarf...you are IDJ and your yarn will be repurposed. Morning Surf Scarf, you will be put back in rotation.

The next IDJ candidate is Central Air socks. I wound the yarn; I started the cuffs; and haven't touched them in two years. I haven't even taken a picture of them. Adios, Central Air socks...your Blue Moon Socks That Rock yarn can become something else!

This week's on-the-fence project is Cascade Fixation Anklets. Again no picture, but you can see what the yarn looks like here, color 9518 (I think it's color 9976, but I'm not sure). The pattern is simple enough and the yarn is OK to work with. I have most of one anklet knitted. I just haven't touched them in years. The big question is whether I'd wear the anklets since I usually wear crew-length socks. I'll have to think on that one...

Happy Anniversary to us...

...today the Husband and I celebrate our 24th wedding anniversary. We also celebrate today as the anniversary of our relationship...29 years strong!

It doesn't feel like that much time has passed, but we know it has when we look at the Daughter. She was almost 3 when J and I started dating. Her birthday is next week; you can do the math! (When did I get to be the mother of an adult? That's a topic for another day...)

The Husband and I are going out to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. The key word here is "out"as we rarely do that anymore! Other than that, we're keeping it low key. Next year, though, we're having a big party!

Weekend report:

After days of rain, we finally saw some blue sky. This was Saturday morning:

Not much craft-wise that I can report here. I worked on a few special things that are not ready for prime-time. These projects kept me out of the house for a few hours, tracking down components and getting them. Then I had to assemble things. 

I did some spinning and finished plying the Simpatico yarn. I haven't skeined it yet, so no picture. I started plying the Sonnet and Lute yarn and have about half of that done.

I managed to find the top of my sewing machine cabinet and cleared the way so I can finish quilting "Paint It Red."

That's about it...mostly I recovered from a long work week, so there was some actual "lazy" time in there! (I know... monumental!)

and the winner is...

... (we didn't need the random number generator...I had my boss pick a winner out of the hat.)

Eva S, you won!

Eva: Please send me your prize choice and address to: mhnovicki at gmail dot com

Thanks everyone for entering!

Sorry no Eye Candy Friday today. Due to the huge amounts of rain and work, I haven't had time to find anything that was Eye Candy worthy.

Up this weekend: sleep...spinning...quilting...whatever else I can cram into 2 days! Have a good one!

blog and run and FINAL contest reminder

...lots of work stuff going on right now so time is limited. Suffice it to day that I have not spent a lot of time working on projects...sleep has been more important.

Final Contest Reminder!
Leave a comment on my Blogiversary post to win yarn, fiber, or homemade biscotti!
Deadline is Midnight PST on 1/20/10.
Good Luck!

I will pick the winner by random number generator sometime on Thursday and will notify the winner on Friday.

Back to work for me!

then it is Monday again... (and Contest reminder!)

...and I don't feel like I did a whole lot over the weekend, mostly because you can't see what I did.

I spent most of Saturday packing up the rest of the Christmas stuff. Since I tend to buy a few new things each year (read: Star Trek ornaments and the Daughter's Christmas bells), I was at the point of needing to use another box. Which, in turn, meant that I needed to find room for said-box in the storage cabinets, which resulted in completely emptying said-cabinets and purging a few things.

It's all good...I got rid of non-functional Christmas lights, boxes that I was saving just cuz, and recycled a bunch of store-themed handle bags.  Everything fits into the cabinets now and there is only one catch-all box that I need to go through. I knod of ran out of steam after a few hours.

I did manage to finish Calorimetry #5 so the Daughter could take it with her. Here's Teddy reluctantly modeling it:

Specs:

Started: 1/6/10
Finished:1/15/10;
Pattern: Calorimetry in Knitty Winter 2006;
Yarn: Lion Brand, Vanna's Choice in Charcoal Print;
Size 9 needles

Mods: Cast on 96

I took advantage of Aaron Brothers 1-cent frame sale and bought two white frames, one for Queen Mermaid and one for the next one. Yes, I am considering stitching another mermaid...yes, I am a little bananas...

I did manage to do a little spinning on Sunday. I finished the second bobbin of Sonnet and Lute and the second bobbin of Simpatico. I started plying Simpatico and will follow with plying Sonnet and Lute. I want to get these two yarns out of the way before I warp the loom for the next project.

Contest Reminder:
Leave a comment on my Blogiversary post to win yarn, fiber, or homemade biscotti!
Deadline is Midnight PST on 1/20/10.
Good Luck!

Eye Candy Friday and F.O. Friday, too!

...first, Eye Candy Friday:

The weather people are predicting huge storms starting tomorrow, so mornings will be looking a lot darker after today.

And for F.O. Friday (Finished Object)...I finished Queen Mermaid last night!

She still needs to be framed, but first I need to find a frame that matches the ones I used for the other two mermaids.

Specs:

Started: 09/2001

Hibernated for several years

Finished: 01/14/2010 (Need to frame it!)

Pattern: The Queen Mermaid #57  by Mirabilia

32 count Belfast Linen in Confederate Gray

I can't begin to tell you how happy I am that she is finally done. Now I can work on something else!

Up this weekend: Finish Calorimetry #5 tonight. I'm almost there and the Daughter needs to take it with her when she goes home this weekend. I need to clean out the cabinet that holds the Christmas stuff and finally get all of the boxes put away (that will be a relief!). After that...who knows? Maybe warp my loom, or finish a couple of yarns that are in progress, or work on another UFO. The possibilities are endless!

WIP-It Wednesday and the first IDJ round...

...first the WIP (work in progress). This is the 5th Calorimetry that I have made:

This one uses Vanna's Choice by Lion Brand in Charcoal Print. I'm at the halfway point and should finish this in time for the Daughter to take it to her friend on Sunday. I love knitting these...they are so quick!

This is the only active knitting WIP right now. Queen Mermaid is consuming me, so I haven't worked on any other projects. I beaded her necklace last night...twice! I had to pull it out because the beads just weren't laying right and the necklace loops didn't look good.

In keeping with the resolutions I made for my crafts, I have been looking through my long-standing UFOs. It's time to get serious (or admit defeat) with some of these projects. Those that I will never finish are designated IDJ (It's Dead, Jim) and will be removed from the list. I will repurpose the yarn or gift it.

The first IDJ of the year is the Montego Bay wrap in Walking on the Wild Tide yarn.

I have attempted to use this yarn for 3 projects and so far have not been successful with any of them. I am a slow knitter and this wrap is taking forever! I've also ripped this out a couple of times as I keep losing my place.

I think that this yarn wants to be a woven scarf and was just waiting for me to learn to weave!

The next project to IDJ is the February Lady Sweater:

Love the pattern; love the yarn. Don't love me knitting it! I hate my buttonholes and have redone them at least 4 times. I don't like the garter stitch yoke, and I'm damn slow! This yarn still wants to be a sweater, though, so I'll have to find something else.

I have a candidate for IDJ, but I can't decide what to do. I have knit one Twinkletoes slipper:

I just have to do the other one. The yarn is wonderful and the pattern is great. Just can't convince myself to do the other one! The jury is still out on this one.

Don't forget my Contest!! Leave a comment on my Blogiversary post to win yarn, fiber, or homemade biscotti! Deadline is Midnight PST on 1/20/10. Good Luck!

OK...I'm off to go unravel the Montego Bay wrap and wind the yarn into a ball. 

Oops! That Monday got away from me...

...blame it on lack of sleep!

I had a great time at Spin-In! We did our gift exchange and I got some yummy yarn and some chocolate. No pictures yet (and it's too late for the chocolate. LOL!). I also managed to spin 2 ounces of Sonnet and Lute, a Falkland top from the Yarn Wench:

Another two ounces and it will be ready to ply!


I made progress on the Queen Mermaid. I'm now working on the beading of her face. All that remains are the beads on the box she is holding, the upper bodice, and the Mill Hill treasures on her body. SO close!!

I did not finish putting the Christmas stuff away like I wanted to, but that too is very close.

It's going to be an interesting week with work, family, etc. We are enjoying the last few days with the Daughter before she goes back to Baltimore. [Sigh] 

wondering if it's time to retire Eye Candy Friday...

...it's becoming more and more difficult finding something new for Fridays.  I'm open for suggestions!

Today, we have a confused rose:

No one told it that it's winter!

Up this weekend: Spin-In tomorrow...yay! And I can actually spin this time! I need to figure out what kind of munchie to take, though, and make that in the morning. The rest of the weekend will be spent on getting all the Christmas stuff put away. I have been ignoring it for a week, and amazingly enough, it has not put itself away. LOL!

I'm hoping to finish the beading on Queen Mermaid so I can move onto another project. I have a weaving project in mind that involves this:

and I'm itching to get started!

Don't forget to enter my contest and win yarn (or fiber). Leave a comment on  my Blogiversary post to enter!

WIP-it Wednesday, new year's style...

...I had really hoped to finish this in 2009, but that didn't happen!  While I finally finished the corss stiutch part, the beading is taking quite a while to do.

The designer recommended using YLI invisible thread to attach the beads, which I did on the previous two mermaids. However, this time, I was having a heck of a time with the thread. For one thing, the lighting in the living room is bad and that makes it hard when threading the needle. Also, the thread had a mind of its own and kept getting tangled and was just a pain to work with.  I finally gave up and went to the quilter's trick of using silk thread...it blends well and is easier to use.

I started at the tail and am working up. I am now at the torso. Here's what she looks like so far:

She was always beautiful, but the addition of the beads makes her really stunning. I can't wait to finish her!

Don't forget about my blogiversary contest...leave a comment on this post to win yarn or fiber!

Happy Blogiversary to me...and a contest!

...I started this blog January 5, 2006 as a way to track my craft progress and to share project photos with friends.

When I started, I was primarily a needle worker (cross stitch, needlepoint) and quilter; I was still relatively new to knitting.  Now, needlework and quilting have taken a backseat to spinning and weaving. I still cross stitch, quilt, and knit, but I get more satisfaction from creating yarn and fabric.

In addition to giving me a place to talk about my crafts, this blog has helped make me a better photographer, at least of inanimate items! I still have trouble photographing animals and people. However, my macro photography has improved tremendously.

Who knows what changes the next year of blogging will see!

Now for the contest, let's keep it simple:

Leave a comment on this post by Midnight PST 1/20/10. 

I'll do the random number thing and pick a winner on the 21st.  The winner will receive their choice of yarn (see below), spinning fiber (see below), OR a batch of Grand Marnier Biscotti (a batch is usually 24-30 biscotti).\

Yarn: Choose one the following Blue Moon Fiber Arts Rockin' Sock Club colors:

Garden Daze (2009):

or Gertrude Skein (2009):

or Goody Goody (2008)

OR if you are a spinner:
Kilkenny 2, a Merino-Silk top from the Yarn Wench:

Good luck and thanks for reading my blog!

Back at work...

...trying to get into the swing of things again!

I spent my weekend doing a bunch of things.

We removed the decorations from the the tree and moved it outside. It will be put out for recycling later in the week. I am slowly dismantling Christmas..this will take a while!

I've beaded over half of Queen Mermaid. I started at the bottom (fewer beads) and am moving to the top. I have about 10 hours into the beading and I figure it will be at least another 5 hours before this stage is done. She has a lot of beads in her upper body and head.

I've gotten hooked on FarmVille and Bejeweled Blitz in Facebook, so I lost a few hours there. LOL! The novelty of FarmVille will wear off eventually, but I do love a good game and Bejeweled Blitz is one.

Mostly I reveled in my last hours before returning to work.

I forgot to report that I finished a project on the last day of 2009. The Daughter requested a Calorimetry for a friend, so I pulled some yarn out of the stash and made one. This is Bernat Softee Chunky Ombre in Denim:

I need to sew on the button, but that won't take long.

Specs:

Started and Finished 12/31/09

Pattern: Calorimetry from Knitty

Yarn: Bernat Softee Chunky Ombres in Denim; about 2/3 skein

Needle size: 9US

Mods: cast on 98; next time I use this yarn I'll cast on 92...it's pretty stretchy

Stay tuned...I'll be running another contest to celebrate my Blogiversary tomorrow!

2009 End of the Year Recap [long]

Finished in 2009 (by craft, then alphabetical order)

Those not on Ravelry can see pictures of these items in my Flickr photostream and sets: Knitting, Spinning, Quilting/Sewing, Needlework, and Weaving.

Quick Summary: Not as many projects completed due to various factors, the biggest of which is called Queen Mermaid. Large cross stitch pieces take a lot of time!

Christmas Baking

1. 510 biscotti; 753 cookies
2. 12 pounds of chocolate (truffles and chocolate bark)
3. 36 cups of flavored nuts
4. 17 mini-fruitcakes; 17 pumpkin bread loaves; and 6 gingerbread mini-loaves
   

Knitting

1. Argosy scarf [Ravelry]
2. Calorimetry 3 (charcoal) [Ravelry]
3. Calorimetry 4 (blue) [Ravelry]
4. Eleanor de Plume socks [Ravelry]
5. Fraggled Socks [Ravelry]
6. Fuzzy Lamb 1 by Fuzzy Mitten [Ravelry]
7. Fuzzy Lamb 2 [Ravelry]
8. Jaywalker socks [Ravelry]
   
9. Purple Moebius Scarf [Ravelry]
   
10. Queen of Beads socks [Ravelry]
    
11. Under the Sea socks [Ravelry]
    

Quilting/Sewing

1. Blue drawstring bag using a Happythings pattern (sewing)
   
2. Knit-2 Sock Bag pattern 
3. Purple Knit-2 Sock bag
   
4. Purple Tote bag (Craft Bag Kwik Sew 3464 pattern)
   

Spinning

1. Andromeda Merino-silk top from Yarn Wench; 237+yards, Navajo-plied; 14 WPI [Ravelry]
2. Apricot Cinder Merino-Silk yarn; Merino-silk top from Yarn Wench; 223 yds Navajo-ply; 13 WPI [Ravelry]
3. Blood Orange yarn; BFL top from Sakina Needles; 225+ yards 2-ply yarn; 12 WPI [Ravelry]
4. Chocolate Covered Raspberries Seawool (4oz) from Creatively Dyed; 188 yards Navajo-ply; 13 WPI [Ravelry]
5. Dragonfly Wings Merino-silk top by The Yarn Wench; 536+ yards of 2-ply; 15 WPI  [Ravelry]
   
6. Nocturne yarn; Falkland top from Yarn Wench; 195.4 yards, Navajo-ply; 13 WPI [Ravelry]
7. Pomegranate yarn; Naturally dyed gray alpaca (2 oz) from Tactile, a Fiber Arts Studio; 113 yards 2-ply; 16 WPI [Ravelry]
   
8. Purr-ple yarn; Superfine Merino and Border Leicester lamb batts from Lisa Souza; 300 Navajo-ply; 15 WPI [Ravelry]
9. Sea Foam yarn; BFL top from Yarn Wench; 322 yds, Navajo-ply; 15 WPI [Ravelry]
10. Sea Nymph yarn; Merino top from Yarn Wench; 229.5 yards; 2 singles plied with Sulky Rayon thread; 14 WPI [Ravelry]
11. Shipwreck yarn; Merino-Bamboo, Scarlet O'Hara Roving by Yarn Love; 300 yds 2-ply; 13 WPI [Ravelry]
12. Tropical Fish yarn; Falkland top from Yarn Wench; 260 yds Navajo-ply; 14  WPI [Ravelry]
13. Watermelon Rind yarn; Falkland top from Yarn Wench plus 3 ounces Corriedale cream single; 283.6 yards 3-ply; 2+ yards of 2-ply; 2+ yds Navajo-ply; 16 WPI [Ravelry]

Stitchery

1. Spooky Wrap (cross stitch kit)
   

Weaving

1. Deep Blue Sea Shawl [Ravelry]
2. Deep Sea Flower Shawl [Ravelry]
3. Mas-Acero Shawl [Ravelry]
4. Plumcopper scarf [Ravelry]
5. Purple Silk Wrap [Ravelry]
6. River Rocked Shawl [Ravelry]

Other

1. Amethyst stitch markers
2. 4 bars Butter Mint soap
3. 4 bars Creative Dreams soap
4. 2 bars Gardener's soap
5. Shell stitch markers
   

IDJ (It's Dead, Jim)

1. Roguish Roses Socks (knitting) [Ravelry]

Works In Progress:

1. February Lady Sweater (knitting) [Ravelry]
2. Corrugator scarf (knitting) [Ravelry]
3. Happy Pumpkin Scissor Fob by Shepherd's Bush (cross stitch)
4. Morning Surf Scarf (knitting) [Ravelry]
5. Paint It Red (quilting)
6. Queen Mermaid by Mirabilia (cross stitch)
7. Rusty Dahlia socks (knitting) [Ravelry]
8. Sea Foam Wrap (knitting) [Ravelry]
9. Simpatico Falkland yarn (spinning) [Ravelry]
10. Wisteria Angora-Merino top from Tactile (spindle spinning) [Ravelry]

UFOs:

1. Angora Cottage 70% Merino and 30% Silk 4 oz.roving in purple [Ravelry]
2. Cascade Fixation anklets (knitting)
3. Central Air socks (knitting)
4. Chasing Rainbows Heather--one Merino-Bombyx (2 oz) and one Merino wool (2 oz) (spinning)
5. Dogosaurus Rex sweater (knitting) [Ravelry}
6. Flower Power quilt; top finished, need to sandwich and quilt (quilting)
7. Hopi by Susan Portra (needlepoint)
8. Jungle Songs quilt; top finished, need to sandwich and quilt (quilting)
9. Montego Bay wrap in Walking on the Wild Tide yarn, using Montego Bay scarf pattern from Interweave Knits Summer issue (knitting)
10. Paint it Black quilt
11. Peacock Majesty by Just Nan (cross stitch)
12. Queen Mermaid by Mirabilia (cross stitch; still languishing in its stretcher bars)
13. Sangria shawl (knitting)
14. Twinkletoes slippers; just need to make one (knitting)
15. Violet Needle Roll (cross stitch

Time to go through the UFOs and either finish them or declare them IDJ.

December 2009 Recap...

...such as it is.

Finished:

• 12/31 Calorimetry 4 [Ravelry]
• 12/27 Fuzzy Lamb [Ravelry]
• Christmas baking, etc.
  Cookies: 753
  Biscotti: 510
  Fruitcakes, gingerbreads, & pumpkin breads: 40
  Sugared nuts: 36 cups
  Chocolate bark and truffles: 12 pounds
  

Started:

• 12/31 Calorimetry 4
• 12/08 Fuzzy Lamb by Fuzzy Mitten
  

Worked on:

• Rusty Dahlia socks (knitting) [Ravelry]

Works In Progress, did not work on:

1. Paint It Red (quilting) 
2. Simpatico Falkland yarn (spinning) [Ravelry]
3. Queen Mermaid by Mirabilia (cross stitch)
4. Happy Pumpkin Scissor Fob by Shepherd's Bush (cross stitch)
5. Wisteria Angora-Merino top from Tactile (spinning) [Ravelry]
6. Sea Foam Wrap (knitting) [Ravelry]
7. February Lady Sweater (knitting) [Ravelry]
8. Corrugator scarf (knitting) [Ravelry]
9. Morning Surf Scarf (knitting) [Ravelry]

UFOs:

1. Black leg warmers in Caron Simply Soft yarn (knitting)
2. Angora Cottage 70% Merino and 30% Silk 4 oz.roving in purple [Ravelry]
3. Cascade Fixation anklets (knitting)
4. Central Air socks (knitting)
5. Chasing Rainbows Heather--one Merino-Bombyx (2 oz) and one Merino wool (2 oz) (spinning)
6. Dogosaurus Rex sweater (knitting) [Ravelry}
7. Flower Power quilt; top finished, need to sandwich and quilt (quilting)
8. Hopi by Susan Portra (needlepoint)
9. Jungle Songs quilt; top finished, need to sandwich and quilt (quilting)
10. Montego Bay wrap in Walking on the Wild Tide yarn, using Montego Bay scarf pattern from Interweave Knits Summer issue (knitting)
11. Peacock Majesty by Just Nan (cross stitch)
    
12. Sangria shawl (knitting)
13. Stranded Hearts socks (knitting) [Ravelry]
    
14. Twinkletoes slippers; just need to make one (knitting)
15. Violet Needle Roll (cross stitch)

Eye-Can't-Believe-Another-Year-Is-Gone Candy Friday...

...goodbye 2009

and hello 2010!

Wow, that year went fast! It was a challenging year in many respects, but we survived and are ready to take on what may come. The Husband, the Daughter, and I are a strong unit and together we can tackle pretty much anything!

Craft-wise 2009 was a learning year...learning to weave; learning that I don't enjoy knitting adult sweaters; learning that some projects are just doomed and should be let go; and learning that knitting and spinning with a group is fun!

Up this weekend: It's the last two days of my vacation and I'm going to enjoy them as much as I can. One thing I have to do is take down the Christmas decorations. We need to get the tree out of the house during daylight hours and that will only happen on the weekend. Neither of us wants to deal with that after a full work day!

I also want to compile my December and end-of-the-year recaps and get them posted.  And my Blogiversary is coming up...is it time for another contest? I'll have think on that!