Livin' La Needle Loca: January 2011

blog and run Monday...

...between work, meetings, picking the Daughter up at the airport, and the cold that the Husband "shared" with me, today is kind of a lost cause.

Short hits:

Mailed the contest prizes on Saturday, as planned Yay!
Finished weaving the Marine Silk shawl yesterday. I'll upload pictures when it's dry. [Ravelry]
Finished spinning the first bobbin of Agate merino-silk yarn; halfway through the second bobbin. [Ravelry]
Received my Rockin' Sock club installment for January. No pix yet.

That's all I've got. Off to take more Airborne before leaving for the airport...

last Eye Candy Friday for January...

...hard to believe the month is almost gone! Today's eye candy is all about tulips.

dark pink...

light pink...

Up this weekend: My primary goal is to package up the prizes and get them mailed out tomorrow. I finally figured out how to wrap the stitch markers to protect them a little better than just bubble wrap. Contest winners: don't be surprised to receive a CD case in the mail. I hope the hard sides on the case combined with bubble wrap will protect the glass beads. You'll have to let me know if it works!

Purlescence Yarns is having a yarn swap tomorrow. I have some yarn that I need to trade or donate, so this is a good opportunity.

Other than that, it's been hard to concentrate on crafts this week. I hope to get back to it this weekend sometime.

I have one small favor to ask: Please send out your best thoughts, vibes, and/or prayers to the McCann and Ahlmann families. Today is Savannah's memorial and her burial is tomorrow (see my post from Monday). They could use all the extra support they can get. Thanks.

WIP-it Wednesday, and a little catching up...

...yeah, I never did a weekend report and a few other things got put on hold. If you read my last two posts, you know why.

One of my goals was to sew the Knit2 bag for my Blogiversary winner. I'm happy to say that I finished that:

(We won't talk about my panic trips to Walgreens and CVS, trying to find the right shoelace length to use for this bag...36-inch white, round laces if you're interested.) Now I just need to find a box that won't crush it so I can mail it out.

Another thing was to make the little "extras" for the other prize winners. I finished those, too!

I made sets of stitch markers for 4 of the winners. Since I see Loretta at the gym, I delivered hers in person. For Jane, who doesn't knit a lot, I'm letting her decide whether she wants the markers or something else. For the other 3 winners, I'm worried about the crush-issue...we all know how careful the post office can be sometimes! LOL! I may just find a small box to send them in.

At any rate, I did stop buy the post office this morning to scope out what they had (not much). I may have to go to a UPS store and figure out what will work.

Never fear, contest winners...I'm working on getting this to you as soon as I can!

Another thing I wanted to work on was my teal quilt. I managed to finish sewing the top together and now need to decide on a backing fabric. Here is a very poor picture of my "Tealing Groovy" quilt:

It was a productive weekend, mostly because I was trying to keep my mind occupied. I even did a little weaving!

Happy Silver Anniversary to us!

30 years ago today, the Husband and I were on our third date when we realized that something special was happening. Being a divorced mom of an almost-3-year-old meant that I couldn't afford to hire a baby sitter for the 3rd week in a row, so the Daughter went with us on our 3rd date. This could have been a problem for many men, but the Husband is one of 7 children and was used to being around kids.

We took a picnic lunch to the Strybing Arboretum at Golden Gate Park. We had lunch, watched the Daughter run around the grassy area, and taught her not to pick the flowers. It was a sunny, January day, and it was perfect.

When we decided to get married 5 years later, the day we chose happened to be the anniversary of that third date. It makes it easy for us to remember when we became a couple and when we got married. The running joke in our family: which anniversary is this, dear? The answer is a combination of the number of years married and the number of years together.

Which anniversary is this, dear? It's our 25/30 anniversary.

(The Husband, me, the Judge who married us, my best friend Julie, and the Daughter.)

rest now, little angel Savannah...

...you leave behind a legacy of joy and love. You will be sorely missed by your family, extended family, and friends.

Savannah was 8 years old when she passed on 1/22. She was the oldest child of Melanie, the Daughter's best friend since high school. Savannah and her Auntie Shauna shared a special bond, so this was just heart-wrenching. Savannah's loss is devastating for all who loved her. Our hearts go out to Savannah's parents, two brothers, grandparents, and the rest of her family.

...

Hold your loved ones close and tell them that you love them, every day.

...

Eye Candy Friday, express version...

...I have a lot of work to do and we did have that extra "contest winner" post yesterday!

Eye candy was a stretch this week. My old stand-by (sky pictures) failed me in that they were either too foggy or too clear to take interesting pictures. Most of the garden is in winter mode, so aside from the roses I showed you last week, not a lot is blooming.

The strawberry plant, though, looked nice with morning dew coating its leaves. Some green leaves...

...and s red one.

Up this weekend: I have some prizes to make and get ready for mailing! Aside from the normal weekend activities, I want to finish the top for the teal quilt and finish up the marine silk wrap that I have on the loom. That's enough to keep me busy!

Have a great weekend!

and the winners of the Blogiversary contest are [insert drumroll here]...

....well, everyone! Because we had less than 10 entrants. I decided that everyone gets a pattern! So send me your email addresses and I'll get a copy out to you within the next day or so.

Now, five of you lucky people get something extra:

Anna
Michele (from Warren, ME...not my sister, Michelle)
Tara
Just Jane
Loretta

I don't know what that something is yet (still deciding what to make). Loretta and Jane, I know where to find you, but I'll need mailing addresses for Anna, Michele, and Tara. Send me a PM through Ravelry (I'm needleloca there) or send me email (marie_novicki at yahoo dot com).

And the lucky winner of the Knit2 Bag made in the Knitmare on Elm Street fabric:

Michele from Warren, ME: The bag is yours! When you send me your mailing address, let me know which version of the bag you would like:

Basic Knit2 Bag - a drawstring bag with a divider to separate two balls of yarn and loops to feed the yarn to keep them from tangling together in the bag
On-the-Go Knit2 Bag - the same features, plus a swivel hook (or carabiner) that you can use to attach the bag to a belt loop (or anything else it will hook to).

Congratulations to all of you!

Last call for the contest and WIP-it Wednesday...

...my 5th Blogiversary contest Midnight PST, tonight! Comment on this post to enter. There will be 5 winners of my Knit2 Sock Bag Pattern and one of those 5 will also win a Knit2 Sock bag made out of the Knitmare on Elm Street fabric [Ravelry picture].

January seems to be the month I revisit some UFOs and make an effort to get them closer to done. Over the weekend, it was my teal quilt. Last night at Craft Night, it was spindle spinning the Wisteria angora-merino top (Tactile, a Fiber Arts Studio) that I started in 2009.

I remembered why I put this one aside...the angora component makes this fiber very soft, both in feel and to spin. It requires a little more twist to keep together. If I'm not paying attention, I spin too loosely and the spindle falls on the floor. I'm also spinning it on the thin side, so it's taking forever to spin this 4 ounces. I may move it to the wheel just so I can finish the darn thing!

In the WIP-to-be category, I received my Pro-Verbial club installment yesterday. Lov the fiber in this one, even though the colors are not what I classify as "me." After the last Pro-Verbial installment, I like the idea of spinning for a project. So I'm going to spin this one to try and reach the yardage goal for the pattern even though I'll probably never knit it. It could turn into a gift for another knitter...you never know!

You can see the package behind the spoiler picture:

Blog Contest reminder!

The deadline to enter my 5th Blogiversary contest is midnight PST, 1/19/11, so enter soon! Comment on this post to enter. There will be 5 winners of my Knit2 Sock Bag Pattern and one of those 5 will also win a Knit2 Sock bag made out of the Knitmare on Elm Street fabric [Ravelry picture].

Enter soon!!

Weekend report:
It was mostly a quilting weekend, I spent a good deal of Saturday afternoon arranging and rearranging the quilt squares for my teal quilt. As a reminder, here's what it looked like when I finished the blocks:

This picture was taken before I replaced the diamond-patterned fabric with another fabric. The diamonds were just not working for me. Anyway, I finally declared the block arrangement "done" on Sunday and started sewing the blocks together. I'll probably look at the top when it's all done and not like some of the placement...oh, well!

I got 2.5 rows put together before I stopped for Sunday dinner (a big pot of chicken-barley-vegetable soup). I moved onto weaving after dinner and watched the Golden Globes while I wove. I think I'm on the last 18 inches of weaving, so I'm close. I warped a length of 95 inches and I plan on about 6 inches of fringe on each end.

Yay for productive weekends!

Eye Candy Friday and a contest reminder...

...brought to you by the letters P, R, and S.

Paper white narcissus...

...and another view

Raindrops on roses...

...and another view.

Sunrise...

Up this weekend: I have a few Christmas stragglers to put away, a couple of errands to run, and a little housework. After that, it's craft time! I want to work on my weaving and see if I can get close to done on the marine-silk wrap. I also want to finalize the block layout for the teal quilt. And then there is my poor neglected knitting...someday I'll get my knitting mojo back!

Contest...Contest...Contest!!!

quick WIPs...

...I'm keeping this short, mostly because I finally got the recaps uploaded. # posts in one day kind of makes up for Monday, right?

Here's the spinning I started on Saturday:

This is Agate 1, a merino-silk blend from The Yarn Wench. I spinning it using the Faux-ro technique I learned in Janel Laidman's class. I've spun about half of the bump.

I'm back to working on Turquoise Trail I finished a section last night and started on a tent stitching area:

I have a couple of pairs of socks that I need to get back to and a shawl that's about 60% woven. I'd like to finish a couple of projects this month, just to get back in ghte swing of things!

Contest...Contest...Contest!!!

Don't forget about my 5th Blogiversary contest! Comment on this post to enter. There will be 5 winners of my Knit2 Sock Bag Pattern and one of those 5 will also win a Knit2 Sock bag made out of the Knitmare on Elm Street fabric [Ravelry picture].

So far there are only 4 entries, so your chances are excellent!

2010 End of the Year Recap (Long)

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

Short: I finished some projects and retired some projects. I lost my craft mojo a few times during the year and didn't get as much done as I wanted. A major contributing factor was the iPad...way too much fun to read books on it!

Finished

Christmas Baking, etc.

439 biscotti; 635 cookies
10 pounds of chocolate (truffles and chocolate bark)
10.5 lbs of flavored nuts
19 mini-fruitcakes; 9 pumpkin bread loaves; and 29 gingerbread mini-loaves

Knitting

Calorimetry #5 (knitting) [Ravelry]
Twinkletoes slippers (knitting) [Ravelry]
Angie's Cap (my own design) [Ravelry]
Rusty Dahlia socks [Ravelry]
Reflection Shawl [Ravelry]

Quilting/Sewing

Paint It Red Quilt
Flower Power Quilt

Spinning

Sonnet and Lute yarn from Yarn Wench; 180.5 yards, Navajo-plied; 12 WPI [Ravelry]
Simpatico yarn from Yarn Wench; 277.3 yards, Navajo-plied; 14 WPI [Ravelry]
Ruby Silk Merino top from Lisa Souza; 290 yards; 14 WPI [Ravelry]
Midnite Lava Flow Merino-Wensleydale-Firestar batts from Lisa Souza; 342 yards; 13 WPI [Ravelry]
Blue Lake Lily yarn; Merino-Bamboo top (4 oz) from Royale Hare; 139.6 yards; 13 WPI [Ravelry]
Iris yarn; Merino-Bamboo top (4 oz.) from Miss Babs Hand Dyed Fiber Goods; 284.8 yards Navajo ply, 14 WPI [Ravelry]
It's Easy Being green yarn Green Crazy Batt (2 oz) from Faerie Mountain Fibers; 78.2 yards Navajo ply, 12 WPI [Ravelry]
7/4 Blue Hosta yarn; Merino Bamboo Tussah top (4oz) from Miss Babs; 138 yards, two ply; WPI : est. worsted [Ravelry]
Seascape yarn; Merino-Tencel top (4oz) from Abstract Fibers 236.4 yards, Navajo ply; 14 WPI [Ravelry]
Purple Merino-silk yarn; Angora Cottage (4oz); 362.9 yards, Navajo-ply; 16 WPI [Ravelry]
Beach Foam yarn; 3 batts from Liza Souza (3.2 oz )228.9 yards, Navajo-plied; 15 WPI [Ravelry]
Lake Tahoe yarn; Corriedale top (4oz) from Judy's Novelty Wool;130+ yards, Navajo-plied; worsted/bulky [Ravelry]
Ocean Merino-Silk yarn; Merino-silk top from Redfish Dyeworks; 232.6 yards, Navajo plied; WPI: est. 12 [Ravelry]
Arch Rock Evening yarn; 50/50 Merino Bamboo top from Royale Hare; 234.5 yards, 2-ply; WPI: 14 [Ravelry]
The Whale's Migratory Tale yarn; BFL-Silk from A Verb for Keeping Warm; 418.75 yards, 2-ply; WPI: 18 [Ravelry]
Swamp Merino-Bamboo top (4oz) from Fiber Fiend; 171.2 yards, Navajo-plied; 12 WPI [Ravelry]
Healdsburg Hyacinths yarn; Merino-Tencel top from Royale Hare; 186.1 yards, Navajo-ply; 13 WPI [Ravelry]

Stitchery

The Queen Mermaid by Mirabilia (cross stitch)

Weaving

True Blood Shawl [Ravelry]
Red Bouclé scarf (commission) [Ravelry]

Reading
I didn't start tracking this until September. I wanted to see the impact of iPad reading on my crafting time...apparently quite a bit! This list does not include the books I re-read while waiting for the latest book by my favorite authors (there were at least 4 that I reread).

1022 Evergreen Place, Debbie Macomber
A Fistful of Charms, Kim Harrison
Black Magic Sanction, Kim Harrison
Body Double, Tess Gerritsen
Breaking the Rules, Barbara Taylor Bradford
Buttons and Bones, Monica Ferris
Child of Darkness, Jennifer Armintrout
Cleopatra's Daughter: A Novel, Michelle Moran
Crown of Destiny, Bertrice Small
Drink of Me, Jacquelyn Frank
Every Which Way But Dead, Kim Harrison
For a Few Demos More, Kim Harrison
Indulgence in Death, JD Robb
The Keepsake: A Novel, Tess Gerritsen
Knit the Season, Kate Jacobs
The Mephisto Club, Tess Gerritsen
The Other Side, JD Robb and others
The Outlaw Demon Wails, Kim Harrison
Queene of Light, Jennifer Armintrout
Skein of the Crime, Maggie Sefton
Taken By Midnight, Lara Adrian
Vanish, Tess Gerritsen
Veil of Shadows, Jennifer Armintrout
White Witch, Black Curse, Kim Harrison

IDJ (It's Dead, Jim):

February Lady Sweater (knitting) [Ravelry]
Morning Surf Scarf (knitting) [Ravelry]
Central Air socks (knitting)
Montego Bay wrap in Walking on the Wild Tide yarn
Black leg warmers in Caron Simply Soft yarn (knitting)
Corrugator scarf (knitting) [Ravelry]
Sangria shawl (knitting)
Cascade Fixation anklets (knitting)
2001 Saturn SC2 :-)

Works in Progress:

The Beets Go On socks (knitting) [Ravelry]
Happy Pumpkin Scissor Fob by Shepherd's Bush (cross stitch)
Hexagon socks (knitting) [Ravelry]
Jungle Songs quilt, pieced backing
Mochaberry Brambles (knitting) [Ravelry]
Natural Dyes batts from Yarn Wench (spinning) [Ravelry]
Red Marine Silk Wrap (weaving) [Ravelry]
Sea Foam Wrap (knitting) [Ravelry]
Tealing Groovy quilt
Turquoise Trail by Laura J Perin (needlepoint)

UFOs:

Chasing Rainbows Heather--one Merino-Bombyx (2 oz) and one Merino wool (2 oz) (spinning)
Dogosaurus Rex sweater (knitting) [Ravelry}
Hopi by Susan Portra (needlepoint)
Peacock Majesty by Just Nan (cross stitch)
Stranded Hearts socks (knitting) [Ravelry]
Violet Needle Roll (cross stitch)
Wisteria Angora-Merino top from Tactile (spinning) [Ravelry]

December 2010 recap...

...way late.

Finished:

Baking

Biscotti (6 kinds): 439
Cookies (10 kinds): 635
Pumpkin bread: 9 mini-loaves
Gingerbread loaves: 29 mini
Fruitcakes: 19 mini
Chocolate peppermint bark: 1.5 lbs
White chocolate peppermint bark: 1.5 lbs
Rocky Road bark: 1.75 lbs
Pistachio-cranberry bark: 2 lbs
Macadamia Lime Fudge: 1.5 lbs
Chile-Chocolate Truffles: 2 dozen (about 1 pound)
Amaretto Nuts: 6 lbs
Grand Marnier Nuts: 3 lbs
Chile-Lime Nuts: 1.5 lbs

Books:
The Other Side, JD Robb and others
Buttons and Bones, Monica Ferris
Crown of Destiny, Bertrice Small

Started:
Nothing!

Worked on:

Red Marine Silk Wrap (weaving) [Ravelry]
Mochaberry Brambles (knitting) [Ravelry]
Tealing Groovy quilt
Turquoise Trail by Laura J Perin (needlepoint)

Works In Progress, did not work on:

Happy Pumpkin Scissor Fob by Shepherd's Bush (cross stitch)
Hexagon socks (knitting) [Ravelry]
Jungle Songs quilt, pieced backing
Natural Dyes batts from Yarn Wench (spinning) [Ravelry]
The Beets Go On (renamed, was My Heart Beets 4U) socks (knitting) [Ravelry]
Sea Foam Wrap (knitting) [Ravelry]

UFOs:

Chasing Rainbows Heather--one Merino-Bombyx (2 oz) and one Merino wool (2 oz) (spinning)
Dogosaurus Rex sweater (knitting) [Ravelry}
Hopi by Susan Portra (needlepoint)
Peacock Majesty by Just Nan (cross stitch)
Stranded Hearts socks (knitting) [Ravelry]
Violet Needle Roll (cross stitch)
Wisteria Angora-Merino top from Tactile (spinning) [Ravelry]

Not even the 15th day of the year and I'm already behind...

...taking on more responsibilities at work is playing havoc with the various things I want to do during the day. The first casualty always seems to be the blog! [sigh]

It doesn't help that it's been so cold (for here, anyway) that all I want to do is crawl under a blanket and get warm. This is what the sky looked like when I left for work this morning just before 9AM:

The rain arrived this afternoon, so now it's cold and wet out there.

I had fun at Spin In on Saturday. It felt really good to get back to spinning...heck, just getting back to any craft feels good! I'll try to post a picture of the yarn in progress tomorrow. (Note that I did say "try"...who knows what tomorrow will bring!)

I spent Saturday evening taking ornaments off the tree. Sunday was pretty much just grocery shopping, taking the ornaments off of the Star Trek tree, packing up the Christmas decorations. The Husband and I got the tree out of the house and I put the living room back in order.

I finally finished packing up all of the decorations and ornaments last night. Now to get all of the boxes upstairs and back into the storage cabinets. It's like a 3-dimensional jigsaw puzzle...everything fits in the cabinet, but only one way!

Contest...Contest...Contest!!!

First Eye Candy Friday for 2011...

...and I almost didn't have anythign to show! The garden is in it's full winter state...all the leaves are gone, no flowers, and it looks pretty bleak. My projects are all still WIPs, so nothing finished to show you.

I asked the Husband if we had anything to photograph and he said that there were a couple of things still alive in the garden.

First is an ornamental cabbage. We've had these in the garden before, but, hey, they're purple and it beats taking pictures of dead leaves!

and a close up:

The second spot of color is a Moon Cactus, which apparently is a red cactus grafted onto a green cactus.

and from above:

There's something about winter that shuts down my picture-taking need...could it be the cold?? LOL! I'll try to be better about taking pictures during the week so I'm not scrambling on Friday morning to find something picture-worthy.

Up this weekend: Spin In!! Yay! Time to get back into the spinning groove. I need to get my wheel cleaned up and find something to spin. I'll probably spend a good deal of the weekend deconstructing Christmas and getting things packed away. If I have any spare cycles, I want to finish the layout of the teal quilt I have up on the wall.

Hmmm, I also need to get my recaps posted.

Don't forget about my 5th Blogiversary contest! Comment on this post to enter. There will be 5 winners of my Knit2 Sock Bag Pattern and one of those 5 will also win a Knit2 Sock bag made out of the Knitmare on Elm Street fabric [Ravelry picture]. Good luck!!

It's my 5th Blogiversary...let's have a contest!

Yeah, who knew I'd still be doing this five years later?

There have been a few changes since my first post.

I'm no longer just a stitcher and quilter. I've added knitter, spinner, and weaver to the list. I also dabble in macro photography
I changed the name of the blog to be more "me."
I changed the layout.
I have more than one reader. (Don't burst my bubble, please. LOL!)

I've settled into a MWF schedule of posting, except when life and work get in the way. I still find the blog a useful journal of the projects I have in process and my mindset at the time I'm working on them. A little personal stuff gets thrown in from time to time. So, for now, blogging is still working for me.

If you've been reading all along...thanks for joining me on this little journey! I plan on continuing as long as it is still useful for me.

OK, on to the contest:

Leave a comment on this post by Midnight PST, Wednesday 1/19/11.

(No, multiple comments will not give you multiple entries!)

I'll do the random number thing and pick 5 winners on the 20th.

The prizes:

Each winner will receive a PDF copy of my Knit2 Sock Bag pattern via email and a little something extra in Snail mail.
One of those five winners (chosen at random) will also receive a Knit2 Sock Bag sewn by me in the Knitmare on Elm Street fabric. Here are some pictures of the one I made for myself...if you're the winner, yours will look similar:

You can see more pictures of the Knit2 Sock Bag on Flickr. This bag has not been sewn yet, so this winner might have to be a little patient while I make it.

That's the contest. Good luck!!

(I still need to upload my December and 2010 recaps, but work beckons...)

Happy 2011!

I'm sure your New Year's celebration was better than mine...I got food poisoning or something like it the afternoon of the 31st and was miserable by the time midnight rolled around. The Husband and I said "Happy New Year" but that was about it. I had planned a dinner of munchies and champagne, which for obvious reasons didn't happen. I got better yesterday, but am still not 100%. I'm back to work today, though as there's simply too much to do.

Saturday was pretty much a waste...I slept until about 1pm and was pretty much a slug on the couch for the rest of the day. On Sunday, I managed some grocery shopping and spent the rest of the day weaving my marine silk shawl (Ravelry). Weaving was a good choice because the back-and-forth action was soothing and it didn't take a lot of brain power.

Tonight, I'll start deconstructing the Christmas decorations, which is something I usually start on New Year's Day.

I hope to get back to some semblance of normal on the blog in the coming weeks. And just maybe I'll whip up a Blogiversary contest for the next post...the blog will be 5 on the 5th!