Friday, December 23, 2011

A Chinese Xmas with A Side of Twisted Loop

Only a few days before Christmas. It's amazing how time flies. Yes I still have a few last minute projects but of course it's nothing like previous years. Maybe that it's the fact that I enjoy sleeping when I can now (to a certain extent), or that I would like to be able to enjoy knitting after Christmas rather than having to take 4 months off to recover. This year's celebration is a bit laid back which is nice to know. The huge celebrations are fun occasionally but being put into a drunken stooper from all the food, people, and exhaustion after the fact isn't my idea of fun. This year for instance we are going to dinner with Max's parents on Christmas eve and my parents are coming over for Chinese food on Christmas afternoon. Pajama's are optional but highly encouraged.
Since August I have been teaching and helping out at one of the local yarn shops. Most knitters never see the inner workings of a yarn shop and so I see it as a unique adventure that has taught me so much. Fixing issues and showing knitters that knitting a hat backwards really doesn't work has actually helped my own knitting as well. I have to admit teaching is my absolute favorite part. Seeing a student's face when that light bulb moment occurs makes it all worth it. Starting in just a few weeks there is a total of 9 classes I have going on to help pay for the upcoming knitting retreat in Canada! While I know some people would say that it's Canada.... not Italy, or somewhere across the ocean, I am still excited because it will be my first time to physically be outside of the country. Oh yeah, and I have to get a passport... wooooo hooo! I am already practicing the Canadian anthem so I can start singing it the second we cross the border. This is big people, very big. My great friend Judith and I are going to Tophino at Middle Beach Lodge Resort for a knitting retreat with knitwear designer Amy Swenson. Check out the pics here...http://www.middlebeach.com/. I started drooling the second I saw it and it's an amazing deal compared to some knitting retreats that are in the thousands just for the classes. So in the mean time I must teach, teach, and teach again to save up money to head north.

One of the many things on my list of to-do's this upcoming year is finally get more of my patterns down on paper to sell. It's a whole different mindset to go from knitting it to actually having to write it. Luckily with being apart of the yarn shop I now have a great source to sell my patterns through. Plus I am working on getting them online but the site didn't want to cooperate with me tonight. Here is the first of many for anyone and everyone that would like to take a look. The next step is to print it and have it in the store as a hard copy. Here is the link for the pattern.... Twisted Loop Cowl. Hopefully there are more to come.


Finally a quick note to my husband, Max. I just don't know what I would do without you. Thank you for being next to me during the hard times with a hug and a kiss telling me all with be alright. You do so much without question and telling you thank you will never be enough. I love you!

Happy holidays to all my friends and family!

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Ovate shawl #2


Ovate shawl #2
Originally uploaded by maxandlindsey

Ovate shawl #2 blocking right now

Ovate shawl #1


Ovate shawl #1
Originally uploaded by maxandlindsey

Ovate shawl #1 blocking as we speak

Friday, July 8, 2011

My First Single Ply!


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Originally uploaded by maxandlindsey

So I figured it was time to get beyond the single ply making nerves and just do it. So here is my first single ply yarn I spun yesterday. I absolutely love the colors!

On the bobbin...


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Originally uploaded by maxandlindsey

Working on some superwash merino in a laceweight size as we speak. This is my first one this size and it seems like it is taking forever to fill the bobbin!

Monday, July 4, 2011

Tour De Fleece Day 3: Navajo Plying


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Originally uploaded by maxandlindsey

So I have only navajo plyed a couple times before doing those of these but I think I am finally getting the hang of it. Both of these are wool yarns and I'm not sure of the yardage yet. Luckily after months and months of slacking, all of my bobbins on my spinning wheel are finally empty and ready for more Tour de Fleece spinning butt kicking!

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Tour De Fleece Day One


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Originally uploaded by maxandlindsey

I am currently in the midst of a spinning competition called the Tour de Fleece. You spin each day of the Tour de France and turn in your daily projects. There are prizes involved! Enough said. So after day one I have spun enough fiber to fill the two bobbins shown in the photo and I will be navajo plying them shortly into full fledged yarn. I will post pics once they are done. Then on to more spinning, and kicking butt!

Friday, June 10, 2011

Crazy Knits- Week 1

In my many hours of searching the internet for knitting patterns, yarn, and other ideas to try out I sometimes stumble across those knitting projects that make you either laugh, or wonder what the hell they were thinking. Now I will admit I have had a few of those odd projects which have never seen the light of day but you will never see the pictures, that I quickly burned. So I have decided to start a new piece to my blog in which we show off some of the knitting projects that will make you either laugh or cry showing themselves off across the internet.

So here is the first in what I hope are many crazy knits shown off here on the blog.

So are you need of a instant clown mask? If so we have the one for you! I seriously hated clowns before but this one may haunt me in my dreams. Granted there were many other crazy knits, but this one is just down right creepy.

Have a picture of a crazy or unique knitting project? Let's see it!

Heaven Can Wait 2011


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Originally uploaded by maxandlindsey

The proud moment after my mom and dad passed the finishline at the Heaven Can Wait 3k walk for breast cancer this past weekend here in Bend. This was only a few days after celebrating my mom's 51st birthday, my mom and dad's anniversary, and being a breast cancer survivor since being diagnosed one year ago. I couldn't be prouder of my mom's fight this past year and she has become a hero in my eyes. Congrats you two!

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Crafty Business

I have slowly been working on creating my etsy.com site, full of crafty items that I can make and sell from home. It has always been a dream of mine to some day have a yarn shop with a cute little bakery inside with tons of cushy chairs for people to come in and knit with a yummy treat. So with that in mind I figured I better start small to slowly get my name out there. As of this moment I have a handful of items ranging from sewn project bags (yes, I said sewn!), jewelry, and handmade yarn. Lately I have been working on dying fiber in a range of different colors then carding them to sell the batts on the site. Just yesterday I made a trip with one of my good knitting buddies, Judith, to pick up fiber that I had dropped off with a fiber mill to get it processed so it was ready to sell. It turned out beautiful (so much I might just have to keep one for myself) and I am going to turn around and list it on the site to sell as ready to spin fiber, then also hand spin some to sell as handmade yarn. In no way is this a very profitable business, something I have come to terms with. But if this could expand to the point that I am able to bring a bit of money in from being crafty, then I have done my job. The biggest thing is getting your name out there and carrying a variety that people are interested in. This is where the crafty side of me loves trying out odd things that may not be the norm, but will draw people in especially when I am set up at a booth and need to draw in the crowd. Thanks to my wonderful husband who is so supportive in my crafty path, I have been able to start working on expansion of the amount of fiber I am able to dye as well as getting the items I need to create beautiful fiber that is ready to sell. So today after a little excursion with my "little sister" from Big Brothers/Big Sisters I plan on focusing on the etsy site to see what kind of business I can stir up at Snowball Knits and Designs.

Friday, May 20, 2011

The Current Goofball

     For some reason Max and I have always seemed to get the weird animals. There isn't one I can think of that has been "normal" in any way. I have met other people with these so-called "normal" animals, but to this day one has yet to come into our home. Just looking back we have had Snowball, who was obsessed with hoarding straws and doing flips in the air. Yoda was the guinea pig that insisted on running circles around his cage for hours on end, especially after we had just cleaned the cage.. thus kicking out all of the newly laid stuffing. Keisha, our German Shepard who is afraid of the water and Lucy, her black Lab sidekick who was trained by Keisha to be afraid of the water. Both of these dogs we were hoping to take to the lake, so much for that idea. Then we have Stinky currently who likes to sit on her but with her legs out in front of her, arms straight out, sleeping on her bright pink stomach in the middle of the floor. Bernice, the hamster that enjoyed sitting on Max and watch Sunday football. Pumpkin, the beautiful grey cat that swears she can speak human and Aggie who only flops on her back when you say her name a certain way. Now all of these are just a few on the many crazy, yet hilarious, four-legged friends we have had throughout the years but then we come to the newest goofball in the bunch.

     Alice, an all black kitten came from a home where she didn't exactly get along with the big cats and thus was put on Craigslist for a new home. Me, being the sucker I am, insisted we add her to our home. As of this moment she hasn't yet a year old yet but it already seems like it's been a lifetime. Now don't get me wrong, I love her to death, but she is a handful. She thoroughly enjoys playing tag with the other cats and has no problem attacking me in the middle of the night. The big thing lately is what she is doing right this second. She seems to have a ongoing war with the water dishes in the house. She loves attacking them and dragging them across the room, sometime to the point of them tipping over. Alice has to bite them, back up, then go in for the kill again as if there was blood to be shed. How she finally decides when the battle has been won I have yet to figure out, but the war will continue with those blasted water dishes.. and she will be victorious.

     So we have a new goofball to add to the bunch. Another one to love and giggle at, and while there are those times where you can't help but get irritated with the fact that it's 4am and she just pounced on you, you can't help but look forward to when she calms down and cuddles up with you for a nap.... until she pounces on you again.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

The Coupon Clipper

     With finances getting tight, a few weeks ago Max just mentioned I should start clipping coupons to save some money. Little did he know... he had created a coupon monster. It's addicting leaving the store with a basket full of items for $50 rather than the usual $100 trip, when we are only getting a few things. Also seeing the percentage on the receipt that you saved makes you feel like a champ in world of money crunching. Now I am nowhere near some of those ladies I have seen on that TLC Extreme Couponing show but I do my fair share of saving lately. I do admit I have a binder full of coupons because it's really the only way to not go crazy finding certain coupons when you find a deal in the store. Amazingly enough I have seen others in the stores with binders that are inches taller than mine, but atleast I'm not the only crazy one there searching for deals. There are so many things that you can get for free if you really plan things. Only spending an hour here and there looking for coupons or ads can make you feel like you have better control of your shopping trip than letting the store take you for every penny in your wallet. So with all of this saving and finding crazy deals, I have starting stocking up items throughout the house so we don't have to worry when things get even tighter. It's definitely not a stockpile as shown on TV with other people but there are a few things like hair dye (that I got for .99 a piece) and laundry detergent (those were .97 a piece) that we are not going to have to purchase in the next 6 months. Some people may think this is crazy to do but since I have been so sick lately this is the one way I can help save money and be a huge help to my family. This plan also is giving us the abilitly to look at the long term plan of becoming foster parents or adopting, and allowing me to stay at home with the kids. Now couponing isn't the only way to save money, so that's why the cable bill will be cut in half and the car payments are going to go away soon by purchasing a cheaper car and paying in full for it. The thought of not having a car payment each month is enough to let us relax. So the challenge is to see just how much we can save now and I know between the two of us, it won't be a problem. But any suggestions are welcome to help us even further... within reason. I have seen a few suggestions that are just freaking crazy. I refuse to start creating my own laundry detergent as well as separating the two-ply toilet paper. Those just happen to be suggestions on a site I found which caused me to laugh to tears.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Day 10 of the Hat Challenge

I would say more at the moment but I am in the midst of knitting hats for The Hat Challenge to End All Hat Challenges. If the needles aren't moving then that means I am sleeping, or eating.... or in the bathroom. May 31st is slowly creeping up and I am dead set on having all 30 hats done. The great thing is that there are others doing the challenge along with me including Camille from my Stitch n' Bitch knitting group! It's always great to have others working along with you. Hat pictures will soon be posted as proof. Okay, back to knitting!

Update: Well, I unfortunately have to bow out of the hat challenge at this point. A severe kidney infection this month sent me to the hospital and has kept me sick in bed for the last week. Honestly at this moment I have barely had the energy to knit. I am so disappointed but plan on doing the challenge again soon. I know it won't be a problem, it's just a matter of being able to keep up the work the whole month. One of my knitter friends Camille has done a wonderful job in the challenge and is keeping up! So congrats to Camille!!

Thursday, April 28, 2011

The Funk and My Needles

This is usually not something I like to talk about but sometimes it's just better to get it off your chest. I am in a funk. Not just a fun funk... a depressive state in which nothing much matters. I have been gardening to try to focus on something but the real way to know there is something wrong is when I just can't think of knitting a thing at this moment. The attempt to pick up needles and knit a couple stitches is about all I can handle before I lose interest and put it back in it's place. Why I get like this, I have not a clue. It has happened on and off for years, just being another thing to try to work through. Deep down I so badly want to be normal and be knitting up a storm or having the energy to do all the things I would love to do at the moment. The problem is that so much more of me doesn't agree and just wants to sit and sulk. Now I shouldn't say I don't know exactly why I get like this because there are many things right now causing this problem, but mainly the fibromyalgia that has become a constant pain in my ass. But none of it is something that can be fixed easily, just things that I have to continue to endure. The fight is on to get through this and move on with life, and luckily I have a wonderful husband that is there with a hug whenever I need one. I know so many others in the world have to deal with depression just like I do, and some much worse than myself. It's not a fun thing to talk about but talking is the first step towards getting out of the funk and moving on with life.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Meet Mr. and Mrs. Green Thumbs

     Max and I moved into this house here in Bend around May of last year and we have loved it.... at least the inside. The yard on the other hand was something that needed quite a bit of help. After some talking with the landlord we got sod put in to both the front and back yard since neither had grass, only quite a bit of dust. While I was so excited to have nice green grass the problem didn't arise till the last few months when it became apparent that the sod was placed too late in the season last year and didn't get time to fully attach itself to the ground before the cold winter. So we do still have quite a bit of grass that came back but we have areas to fix as the weather tries to get warmer. In addition, there were no plants in the back yard and only a few in the front yard so of course I got giddy thinking of the possibilities.

     Max and I have now become Mr. and Mrs. Green Thumbs, working in the yard almost daily now to make it beautiful. Mas has put in so much work pulling out the dead grass to reseed it, fertilize it, water it... you name it he has been on top of the grass issue and it's starting to cooperate finally. I am so proud of the work he has done so far! And as he works on the grass, I have covered every bit of the gardens with lavender, geraniums, zinnias, poppies, and daisies. In addition I have put in catnip, potatoes, onions, pumpkins, carrots, and green beans. At this point there is no more room! I can't wait to see it all start growing and blooming.

   As we have taken over the yard, trying to make it look like a magazine cover, we have found a foe. A robin, who looks like he eats all day... everyday, has started feasting on my seeds in the garden. This beast visits regularly and probably lives nearby. It has now become our mission to show this guy who is boss because if I see anymore of my sunflower seeds on top of the ground rather than in the ground I might just lose a gasket. From what I can see, we just have to start testing out things and see what happens. If I have to create some crazy looking scarecrow thing I will do it. So if anyone has any suggestions, the suggestion box is wide open at this point.

   Our garden (and lawn) is on it's way and I will start posting pics as it finally starts to bloom. The plan is to have it ready for a big birthday party for my mom in June to celebrate not only her birthday but also that she has made it through the past year, going from breast cancer diagnosis to cancer survivor all since her birthday one year ago. I can't think of anything else that is more worth celebrating. So off to sleep tonight and on to more gardening tomorrow. I have barely touched my knitting needles in the past week because of it... I'm just having too much fun gardening with the hubby. But before sleep I have to prey to the weather gods. No more snow please!

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Dying Fiber... and my fingers

I sometimes get in these moods where I just have to try something new. So the other day when one of those moods struck me, it was only right to grab the huge bag of  pure white fiber and just start dying. While you think I would know something about dying before starting... the fact was that I did not. Not a clue what I was doing and just going to wing it. Sometimes that's the best way to do something, just cross your fingers and go for it. Luckily I have some great friends that are on there are the drop of a hat via text when questions started to arise during the dying process! So I simply started throwing in some dye and hoping for the best. So the first batch went great with some pink dye and then I started to get ideas in my head. For the second batch I decided to use sprinkles (yes like the type you put on ice cream) to dye this batch (and yes! it worked). Before I knew it I had a green batch of fiber ready to go! So due to my great friend Judith we used the drum carder and I am about to spin up the combination of the pink and green colors with green Easter grass. (I will post pics as soon as it's done). So a few more rounds of dying has occurred and I figured I would post a couple pics of the latest rounds. One needs carded but the other is ready to go. So I am loving the dying world and can't wait to keep trying out more and more color combinations. But I do have to admit I tried natural dyes today and ended up tossing out all of it. They turned out horrible and I will never do natural dyes again! But the rest of it has been a blast and I can't see myself stopping anytime soon (unless I run out of dye... or fiber).


Thursday, April 21, 2011

The Countdown Begins!

Only a few more days till the 30 Hats in 31 Days challenge begins! I have been planning patterns to knit up as well and figuring out what yarns to use out of my stash. I am actually going to start organizing the yarn and patterns into ziplock bags so they are nice and organized. Luckily my order from Knitpicks.com showed up today with my 16in circulars to knit my hats with since I think that length is easier to knit with. May 1st will come before I know it and the knitting craze will begin. I will be posing the hats on here to show the work every couple days. But I would love to extend this to even a bigger number in the next 6 months... but let's not get ahead of ourselves yet. There are so many projects that have to get finished in the mean time that sleep may not be an option soon! So the countdown begins to the challenge to end all challenges!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Tulips, Daisies, and Paychecks

     So a great opportunity came up in the past few days all due to a great friend of mine. Years ago I was a florist for the longest time and I loved it. Waking up each day and knowing you were going to get paid to play with flowers was a great energizer. So lately as I have been searching around for the best job for my situation at the moment I found a listing for a florist position here in town. I was so excited when I saw this since these jobs are few and far between... plus it was something physically I would be able to handle at the moment.
     Now you may be wondering "What about baking?!" since I just got done with school. Unfortunately getting diagnosed with fibromyalgia has put the baking on hold due to all the physical needs to do the job. Having it happen while at school and trying to finish pastry was one of the hardest things I had to do, and knowing that at the moment I can't go ahead with a pastry career has been very hard. But in the past I have also went to school up in Portland for advanced floral design as well as being a master gardener through OSU extension service. Flowers are a passion and knowing I get to go back to that, or at least have the possibility at this moment, has been amazing. So later today I may get to change my working status from unemployed to florist (and fiber artist...we can't forget about knitting)!

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Another Shawl Ready To Wear


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Originally uploaded by maxandlindsey

Just finished up this shawl for a test knit for a designer. I used sock yarn and the colors turned out great. This might just be one that I will have to keep for myself.

Monday, April 4, 2011

The Hat Challenge to End All Hat Challenges!

I have decided that I need a challenge. I find that I love things like test knitting and knitted orders that have a due date. They make me push myself that much farther... and don't give me an excuse to procrastinate (in which I have a Ph.D. in). So thus I declare starting May 1st, The Hat Challenges to End All Hat Challenges (that is the whole name) shall begin. I have the month of May to see how many hats I can complete. I might want to scream by the end but I will get it done. There are 31 days in the month so giving myself one day to relax, my challenge is to knit 30 hats by midnight on May 31st. I will be posting photos to prove it as well. No cheating here! So I have the rest of April to get the projects done that I have in progress at the moment. I challenge anyone else that would like to join me in this challenge! Everyone is welcome.... I dare you!

Saturday, March 19, 2011

A Little Funny to Start Year 30...


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Originally uploaded by maxandlindsey

So it's the first full day since turning the big ol' 30. Thanks to my wonderful hubby for my new spinning wheel and being the rock that I have needed for so long. Thanks to my mom and dad for the wonderful shopping spree and dinner. You are the best parents a girl like me could ever have. And thanks to all my friends and family for the wonderful birthday wishes and goodies. I have to admit I nearly had a panic attack about becoming 30 but thanks to the people around me... it may not be that bad. So the first full day of being 30 is going to include some lunch with my knitting gals, knitting/spinning with even more knitting gals for awhile, and come home to probably movie watching with the hubby... and more knitting. So to get the day started off right I figured we needed a knitting funny.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Trekking in the Argyle Frontier


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Originally uploaded by maxandlindsey

So this isn't technically argyle but it's as close as I have ever gotten. I have been test knitting a fingerless mitten pattern for a person on Ravelry and just finished. The green and purple turned out great together and has offically gotten me hooked on exploring argyle even further with my next projects. But for right now it's back to focusing on getting things done for the Prineville Fiber Festival... and the few other projects that are haunting me in my knitting bag at the moment.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Another one of my designs...


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Originally uploaded by maxandlindsey

So it sounds like I will be teaching a class on using handspun yarn to knit with at a Fiber Festival at the end of the month. So I designed and knitted this hat to teach in the class. While it's not perfect it turned out better than I expected and hopefully I will be posting it on Ravelry.com to sell soon. Woo Hoo!

Friday, February 18, 2011

I did it!!


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Originally uploaded by maxandlindsey

Here is the final knitting project bag that I sewed. I made it a little wider than you typically find to help hold straight needles and more yarn. Also at the top the seam is actually a leaf vine that turned out pretty awesome. There are a couple things I am going to change on the next one but it's a good start. Hopefully more to come.... and hopefully they all sell!

A Sewing Kind of Morning..


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Originally uploaded by maxandlindsey

So this morning I woke up early for some ridiculous reason so I decided to get some sewing done. I finished a fuzzy blanket for my new little sister from Big Brothers Big Sisters, which has peace signs all over it as she requested. Then out of curiousity I started working on knitting project bags to sell....

Thursday, February 17, 2011

More Winter Wonderland Pics...


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Originally uploaded by maxandlindsey

Here is the front of the house. Absolutely crazy!

Overnight Winter Wonderland!


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Originally uploaded by maxandlindsey

We woke up to this yesterday after an all night snowfall. Not to mention we lost power for about 8 hours and schools were closed. It was beautiful!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Pink Waffles


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Originally uploaded by maxandlindsey

Just finished this pink waffle hat for Florence who paid me to knit it for her. The yarn is called Sublime and has silk and cashmere in it. So soft she may never take it off!

Friday, February 4, 2011

A Felted Purse...


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Originally uploaded by maxandlindsey

I looked and looked and really couldn't find anything I liked when I was thinking about buying a new purse. So the next best thing? Make it yourself! It's going pretty fast so hopefully by next week I'll be showing off a new felted bag.

My Newest Spinning Adventure


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Originally uploaded by maxandlindsey

So this was finished last night, a beautiful green yarn that I spun up. I'm starting to realize that I actually need to start knitting with some of this yarn I'm spinning. Then you really get to see what it looks like!

Monday, January 31, 2011

Hoo!


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Originally uploaded by maxandlindsey

Finished up an owl hat early this morning (I won't tell you what time this morning, just know it was early). The cables form an owl shape and then I added some little buttons to one of them to bring it to life. Turned out pretty cute.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Pumpkin... the knitting kitty


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Originally uploaded by maxandlindsey

Pump (short for Pumpkin as we call her) wondering what I'm up to while taking photos of my recently spun fiber. She is just about the best knitting kitty ever... hanging out with me while my needles are flying. But she does slip every once in awhile and has to batt at the needles moving. She is just too cute to get mad at.

New Fiber Day!


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Originally uploaded by maxandlindsey

Ask my husband... I love love love getting stuff in the mail. It's almost like Christmas when something shows up. So this beautiful fiber showed up yesterday from Sunset Fibers fiber of the month club that I am trying out. I can't wait to get it spun up!

The other yarn..


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Originally uploaded by maxandlindsey

Here is a pic of the other skein that I finished spinning. It's getting better! This one is so soft, it's a blue faced leicester fiber that I am absolutely in love with.

Working on my spinning...


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Originally uploaded by maxandlindsey

So I have started working on spinning again after taking a break during the holiday season. Luckily right now many others in my knit group are trying to learn how to spin as well so I know I'm not on my own! While I have some that I am working on that's the thin, almost lace weight fiber, I decided to do larger yarn so it would be something I would be more likely to use in my projects for a hat or cowl for instance. This is one of the two skeins I just finished. They aren't perfect by any means but when you put them next to my first fiber I spun it's definitely improvement.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

My Mini Elephant


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Originally uploaded by maxandlindsey

Finished this little guy yesterday. It was one of the few crocheted items I have made. This little one might just have to make it's way to my niece Sophia. It's just her size!

Monday, January 24, 2011

Alice's Gloves


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Originally uploaded by maxandlindsey

Just finished a pair of fingerless gloves based on the glove in the latest Alice in Wonderland movie. They are so soft that I may never take them off.

Sophia's Xmas Present


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Originally uploaded by maxandlindsey

I decided to make little Sophia an adorable knitted jacket for Christmas this past year. I thought it was going to be too big for her but turns out that she was able to start fitting in it right away! She was one of the cutest models I have ever seen... and so happy in her new jacket.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

A Little Lacey...


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Originally uploaded by maxandlindsey

Just finished up this Lacey Beret for a test knit for a knitwear designer. Turned out pretty cute!

Monday, January 17, 2011

The Fear of the Needle

So after getting my fancy sewing machine in the mail I finally decided I needed to get over the fear of using it and try it out. After running through so many crazy ideas in my head I finally decided to start small and simply work on making straight lines. So easy you say... not in my world. I found some funky fabric at the fabric store and thought Pumpkin (aka Pump for short) needed a kitty bed of her own. After getting some much needed cheering on from my hubby I started sewing and after holding my breath through the first few lines and trying not to sew my fingers I finally starting having a little more confidence. Before I knew it I was done and started stuffing the bed. After stuffing I walked away for a moment and before I knew it Pumpkin was snuggled up on the bed watching TV. If I knew she wanted a kitty bed that bad I would of made it years ago. So, since it wasn't done yet I took her off the bed to hand stitch the opening. As the bed is sitting in front of me and I am starting to stitch Pump decided that she wanted her bed now and thus made me stitch it together while she slept on it. She has officially claimed the bed and some how knows it is hers. She is actually sleeping on it next to me as I type, looking pretty content. While it was adorable that she loved the bed, I couldn't help but giggle that I had actually sewn something and it was functional! Easy peasy or not... I did it. Even if I only ever sew cat or dog beds I can now officially say (to a certain extent).... I can sew a straight line!! Whew! One resolution down. So many to go.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Resolutions and the Yarn Addiction

So I have been on a knitting rampage lately. Usually the standard after Christmas is to pack away my needles for at least 3 months and not even think of starting another project. But this year was much different. The second I was done with the Christmas projects I moved on to more projects and knitted my way through Christmas, New Years, and the start of 2011. Why the persistent need to knit this year? Well there are many reasons but the main one is to work through the constant stress, pain, and ongoing problems jumping in front of our moving bus called life. All that matters is that I am happy with a husband that I know I could never do without. Who helps me through thick and thin, being there for me when so many others would not. He is the one that keeps me going and for that I am grateful. One of my many resolutions this year is to constantly let him know how much I love him. Then my parents who have gone through so much in the last year. My mom just had another scare, being rushed into surgery to remove yet another piece of her that was tested for cancer. Luckily all was well but the pain and stress of it all was not fair to a woman who has already been through so much. Then my dad holding her hand through it all and being there when she wakes up after each proceedure or surgery. They both have been tough and though its hard to know, soon life will be back to normal. One week from tomorrow is my mom's last radiation appointment. A feat in which she declared that she wanted the biggest beer she could find that night when we are take her out to dinner to celebrate. Another resolution this year, to show my parents how much I appreciate them.
     Then there are those resolutions like losing weight and getting healthy that everyone makes every year in which I too always want. I have already started on those but are also working on less pain. Fibromyalgia has been kicking my butt lately and it's requiring a fight to get to normal... well as normal as possible. So finally the knitting resolution. 1. I plan on actually getting my Christmas presents done before December. An amazing idea that you think would of kicked in by now. 2. Working through as much of my knitting yarn stash as possible and get it down from over 100 balls of yarn right now to under 50. Yes! I will make this happen. Then number 3. The last and final crazy idea that may or may not happen. This one is to get all of my projects in progress completed and have only a couple projects that I work on, complete, and then start new ones. I know many from my knitting group are probably laughing their heads off right now.
     So a new year with so many possibilities. Right now I just need to focus on one thing at a time... like my husband standing in front of the TV playing games on our Xbox Kinect. I think I am going to laugh so hard I pee my pants.