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!

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.

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.

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.

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!!

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.

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!

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).

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!