tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40495362011-12-02T01:54:33.568-05:00The Patchwork ButterflyI wasn't born with wings, so I'm trying to make my ownJenninoreply@blogger.comBlogger1491100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-90030081914746782752008-10-26T22:21:00.004-04:002008-10-26T23:33:11.338-04:00Gee, only 3 1/2 months since my last post instead of 4. I'm getting better ;-)I can't believe how fast this year has been flying. And man, has it been a rough one. Oh, well--at least I'm getting in one post each season. So, here's the fall update.First, the REALLY BIG news: I'm on Amazon!!!!! Squee!There it is--my book. Woot! You'd think all the work I've put in so far would make this "real" for Jenninoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-18805086247825139862008-07-13T22:16:00.003-04:002008-12-09T09:16:01.402-05:00It's hard to know how to start a blog entry after being MIA for over 4 months. Um... hi? Life has loosened up its strangle hold in the last couple of weeks to the point where I felt able to blog, but then the thought of how to write up the last 4 months overwhelmed me. So, I'm not going to try to cram it all into one post. And, unfortunately, knowing my track record, I may never get around to Jenninoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-76431675701734368902008-03-09T21:31:00.006-04:002008-12-09T09:16:02.027-05:00Hey, what do you know, I'm still alive and kicking. It's been quite awhile, but I promise I am still around. There a few reasons I haven't been posting. First, part of my new work responsibilities include blogging on a new craft community website my company is starting. That is taking up just about all of my creative writing ability and energy. I'm in charge of the quilting blog for the site, Jenninoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-80181034634518742722008-02-03T21:32:00.001-05:002008-12-09T09:16:02.265-05:00Mmmm... birthday cakeMmmm... birthday fleeceOh yeah, this is TOTALLY a new tradition.So, another year older and not a bit wiser :-)Actually, it's been quite a year: 27 will go down as the year I got my (first) book contract. The year I edited my first books. The year of my first SOAR. The year that Margaret Stove admired my work (squee!). All in all, a pretty amazing year. There were definitely Jenninoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-10045127704855213562008-01-27T20:56:00.000-05:002008-12-09T09:16:02.508-05:00I was going to write about this earlier this week, but I just couldn't bring myself to type it out. Tragedy struck this week. Well, knitting tragedy, at least. When I wrote last week I had finished the knitting for Ice Queen and bound off the "face" edge. All I had left was to pull out the provisional cast on and bind off the "neck" edge. And then it would be done. But... oh, there's always a butJenninoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-69927617531091921972008-01-20T21:43:00.000-05:002008-12-09T09:16:03.152-05:00This week has been a little easier on me, and I've been a little easier on it. The past couple of weeks, I've felt like I'm fighting against the current, going against the grain, and this week was a little smoother. I've had a little extra time to mourn the plans I had made, a little more time to practice acceptance and grace, a little more time to grow up and look at the changes in my life with Jenninoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-80120470132357888072008-01-13T20:30:00.000-05:002008-12-09T09:16:03.368-05:00Well, life has kind of had me at a loss for words lately. Going back to work after my nice long holiday was about as fun as I anticipated. And there's been a bunch of other things swirling around that have me out of my comfort zone. I'm a planner. I know that life happens and you can't plan everything, and if you do you're sure to be disappointed, but in general I like to have a good idea of whatJenninoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-51183026909447481112008-01-01T20:20:00.000-05:002008-12-09T09:16:03.865-05:00I had a great start to 2008, and I hope you did, too. We had a day of gray skies, VERY cold weather and on-and-off snow flurries, but lots of fun and laughter, as well.I like to try to have the first day of the year be a microcosm of what I want for the year to come, and if my year is a reflection of my day, I'll be a lucky girl. I got to sleep in and wake up with my guy and spend the whole day Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-89242498292456873572008-01-01T00:05:00.000-05:002008-01-01T00:30:35.396-05:00Happy New Year! One of my resolutions: more posts in 2008. Hope you all had happy holidays and here's to a wonderful new year. I'll be seeing you soon!Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-4257932427973747652007-12-09T22:08:00.000-05:002008-12-09T09:16:04.254-05:00Hmmm, where to start? It's been two weeks since I've blogged and there's still not much to write about. Craft-wise, things have been all socks, all the time. I got all those great new fibers from Susan after Thanksgiving, but all I've been able to do is stare longingly at them (and pet them, of course) because it's holiday knitting crunch time. To add to the torture, I also won a door prize at Jenninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-27040302947182969422007-11-25T22:25:00.000-05:002008-12-09T09:16:04.785-05:00Ah, holiday weekends are the BEST. To make it even better, Mark also had a long weekend. His was Tuesday through Friday and mine was Thursday through Sunday, which meant an entire two-day layover between us! We haven't had two days off together since August. It was so wonderful to go to sleep with him, wake up with him, have breakfast and lunch together and see each other at all before 4 p.m. Jenninoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-25476591489734367562007-11-11T22:15:00.000-05:002008-12-09T09:16:05.175-05:00Falling behind on blogging sure does give me a lot to type about when I finally do get around to it!First, work is going pretty well. I've finally pushed my way through a long, busy, stressful period and came out on the other side alive. I went through some very stressful times in the last few months and things go pretty hairy at times. I'm finally feeling like I'm beginning to get the hang of Jenninoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-70841403762679116212007-10-29T22:13:00.000-04:002008-12-09T09:16:05.244-05:00Just dropping by quickly to say that the winner is... drumroll please... Tonyia! Yea!I picked a winner using a random number generator at random.org. I assigned a number to each commenter using the order of the comments. Tonyia was number five, and random.org selected the number 5. So, congratulations Tonyia! Send me an address, and I'll send your fiber there!In other news, well, there isn't muchJenninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-6958007424287373472007-10-21T22:22:00.000-04:002008-12-09T09:16:05.951-05:00It's official: Rhinebeck is over and it happened without me. Wah! I know, I know; I JUST came back from SOAR, which I was very lucky to get to attend. But what can I say, I just want it all. I want to be able to live the wild rock star life of hopping from one fiber event to the next, leaving a string of broken-hearted shepherds in my wake. *Sigh* All of you lucky enough to attend Rhinebeck, I Jenninoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-53841363754950676592007-10-14T22:11:00.000-04:002008-12-09T09:16:06.180-05:00I am back from SOAR, tired, happy, and tired. It was a wonderful week, full of friends, fiber, and lack of sleep. Also, my brain is officially full. There is no room for new information until I process all of this. I hope nothing too important happens in the next couple of days because it will be summarily forgotten.I was going to do a post a day starting today with a run-down of what happened Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-61879073166603341442007-09-23T21:28:00.000-04:002008-12-09T09:16:06.714-05:00Well, what do you know? I'm still alive and kicking (although I'm currently feeling a bit more alive and kicked). Sorry for the disappearing act. To be honest, I've been having a rough go of it, and there just hasn't been that much to say that wouldn't be whinging. I still don't have much to do besides whinge, but I figured after a month (!), I might as well post an update.First - the book. The Jenninoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-41189844087757733342007-08-19T21:55:00.000-04:002007-08-19T23:03:05.776-04:00So... it looks like I'm going to be an author. Wow. I found out on Friday and I'm still kind of flummoxed. It just really feels too good to be true. I keep waiting to wake up and find out I dreamt this whole thing. I just... can't quite believe in it yet.It's really pretty amazing what a difference a year will make. A year ago, I had the worst job I've ever had (and that is really saying Jenninoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-4436009333025236252007-08-13T22:11:00.000-04:002008-12-09T09:16:07.032-05:00So, here's a couple good pictures of the cut... Lots of layers with ends flippedand here's a good picture of the COLOR!I overdyed all of my highlights to bring most of the hair back to my natural color, a dark, sandy blond. Intermingled on the lower layera are chops of red, orange and gold. I pretty much told the stylist that I wanted it to look like my hair was on fire, and I think she did a Jenninoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-24064406105016199872007-08-12T21:41:00.000-04:002008-12-09T09:16:07.564-05:00First: The book proposal didn't happen on the 10th, so that means it should be this Friday, the 17th. There's no guarantee, unfortunately, because it has already been put off a couple of times, but I've got my fingers crossed that this is it. I've been keeping pretty cool throughout this process, but now that it seems like this is a solid date, I'm starting to get nervous. Eek! Here's a sneak Jenninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-87737699505516888702007-08-05T16:39:00.000-04:002008-12-09T09:16:07.999-05:00Well, what do you know? I survived the second half of July. I could see ahead of time that the second half of July was going to be busy. I realized that for about two weeks there was just going to be some suckage. But whoa... July totally kicked my ass. Up one side and down the other. It was brutal. In, you know, a total American middle-class kind of way. I need to keep some Perspective. As bad Jenninoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-47897097587833682742007-07-08T20:55:00.001-04:002008-12-09T09:16:08.366-05:00So I have two "problems" (not really problems, but I can't think of a better word) and I think I may have come up with a fun solution to both. As usual, I am incapable of making a long story short (my specialty runs more toward making a short story long), so here's the long story :-) Problem 1: Mark and I have really tightened our belts and put ourselves on a very strict house-saving budget. ThisJenninoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-30218872856830903002007-07-01T21:40:00.000-04:002008-12-09T09:16:09.045-05:00You know those weeks during the summer when it's so humid you feel sticky/slimy all the time and there's a quick lightning storm almost every day and the tension/misery is so thick you could cut it and everyone wishes they were somewhere else or someone else just so they didn't have to go into work on another summer day and the feeling that your life is going on without you is palpable? Yeah, Jenninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-13179286193672049762007-06-24T21:57:00.000-04:002008-12-09T09:16:09.593-05:00Sunday night already? *sigh* Oh well, it's been a great weekend and like all great things it must come to an end. I spent this whole week being freaked out and angry about my blood clot and doctors and on and on. Then, on Friday I just finally decided that I'd had enough of all that badness and I wanted to have a nice weekend. This is one bad thing in my life, but there are lots of good things Jenninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-8632147949764480482007-06-18T21:25:00.001-04:002008-12-09T09:16:09.726-05:00Okay, this is a long post (and not a particularly happy one), so I'm starting with the pretty picture, instead of ending with it. I finally have my next big spinning project all worked out. I got a 2 ply of the English Gardens bombyx from Treetops spun and knit, and I love it. I love them both, the 2 ply and the 3 ply, but for a big project, like a shawl, I prefer the subtlety of the 2 ply. Jenninoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-58390269453503644302007-06-09T20:21:00.000-04:002008-12-09T09:16:10.398-05:00Okay, I'm feeling a bit scattered today and I have a lot to say, so it's list time!1. Thank you for your thoughts on privacy vs. craziness on the internet. Since I've been scattered all week, I haven't responded to most of you yet, and I'm sorry for that. I do mean to get around to it soon, but in the meantime, I wanted to give a public thank you. I really appreciated all of the perspectives I Jenninoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-55280922321824438692007-05-31T20:52:00.001-04:002008-12-09T09:16:10.694-05:00I didn't want to let May go by with only one post, so I figured I'd drop in and say "hi." So... hi. That's all I got.Just kidding. Kind of.I haven't been writing for a lot of reasons. The main reason is that I don't know what I want to write about. I have a lot of thoughts on this, but tonight I'm too tired to eloquently express them all, so I'm going to just sum it up. Maybe I'll go into it moreJenninoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-3144854321630046592007-05-14T22:31:00.000-04:002008-12-09T09:16:10.828-05:00Sorry for the long radio silence, but there just hasn't been much to write about. Life is the usual, some good, some bad, some ugly (but mostly good). We're starting to enjoy the privileges of summer. Lots of grilling out, the basil has been planted and I've brought my sandals out. Hip, hip, hooray for sandals! I tacked an extra day onto my Memorial Day weekend, so I have a four day weekend Jenninoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-74196907115923959292007-04-29T22:06:00.000-04:002008-12-09T09:16:11.074-05:00Sunday night already? I guess time flies when you're having fun, and I did a lot of that this weekend. After complaining about not feeling very inspired and needing time to play, I found out that the Intergalactic (yes, really. I could not make this stuff up) Bead Show was going to be in town. I decided that I might just need a change of pace. Long ago and far away, I made lamp work beads and Jenninoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-4043965226707862912007-04-24T22:21:00.000-04:002008-12-09T09:16:11.487-05:00So a man walks into a bar with a giraffe...I never know how to start posts when I've been absent for awhile, so I thought I'd give that one a try. Due to general lack of blog fodder and some general life suckiness, I just didn't feel up to posting the last couple of weeks. I finished Mom's socks yesterday (a day late and a dollar short. Story of my knitting life!) and cast on for my Fleurette Jenninoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-57907422339076376882007-04-10T22:31:00.000-04:002008-12-09T09:16:12.168-05:00I finally finished the first birthday sock for my mom! I'm fairly slow at both knitting and spinning, but especially at knitting socks. My mom likes very plain 2x2 ribbed leg socks in Cascade Fixation, which I'm more than happy to do for her, but don't find very entertaining, so my attention wanders from sock-making VERY easily. In order to avoid rushing the sock-making this year around Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-76169920762606440442007-04-09T22:17:00.000-04:002008-12-09T09:16:12.600-05:00I forgot to mention any of my Easter goodies yesterday in my post. I was too excited about my finished yarn and too freaked out about my wrists! Besides oodles of sweets (including goodies from Vosges Haute Chocolate *shiver*) (I am SUCH a food addict) I also got a few fiber goodies. Most were natural colored fibers for dyeing and dye accoutrement (super-cool dye syringes), but I got a couple of Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-55819743461868611672007-04-08T21:33:00.000-04:002008-12-09T09:16:12.929-05:00My fleurette yarn is done! I'm very happy with it, and I think it is gorgeous. I feel like I've opened a whole new world of possibilities by plying a solid single with a hand-painted one. I've never done it before because I was worried about barber-poling, but at the fine level I'm working at, I don't find it visually distracting in the knitted fabric (at least for this combination of singles.Jenninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-71681975772048522102007-04-05T22:23:00.000-04:002007-04-05T22:44:37.288-04:00Being a responsible grown-up type person (or a reasonable facsimile of one) is just no fun sometimes! All I want to do is stay up plying, but instead I need to go to bed and sleep, or else I'll be no use tomorrow at work. My bosses and coworkers understand the importance of art/craft, but I don't think that would extend to me snoring away in my cube! But tomorrow night will be a no-holds Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-58039480756807954932007-04-04T21:40:00.000-04:002008-12-09T09:16:13.076-05:00Working for a publisher that produces craft books is really awesome. There are many, many things I love about it, and one of those things is that I can go into work, talk my crazy head off about whatever project I have going on, and very few people look at me as if they doubt my sanity (all of you who have tried to explain to someone that you spin your own yarn probably know EXACTLY what I mean).Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-62985368969975249772007-04-03T22:33:00.000-04:002008-12-09T09:16:13.278-05:00Houston, we have yarn:Not much of it, but it IS yarn. Plying commenced at 20:00 hours and is proceeding as planned. I didn't have much wheel-time tonight, but I used what I had to its fullest. Plying is my third favorite part of spinning. The first is planning - daydreaming, combing through the stash, spinning samples. My second favorite part is starting the actual project, those first few Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-19280689956145845542007-04-02T22:32:00.000-04:002008-12-09T09:16:13.787-05:00Since kimd said "pretty please" I figured I had better let her (and you) know that the Fleurette pattern I showed last time is from the first Barbara Walker treasury, page 221 in my copy. And guess what! I finished the blue singles tonight, so tomorrow the plying starts! Yippee! Here's how I feel about this:And once the plying is done, I'll be all ready to start my Fleurette scarf. Here's a Jenninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-45300887704063340272007-04-01T22:38:00.000-04:002008-12-09T09:16:13.908-05:00The fact that it is April already feels like an April Fool's Day joke! I can't believe how fast this year is going. I haven't had much to say lately, and I still don't have much to say, really, but I figured I'd post at least a tidbit for the few hardy souls who actually stop by occasionally for updates. The only noteworthy thing I've done lately (at least fiber-wise) is this little knitted Jenninoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-58838041543187577262007-03-20T16:59:00.000-04:002008-12-09T09:16:14.048-05:00I have finally recovered from missing ONE WHOLE HOUR of sleep last week (life is so rough sometimes) but I am now high on spring, which appears to maybe. finally. be here. So for once, I am not a great big giant grump when I am writing a blog entry (I think the fact that I usually blog on Sunday nights, staring down the barrel of a work week, doesn't help with the grumpy posts, either). Anyway, Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-37279782601916725212007-03-11T22:03:00.000-04:002008-12-09T09:16:14.345-05:00I just want to start out by saying that I hate springing forward! The extra daylight in the evenings is nice, but I really miss that extra hour of sleep!In spite of the missed hour, though, I've had a very nice weekend. Dye Day: Part Deux was fun and I'm (fairly) happy with the results. Please see the results here to the right, in all their drowned cat, non fluffed glory :-) First, I dyed a Jenninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-74075815900685400842007-03-04T21:25:00.000-05:002008-12-09T09:16:14.623-05:00I think the time has finally come to tell the tale of my poor, poor BFL. I mentioned a fibery disaster in an earlier post and never got around to elaborating on that. Well, two weeks ago, I went to my parents' house for the usual Sunday dinner. I brought my wheel and my BFL with me so that I could do some spinning. I had been making good progress on the BFL, even though I was pretty much "over" Jenninoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-50980391689573929632007-02-22T20:47:00.000-05:002008-12-09T09:16:15.384-05:00I'm still having trouble shaking off the cobwebs of my little hibernation, so instead of gathering up the energy for one big post, I'll dole it out in dribs and drabs. I can't believe how much I feel like I need a day off. Especially considering I just had Monday off. It's been a rough week.Anyway, last Wednesday, I got a surprise day off due to abomindable weather here in Cincy. The business I Jenninoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-30731414599012309182007-02-20T15:25:00.001-05:002008-12-09T09:16:15.930-05:00Sorry for the blog pause, I was busy hibernating. Actually, I got a lot done about my absense, and hopefully I'll have some time to write about it all tomorrow. Until then, I wanted to write about the fiber I conquered yesterday :-)So, yesterday was dye day and it went SO well. It didn’t go as planned (what does?) but I’m very happy with the results anyway. Sunday I was really starting to stress Jenninoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-20331857153520628832007-02-06T17:53:00.000-05:002008-12-09T09:16:17.333-05:00Mmmm... birthday cakeMmmm... birthday fleeceSo, from those two pictures, you'll get a flavor for how wonderful my birthday was. The theme of my birthday party was Mardi Gras, complete with masks, beads and a baby for the cake. It was a lot of fun and it eased the pain of "getting older." I also got a pound of this lovely Cormo/Rambo cross fleece as a little present for myself for my birthday. I Jenninoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-14014323961927058262007-01-28T21:19:00.000-05:002008-12-09T09:16:17.599-05:00Is it already Sunday night again? I am NOT ready for another week of work. BUT, my birthday is this week, and I'm taking that day off AND I get presents. So, as work weeks go, it won't be so bad. I'm a big fan of reasons for a fresh start. Some people are not fans of New Years Eve/New Year's resolutions, and I see their point. If something is good enough to resolve to do, why wait for some Jenninoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-59353612765268097902007-01-21T21:31:00.000-05:002007-01-21T22:08:01.063-05:00Well, I don't have much to report this week. I've mostly worked on spinning the Foxfire BFL, and I'm just about done with the first ply. I was hoping to be done with it by the end of the weekend, but video games cut into my fiber time. I've always really enjoyed playing video games (how did I study for my AP exams in high school? By playing lots and lots of Monster Rancher. In my defense, IJenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-89791960742659744392007-01-14T22:10:00.000-05:002008-12-09T09:16:18.044-05:00Ta Da!It's my first FO of 2007. Yes, they're ridiculously quick, easy and floofy, but I've got to take my victories where I can get them! And I lurve them. AND I'm making great progress on my BFL spinning, as well.A week or two more and I'll be done with the first half. I'm really surprised at how quickly this is going, but I am getting a lot of work done on it. Yesterday I went to a gathering Jenninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-1168397777349458132007-01-09T21:45:00.000-05:002007-01-09T21:56:17.360-05:00Well, Blogger is STILL being a booger about pictures. Over the next couple of days I'm going to be switching over to the new format, so I apologize if everything appears to be FUBAR for awhile. I'll be working on it, but sometimes I'll need to take breaks to scream and bang my head against the wall. Wish me luck!Jenninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-1168226553663149872007-01-07T21:21:00.000-05:002007-01-07T22:22:33.673-05:00Blogger is being a booger and I'm not able to post photos right now. I will try, try again.Okay, I'm just gonna come out and say it. So far, 2007 has really sucked. I have been sick all year, and I am dang tired of it! And it just keeps going on and on (and on!). Monday I was coming down with it, and it was not good, but it was still just a cold. Tuesday was nasty, too, but also just a coldJenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-1167707769803242792007-01-01T21:38:00.000-05:002007-01-01T22:16:09.846-05:00I've had such a wonderful week and a half off! I'm so not ready to go back, especially now that I've come down with a cold :-( Blech. And there's absolutely no way that I can call in on my first day back after eleven days off! Of course, getting sick on my last day off is preferable to getting sick on my first day off. But not getting sick would have definitely been best of all! Oh well, cold Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-1167284242859251112006-12-27T23:51:00.000-05:002006-12-28T00:37:22.880-05:00Many people question my sanity when they first see "the shawl," and I don't really blame them because there were several points during the spinning/knitting of the shawl when I questioned it myself. But today I feel that I truly proved my own craziness. Because what did I do today, two days after receiving FOUR POUNDS of gorgeous spinning fibers? I bought yarn, that's what.If the internets were Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-1167195525905756942006-12-26T22:36:00.000-05:002006-12-27T21:21:59.303-05:00I hope everyone had happy and peaceful holidays and that you are all now recovering from them! I spent (most of) today recovering from my own holiday frenzy. It seems that no matter how much I try to prepare ahead of time, those last few days are a scramble. And that week of work before a holiday is a killer, especially after other people take off for the holiday. I had my own time off to look Jenninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-1166412005558919222006-12-17T21:23:00.000-05:002006-12-21T16:10:35.916-05:00Boy, the past couple of weeks have REALLY flown. I can't believe how long it's been since I've written a decent post. Things are finally starting to smooth out, but the holidays are busy regardless of surgeries, etc. Dad is doing fairly well, all things considered. The week of his surgery was just a terrible week. For one thing, I was PMS. That NEVER improves things :-) Second, I was dealing withJenninoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-1166154463381077362006-12-14T22:19:00.000-05:002006-12-14T22:47:43.393-05:00Just popping in to say that everyone is alive. Between Dad's surgery, work, and preparing for the holidays, there hasn't been much extra time for blogging. Here's some of what I've been up to in the past week and a half:Mom's socks are done! Yea! (They really are cast off now, I'm just too lazy to take another picture)And I've done some experimental spinning. Details will follow.Hopefully I'll Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-1165287553962383252006-12-04T21:03:00.000-05:002006-12-05T11:32:15.206-05:00Hello Internets. How are you?Oh, me? I'm tired. I'm very, very tired. Since we've last chatted, I've had a lot going on. It's been a Long Week. And today has been a Very Long Day. My dad had some major surgery today and I'm exhausted from using my mental power to keep him alive. Logically I know that there is nothing I can do about much of anything, but it doesn't keep me from banging my head Jenninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-1164773028822759512006-11-28T22:12:00.000-05:002006-12-05T11:34:23.143-05:00For some reason, going back to work was extra hard this week. I think subconsciously I expected my long weekend to be... longer. Don't get me wrong, four and a half days was great and very generous of my employer, but I'm having a hard time adjusting my brain to work-mode. I don't know if I just forgot to set it, or if I turned it off in the middle of the night, but my alarm didn't go off this Jenninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-1164511346746879592006-11-25T20:53:00.000-05:002006-11-28T14:39:22.196-05:00What has two thumbs and loves long holiday weekends? This girl (you have to imagine me pointing back at myself with my thumbs now. I think this may be funnier in person).Anyway, since I had four and a half days off (yippee!) I decided to Get Some Stuff Done. And I actually did! Believe me, I'm just as surprised as you. Wednesday was pretty much about relaxing. I love to read, but since I've Jenninoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-1164163704774752022006-11-21T21:24:00.000-05:002006-11-25T20:53:21.330-05:00When I finished knitting the toe of Mom's sock today, I was briefly tempted to brag that I defeated the knitting goddess. But I'm smart enough to know that if I did that, I'd suffer later. My knitting would probably explode or burst into flames. So, I'm just going to tell you that the knitting goddess had mercy on me and I'll put some cashmere on her altar this weekend. So. I started the second Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-1164081286737960992006-11-20T22:16:00.000-05:002006-11-21T14:18:01.450-05:00I apologize for ANOTHER grumpy post. I was totally planning on trying to keep this post cheerful and I had all kinds of little bits and pieces to share. But then... well. Maybe bits and pieces tomorrow.Anyway.It's official - I have lost all my knitting juju. I left for Rhinebeck a month ago today and things have not been the same since. Since I cast off the shawl, nothing has gone smoothly. I Jenninoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-1163733450464595932006-11-16T21:46:00.000-05:002006-11-16T22:17:30.823-05:00I spoke too soon yesterday about my positive fiber progress :-( I made Mark close his eyes tonight while I tried the sock-in-progress on him and it's too big, so I need to start over. Blargh. Also, my friends had to cancel their visit this weekend and I'm very bummed. I was really looking forward to seeing them. They are incredible ladies and I hope we can reschedule soon. Combine these Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-1163647338884036652006-11-15T20:49:00.000-05:002006-11-20T22:13:50.973-05:00Things are starting to smooth out in my little corner of the world and I'm settling down a bit. I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of my new job and things are going pretty well there. Last week my manager asked me to do some research on the wedding industry and come up with some book ideas for our wedding line. I came up with an idea I really liked, and my manager pitched it to the Jenninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-1163388994461559932006-11-12T22:09:00.000-05:002006-11-15T21:43:45.256-05:00Well, it was another unproductive weekend. I just can't seem to get my fiber schwerve on. At work, one of the things I'm working on is a book on handmade cards and I've been feeling a bit inspired by that. The artists we're working with are very talented and use some great materials. So, Saturday I went out to a local scrapbooking store to get some paper to play around with. Their selection Jenninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-1163131518547226462006-11-09T22:41:00.000-05:002006-11-09T23:05:18.563-05:00Well, I have been completely useless in the fiber department the past few days. Approximately half an inch of leg done on Mom's sock, four rows on Mark's sock and zero spinning. I have been, as we say in my house, all pants and no trousers.* I'm very full of ideas (and other things, as I'm sure those who know me IRL know) but not so much on production. I think the absence of the shawl as a Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-1163043952880196882006-11-08T22:40:00.000-05:002006-11-09T15:27:01.730-05:00I know I haven't been back to the blogging world for long, but I really need some help right now, so I'm putting out the call for anyone who's feeling compassionate. I'm in a dire situation and I've tried to take care of it myself, but I'm not having any luck, and I'm getting desparate. Could someone please, please come to Cincinnati and knock me over the head with someone heavy? I'm hoping itJenninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-1162869285591144392006-11-06T21:53:00.000-05:002006-11-12T21:56:24.646-05:00Well, we had the roasted veggies for dinner tonight, and the world is still turning. I guess they were only dangerous yesterday :-PNot much is going on around here. I made it through another day at the new job, and I think I'm finally done with all the paperwork. Yea for benefits! It was also another day where I got to mostly do things that will be part of my regular job. On the fiber front, I Jenninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-1162784160473780512006-11-05T22:19:00.000-05:002006-11-05T22:36:00.490-05:00OK, second half of the weekend not as delightful as the first part. It was still better than having to work, but just not as fabulous as yesterday. But today was one of those days when I feel like the universe is trying to send me a message. Strangley enough, the message seemed to be "don't make papardelle with roasted vegetables and goat cheese for dinner." Awfully specific of the universe, Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-1162702885323631842006-11-04T23:09:00.000-05:002006-11-06T22:03:07.500-05:00Ah, what a lovely weekend so far. Great company, luscious food, lots of knitting, spinning, and sleep. Just what I needed to regroup after my long week. Speaking of spinning... One of my (many) purchases at Rhinebeck was some buttery soft white Polwarth that I didn't look at closely enough, because when I got it back to the bed and breakfast I discovered it was very (very very) neppy. Seeing asJenninoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-1162616572941159492006-11-03T23:55:00.000-05:002006-11-20T22:30:32.526-05:00Before I go rambling on about anything else, I want to start off by thanking everyone for all the kind words about my shawl. I don't get to hang out with fiber people very often (but I don't think I could ever get enough. Fiber people are the best!), so to get so much positive feedback means a lot to me. So again, thank you from the bottom of my heart.Also, the shawl pattern will be available Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-1162525922035702192006-11-02T22:38:00.000-05:002006-11-02T23:43:30.420-05:00On a non-fibery note, I just wanted to put in my two cents about new jobs - they're cool in theory, but in practice not so much. There's all the paperwork, all the akwardness and unfamiliar ground. I started my third new job OF THE YEAR this week (more on my checkered employment history later) and I am exhausted and frustrated. This is a job that I was wildly excited about when I first heard Jenninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-1162442272757667722006-11-01T22:29:00.000-05:002006-11-01T23:37:52.803-05:00Right now, I'm feeling a bit adrift on the seas of change. With the shawl on hiatus, and starting a new job this week, my world feels a bit tumbly-bumbly. I can't tell you how focused I was on the shawl for the month (or s0) before Rhinebeck. It was constantly on my mind, wondering when I could squeeze in just a few more stitches, would I make "quota" for the day, would it be finished for Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-1162349447795841092006-10-31T20:49:00.000-05:002006-11-14T16:40:22.853-05:00Ok, I've been procrastinating on re-blogging because I've been contemplating a lot since Rhinebeck. About being an artist, about the little bubble I've been living in lately, etc. And then I started a new job this week and put all that on a shelf to continue living in my little bubble :-D I'm a dork sometimes. And thankfully MamaCate shook me out of my little bubble so that I would post about my Jenninoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-1161785985492886992006-10-25T10:18:00.000-04:002006-10-31T12:43:18.760-05:00Test postTest post to check all settings. Hopefully this will be changed into a Rhinebeck post if all goes smoothly!Jenninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-1161648998417006532006-10-23T20:15:00.000-04:002006-10-25T12:32:58.426-04:00Back from Rhinebeck. Will post after approximately 500 hours of sleep.Jenninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-1076551835428698472004-02-11T21:10:00.000-05:002004-02-11T21:19:34.593-05:00I'm going to start out this entry by admitting that for some reason, I'm having some serious writer's block. So, if this seems kind of lame, please forgive me. I've had a strong urge to blog ever since the new year hit, and for some reason, I just can't get up the gumption once I'm actually in front of the computer. I just can't get a good fix on what I want this blog to be now. For example, Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-1074481677629457652004-01-18T22:07:00.000-05:002004-01-19T01:53:49.293-05:00New blog almost entirely functional. Hip hip hoorayJenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-944977452003-05-17T09:57:00.000-04:002003-05-17T09:57:34.856-04:00I know what you're thinking... boy, she really meant that dead beat blogger stuff! Yep! I'm still deadbeat. I'm also still working on bob and spinning box office! (I've done a few things in the meantime, but bob and box office are still UFO's, although I continue to work actively on Box Office between stints of working on other spinning. Bob is kind of languishing in my fiber closet) AnywayJenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-927449492003-04-16T19:43:00.000-04:002003-04-16T22:28:55.000-04:00At what point does one become a dead-beat blogger? Because I fear I may have reached that point :-( I'm sorry for my lack of posting lately, it's not that I don't want to, it's just that... I don't want to. Let me explain: I'm still trying very hard to find my stride in this new 40 hours of work a week world. My last job, the most I worked a week was 28 hours, and that wasn't every week. AsJenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-923527512003-04-10T07:05:00.000-04:002003-04-10T07:05:39.640-04:00Well, I would be writing more... but there's really nothing to write about. How many "worked on Bob, spun some Box Office" posts can you all read? Because that's what I've been up to :-) This week has been much better than last. I've been able to have some time to relax and unwind and I've had time for fibery stuff. Tuesday I worked on Bob for about an hour and a half and yesterday for maybeJenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-921881792003-04-07T21:24:00.000-04:002003-04-07T21:28:28.000-04:00Sorry about my absence from blog-land this past week. Last week really was just totally god awful. I was frazzled over starting a new job and trying to get into the swing of things, REALLY frazzled over working 40 hours a week for the first time, and on top of that, things just kept going wrong. Mark and I were at each others' throats all last week. We just couldn't get along for some reason.Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-918845642003-04-02T21:42:00.000-05:002003-04-02T21:42:06.296-05:00So, I just got back from Two Weeks Notice, which I loved except for about the last half hour. It was not my kind of ending. Too sticky sweet (and demeaning to women in my opinion) So, I'll just avoid that soap box for now. Anyway, work is going ok, I still haven't mastered it, but I'm working on it, so we'll see. And I certainly haven't mastered the Sockotta socks, which are still being a Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-918158832003-04-01T22:28:00.000-05:002003-04-01T22:43:16.000-05:00For some odd reason, none of the pictures I editted and put in my blog yesterday will come up. I tried some old pictures that were in other entries and they're working fine, just not the ones from yesterday. Which really stinks :-( And is also incredibly frustrating. I'm not sure what the problem is, but hopefully I'll be able to figure it out soon. I survived my second day at my new job. Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-917498172003-03-31T22:11:00.000-05:002003-03-31T22:11:14.606-05:00And now Blogger doesn't feel like showing pictures. That's fabulous. I guess irritations come in threes these days :-) Maybe they'll start working soon and you can see all the fun prettiness (and sock holes :-( Goodnight!Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-917496262003-03-31T22:08:00.000-05:002003-04-01T22:27:02.000-05:00Well, I survived my first day. Basically what I'm doing is drafting documents for bankruptcy cases. It's mostly data gathering and entry, nothing particularly difficult. I just have to learn the different ways that every county does things. Right now, I've only been handling cases in Columbus, so that's the only way I know how to do things, but I'm sure I'll be introduced to other ways soon Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-916327282003-03-29T22:53:00.000-05:002003-03-29T22:53:53.090-05:00Never fear, you will get to hear about my fiber filled day of fun from Thursday, but first a little story for you.... My landlord is also a realtor and does a lot with estates. He's also a pack rat and has lots of stuff that he gets from estates once the sales are done. So, he found out about me being a fiber artist and asked me if I'd like him to keep an eye out for any fabric/yarn/tools, etcJenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-915241352003-03-27T23:13:00.000-05:002003-03-27T23:13:08.780-05:00Today was girly fiber and food fieldtrip day. Mom and I hit the road this morning and shopped our way to Columbus and back! I'm so zonked I can't even write about it (and I have to get up early tomorrow to do a test run downtown to see how long it will take me to get to my job during rush hour... ick) But I will write about it ad naseum tomorrow or Saturday (believe me, there's so much to Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-913885792003-03-25T22:46:00.000-05:002003-03-25T22:46:45.873-05:00Well, I've been exceedingly lazy about posting while I've been on vacation, but I couldn't let my three month blog-a-versary pass without a word! So, it's been a fun three months and I'm hoping for many more of blog-a-licious goodness! So, thanks for reading :-) I do this mostly for myself, but feedback is always fun and I've enjoyed interacting with all of you who have seen fit to comment. Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-912134222003-03-23T01:03:00.000-05:002003-03-23T01:06:39.000-05:00All I have to say about these is... OH HELL YEAH!
Ever since Not Martha mentioned these little puppies, I've been on a mad hunt to find them! I finally tracked them down today and ZOWIE are they good! And the ad they have for them (!@%#$ these are spicy) is very, very accurate! They were REALLY spicy! But I love spicy and these reminded me of ginger beer, which I love, so all in all, I'm Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-910340392003-03-19T22:34:00.000-05:002003-03-19T22:34:39.560-05:00So, I made my day off the Official Finishing Stuff So I Can Start My Sweater Day (OFSSICSMSD for short :-) And actually, I got a lot more done than I ever thought I would. And looky looky who my first victim was:
It got abandoned for a little while there, but I decided it was time to pick it up and finish it off. It would be awfully silly to start the sweater one day without ever finishing Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-909690082003-03-18T23:10:00.000-05:002003-03-18T23:13:25.000-05:00Okay, for some reason, the pics are not showing in my links. If anyone knows why that is please email me. I've browsed some html instruction sites and my addled brain can't figure it out. The files are uploaded to my ftp (I think), they're just not showing. Arg! Of course, these pages are probably pretty much irrelevant to anyone but me, because I'm sure you get enough about me and the Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-909685432003-03-18T23:01:00.000-05:002003-03-18T23:05:09.000-05:00I have not gotten a lick of fibery stuff done today :-( Yet. Tomorrow is my day off, so I get to stay up late and I plan on spending some time spinning Box Office. It's really going super slow because I've been working so much on knitting. I'm enjoying Box Office and I can't wait to start the full sized scarf from it, but I'm already getting the urge to start trying something new. For the Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-909005242003-03-17T23:06:00.000-05:002003-03-17T23:06:25.640-05:00Okay, an html whiz I am not. There are problems with the project bob page and I'll sort them out tomorrow, it's already past my bedtime :-(Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-908985592003-03-17T22:33:00.000-05:002003-03-17T23:03:08.000-05:00Well, I'm back from my (very) mini-blogging hiatus. A little relaxation over the weekend was all I needed and I'm back and ready for action. And of course, as I've noted before, catching up on blogging when I skip a couple days can be a real bitch! I have so much to write about and so little time before I have to hit the sack! I guess I'll start with the recent, exciting news and work my way Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-907880402003-03-15T22:38:00.000-05:002003-03-15T22:38:48.513-05:00Okay, sorry for the lack of posting this week. I've been so busy between preparing to demo spinning at my old college, getting my loom, getting this new job, FOOSN, and keeping the apartment semi-decent that I just haven't really had the time or energy, or been in the mood, to post. The few moments of free time I've had this week I've wanted to spend "doing" rather than "writing about it." Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-906866462003-03-13T22:28:00.000-05:002003-03-13T22:28:15.576-05:00What a day! Lots of exciting stuff happened, but it was also a long day, so I'm going to keep this short. First of all, thanks for all the good interview thoughts last week because they worked and I not only got the job, but I got a promotion. They're offering me a higher position than the one I interviewed for! I'm really excited and nervous about all this! I already accepted the job and I Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-905647792003-03-11T22:52:00.000-05:002003-03-11T22:52:18.716-05:00Well, I didn't get ALOT done at FOOSN, but more than usual so it seems like a lot! On Sunday, I worked on Mom's sock first. But then I realized that the 1x1 ribbing was too big, so I had to tear it all out and start over. This was very, very frustrating to me because I hate 1x1 ribbing and to tear it out and have to do it again just hurts me! So, I gave up for the night and set it aside untilJenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-904993022003-03-10T22:52:00.000-05:002003-03-10T22:52:11.110-05:00Okay, quick FOOSN update. There will be much more tomorrow, I promise! Here's one of the things I did over the past two days:
That's right I finished Mom's first sock! The dang thing! I switched to 1x1 ribbing, decided it wasn't tight enough, ripped back, started over after reducing the number of stitches, and finally have something I'm happy with. There are tiny holes where I finished Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-904559042003-03-10T09:01:00.000-05:002003-03-10T09:01:48.606-05:00Another picture before the second day of FOOSN. This one's for Katherine. It's a close up of Tea Ceremony. It is luscious!
Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-904128542003-03-09T14:48:00.000-05:002003-03-09T14:48:41.996-05:00Well, I'm just about to hit the road and head for FOOSN, so I thought I'd leave you with a pretty picture. I've been busting my butt on Mom's first sock and I'm finally to the 1x1 ribbing. I ought to finish it tonight if there's not too much "catching up" to do (but of course there will be! I can't believe I haven't seen these wonderful women for two months!) Anyway, I hope you all have as Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-903851212003-03-08T23:28:00.000-05:002003-03-08T23:28:57.700-05:00How excited am I about meeting up with my fiber group tomorrow? VERY excited :-) I love this group SO MUCH and I've missed the meetings the last two months in a row :-( That has made me very sad. The one in January I missed because it was the weekend after Mark and I moved in together and I hated to leave him when we were just starting out this new phase. And the one in February I missed Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-903405912003-03-07T23:47:00.000-05:002003-03-07T23:47:04.640-05:00Thanks for the good wishes today! Apparently they worked :-) The interview went really well, and they said they'd get back to me early next week. Normally it would worry me that they didn't call me right back, but my interviewer was eight and a half months pregnant and was leaving for the day for her dr.'s appt., so she didn't have time to discuss it with the person who will be my supervisor Jenninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049536.post-902788402003-03-06T22:32:00.000-05:002003-03-06T22:32:47.140-05:00I finally got a call back about the paralegal job today. My interview's tomorrow! Eek! Well, that doesn't give me much time to freak out. Send happy thoughts my way at 2:45 EST please. I went out tonight and got this stylin' Pendleton blazer for the interview for... $50!!! I think I look pretty snazzy! Now, off to finish preparing. God, I'm so nervous!
Wish me luck, please :-)Jenninoreply@blogger.com0