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Sunday, August 29, 2010

Oooo Sparklies... I like Sparklies.

Well I did it I made Day of the Dead mugs and they are so cool!






I am really proud of myself for them.  I like how they turned out and the colors on them.  I miss doing that.  It is a relaxing and rewarding hobby for me.  I just wish I had a kiln to do this on my own.  I know people say there are paints that you could do at home now.  The only thing about those paints is that you can’t use them as utensils, they are decorative paint only.  The mugs I make at Naked Plates are useable, fully glazed and fired pieces.  I love the fact that someone can drink from my mugs.    If you want to see more detailed pictures of these beauties go to my Deviant Art Gallery…  and check things out there.

I will say one of the squee moments of the week was on Ravelry.com .  I am a part of a Harry Potter Group on there and have been participating and putting pictures of projects up there too.  Well apparently my Ruby Dancin’ Shoes was worth a note as the project of the day on Tuesday. 



I thought that was really cool.  I just wanted to share.  So… that is it for today, more to come at a later date.  Maybe after I finally finish my Skull Slippers… (had to rip the first one out twice… grrr counting).

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

There's no place like home...

I finished them…




…aren’t they just the coolest things ever. 




Now I am working on a black pair that will have felted skulls sewn on them.  I think it is really cool.  I love this pattern.  It is the Felted Ladies Booties by Plymouth. 

Okay… back to knitting just wanted to share the finished projects.  SQUEE!

Monday, August 23, 2010

BahRamU doesn't work? But these guys do...

Okay I got to see a sheep herding show yesterday at the Michigan Fiber Festival and it was neat to watch.  I also went click happy…

So this is an image heavy post, just to warn you and doesn’t have a lot of words.








I liked the angle and movement on this shot a lot.  Just one of those things.















In the above picture he is showing how he doesn't use his staff to hit the dog, just guide it.  Because if he did hit the dog with it he would not be able to touch him with it.












... and now they are all back in the pen. 

I have so much fun watching them and hearing his stories about what he does and what the dogs do.  Each dog has it's own personality and he knows how each dog works.  Always fun.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Fun with Fiber

Well, went to Michigan Fiber Festival and had fun.  We took Liz’s niece and hung out with her there.  It is so cute to see her knit.  So this was fun for her. 

She got to see lamas…



…and sheep…



…and bunnies and goats.  (I don’t have any good pictures of those.)

We wandered the booths and Jess found someone to talk to.



She knitted that wonderful vest she is wearing there and she got many, many compliments.  Maybe if we ask her nicely she will put up pretty pictures of it.  *nudge nudge*

But we all found things we liked.  Jess and Liz found wonderful yarn and patterns.  I found a shuttle for my loom and a knitting pattern.  And even the little one found some cute little hair felted hair clips. 



Awww isn’t she just adorable.

She is so cute she even got ‘Auntie’ Jess to give her a piggy back ride.




Liz had to get a picture too.



We then watched the herding dog exhibition (see tomorrows post) and got very hot.

We decided when the lamas’ needed to get a cool drink it was too hot and time to go.



So we said good bye to the chicken…



…and headed home from a fun day.

I think next year I want to try and do some workshops too.  Fun learning to be had.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Socks and balls...

Okay, I like to have fun with my friends hang out and just have fun.  I do have a competitive streak and I know this.  Problem comes is I am not very good at any sports or games.  I just am not.  I enjoy them for the most part, if I let go of my competitive nature, if people don’t goat me into it saying they are the best and they always get this score.  I have fun when people don’t try and tell me how to play the game or how to improve what I am doing.  Fortunately my friends know this, for the most part.  I still feel sometimes like I suck but that is my issue not theirs. 

But we went bowling on Thursday it was great.  The place we went has $2 per person games and $2 rental on shoes, in the morning.  Like 11am to 4pm, I think.  So we went and we bowled three games and had some food.  Total cost was under $20 it was great.  It would have been less if we had not ordered food. 

So here we are bowling…


 

 

Yeah butt shots, yeah a little blurry but fun times were had.

And durning all of this Jess found an obsession. 


SOCKS!! Yes ladies and gentlemen a sock machine.


She was a little excted about it. ;P

Sooo we had to get some…



Mine is the purple pair, Liz and Jess got the pink flaming ones.   I like purple a little bit better.

And fun times with friends will continue tomorrow… why? I am going with them to the Michigan Fiber Festival. 

“and a battle cry was heard and the sheep shook in fear… STRING!!!!!”

Friday, August 13, 2010

I did it... I felted.

It is so cool  I felted.  I did!  I did! 

It is actually really cool.  So here they are, the felted pair of slippers...



I think it is an interesting process.  I now need to get some shiny beads and attach them on and then I need to figure out my next project.  I am working of course on my bordum scarf and actually another pair of slippers.  My pair only took one skein, I am figuring if I do another pair it might take more, but we will see. 

I will probobly pick up more of this yarn and make some more slippers, they only take about a week to do.   A nice easy gift.

The only other thing I need is actually a zipper pillowcase.  Tying closed a pillow case only works about a third of the time. 

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Swish... there I go...

Okay just a run by on… quick show ya what is going on in my world of string.



 Those are the shoes so far… need to be felted but that is tomorrow.  I am a little nervous but I am sure they will turn out.

And then I have also started my boredom scarf one.



That is the yarn and I have a pattern I am using.  We will see how everything turns out.  So off I go to knit.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Glass... pretty.

Ahh I didn’t put up the post yesterday.  Bust sufficed to say I had a great birthday weekend.  Absolutely wonderful.  It was relaxing and fun and a little warmer than I wanted, but yes it is August. 

Friday was relaxing, if a bit tiring on the work load of the house.  I still have stuff to do (as always). 

Saturday was family brother and mom, as I wrote about. 

And yesterday, Sunday, was fun with dad’s side.  Went out with him and his wife for a brunch after the rain had subsided, things were unfortunately pushed back a bit because of the rain.  Instead of starting at noon, we started at one thirty.  That made for interesting times. 

We went out to eat then to the Fredrick Meijer Gardenswhich has a beautiful exhibit going on of the glass artist, Chihuly.  They are amazing pieces, worth seeing. 

I took over one hundred twenty five pictures before we left.  I trust me majority of them were not usable but I hope to go back again this week or next and see the exhibit again and take some better pictures.  There were however some that were worth it. 

So here are some pictures…




This shot you have to look for I thought it was well placed…



They are every where on the grounds so you deffinatly need to have a good pair of walking shoes. 




There are also pieces inside…



… also I recommend looking up in the conservatory.  I would have missed it if my father hadn’t pointed it out.  (Sorry not going to spoil that one.)

I would also recommend going and looking at my deviant art site Fuzziekit .  There are some very nice pictures I took of some cool flowers and what not.  You might enjoy that.

And here is a preview…

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n15/fuzziekit/Gardens/Chaulley6a8810.jpg

Saturday, August 7, 2010

What a day... my day.

Well another good day…  and one more tomorrow.  I do have a bit of a plan for this coming week but first pictures. 

I went out to my brother’s home today.  It is a wonderful little cottage that they are almost finished converting into a full time home, not very big but nice. 

I also got to see my little nephew… he is just adorable.


Here he is ‘driving’ the boat with daddy.  So cute.


And then after about passing out in my arms as I fed him… he passed out in mommy’s arms.

It was a good day, busy, fun to hang with my bro and mom and her hubby, my sister in law and my about six month old nephew (I think that is how old he is).

We had pizza and I got gifts, a really cool picture frame from my bro and sis-in-law.  I am feeling really good today.  Also the roomie got me a gift, a nun chuck for my wii, needed that second one.  So I am happy. 
I did not get any further really on my knitting but hopefully tomorrow I will have the first slipper knitted and stitched together.  I also want to have the first fifteen pages of my graphic/illustrative story quickly sketched out.

Wish me luck…

Now the following link is the picture I was working on yesterday before I went to bed… go check it out.

Paden Fitzgerald

Friday, August 6, 2010

A good day... I like good days.

Woo Hooo!! I am off for three nights… kinda nice having vacation time.  I also really want to celebrate this weekend.  I want to enjoy life and I am.  Today was the first day in over a week where I had a good day.  So I want to share.  I want to share some of the things I did today.  Yeah I know a little bit of random has reared its head here but I am enjoying it. 


I cleaned up my coffee corner.  Yep nice neat shows off the recipe books, I almost baked today but not quite.  I had to go and get my license plate renewed.    Yeah ladies and gentlemen I am a year older, or going to be on Saturday. 

I am still considering changing to a recipe box instead of a book.  Two things though, one I haven’t found a box I like yet and two I don’t know if it will actually be more efficient or not. 




I also neatened up the tea shelves.  All the Disney Villan Mugs are mine, the Jack Skelington and Ivy and the skeleton mug on the bottom are not mine.  I like showing off my mugs. 

I did not cook at all today.  I actually ordered in.  Pizza and bread sticks with soda. 




Believe it or not Harry does not have coffee in him… it is CocoCola. 

Now comes the debate… drawing or knitting.  But that is not what I leave you with… here is the random picture of the week.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Snips and tears....

Well I am trying not to look at this last month as a total waste of time.

 
This is the Wrapped in Rainbows shawl I have spent the last month sacrificing time and energy to.




This is the very fuzzy picture of the stitches I cut.

That is right ladies and gentlemen I cut about three or four stitches on a fragile yarn on this shawl that I have been raving about for a month. 

I don’t know if it is salvageable.  I started this shawl on the first of July and finished it on the thirty first.  I need to be able, if necessary to let it go. 

I will say this… I cried, balled in fact, when I realized what had happened.  I berated myself for being that stupid that hasty, how could I have wasted all this time in making something only to screw it up at the end.  I am still dealing with some of those emotions.  That sense of failure and non-completion. 

I am however in the mood to also pull up my bootstraps as well and say.. okay slower on the finish next time… breath and take it easy. 

So that is what I am going to do, breath and take a meditative approach.  I am picking up another knitting project for myself and it really didn’t occur to me until I went out and go the book that I made a rainbow shawl and was going to make ruby slippers. 

Yep my next project is Ruby Dancin’ Shoes, basically a pair of red slippers that I intend to add pretty bead to after they are felted. 



I am using a Plymouth pattern and Plymouth Galway yarn, pure wool.  It should felt up nicely… though I suppose we will see.

But that is not my meditative project.  I am not totally sure of my meditative project yet.  It has to be fairly simple at this point in time, because I am really out of practice with my meditation.  What inspired this project?  On the excursion to Mecosta Michigan where I picked up this beautiful Oz book,


I also picked up Mindful Knitting by Tara Jon Manning  It speaks of knitting in line with meditation.  I was thinking about following it and doing one pattern at a time, going through and making each project in turn with meditation, about twenty minutes a day. 

I know I have things to work through but that twenty minutes might be worth it to clear my mind and take deep breaths.