Oh, this is bad...

I witnessed spinning for the first time today, and it was GLORIOUS! I walked in to Stitch 'N Bitch today at Hank's, and was greeted by a lovely young lady spinning some gorgeous chocolate & strawberry colored roving. I'm pretty sure my eyes got as wide as dinner plates, and I know my jaw dropped. Watching people make things stops me dead in my tracks every time. Yeah, I was that kid nose-printing the plexiglass so I could watch the grocery store cake decorators. I think I stopped breathing for while when I saw glass blowing for the first time, too. But the spinning?

It.

Was.

Awesome.

Spinning appeals to the same instinct that made me pick up knitting/crochet to begin with: the driving need to do things myself. It's a natural progression:
1) I start knitting because I can't find the Perfect Scarf in the store.
2) As I discover I can't find the Perfect Pattern for the scarf I want to knit, I design my own.
3) When I am unable to find the Perfect Yarn yarn in the store, I decide to make my own.

As soft as my kitties are, I don't think they'd take kindly to shearing or drafting, so the next step of raising my own fiberific animals will have to wait. Ah, but spinning fiber from other people's animals? That I can do now.

The conversation turned to using a drop spindle, as a full-on spinning wheel is a bit of an investment to make based on impulse curiosity. A spindle was dug up, and the demo proceeded. I was absolutely gobsmacked to see someone use a couple of tinkertoys & a mug hook to turn this puffy nebula of fiber into a thin, beautiful ply. I must do this. I must.

I tried to explain to my husband the glory that had been revealed to me today, but he got that look on his face that says, "I can tell you're excited because you're hopping around and using the squirell voice again; however, I don't understand a word." He will understand one day. Or he will at least learn to fake it.

So yes, another crafty ambition has officially hit me. I don't know when I'll get a chance to actually try spinning, as I'm going to use it as a proverbial carrot to get me to finish the million projects I have planned already. I just know that I'm gonna do it, doggonit! I think I'm mostly excited by the prospect of a new class of fiber goods being accessible to me. Yay for roving!

The Prodigal Blogger

I'm back! I decided I was tired of feeling guilty about not posting. It's much less stress to just go ahead and write the damn post!

So, what have I been up to in the million years since I posted? I have:
-finished 1 of 2 scarves I promised as Christmas 2007 gifts
-moved to Florida
-almost completed 2nd of 2 Christmas scarves
-gotten a new job
-discovered new job is a different kind of high-stress than last job was
-frogged 2nd scarf
-watched a lot of football
-crocheted at tailgate parties and in the stadium
-restarted scarf
-frogged scarf again
-cried a little about new high-stress job & Christmas scarf
-found a rawesome local yarn store
-petted enough yarn that I'm suprised LYS owner didn't kick me out
-went to my first Stitch and Bitch!
-plotted yarn purchases


... Yep, that's about it. I've got a bunch of projects either in progress or in my mind, but they're pretty much all gifts, so I can't post about any of them yet! I can post a picture of my new project bag, though. This project gave me more hand cramps than I care to relate, but I think it was worth it.

Project bag,
originally uploaded by Darth Martha.

I couldn't figure out a good way to block it, but it wouldn't hold its shape without some reinforcement at the bottom, anyway. I may need to MacGyver something. I was pretty happy with the stitch I ended up using for the body of the bag (crocheted moss stitch), though the diagonal effect was a happy mistake due to my relative inexperience with crocheting in the round. It's a big, honkin' bag that is CLEARLY intended to carry lots of crafty bits.

More posting as gifts are completed or yarn is acquired...

A big yay, a big boo, and a little more boo mixed in with some yay

Well, the last few days have been a bit of a rollercoaster. I guess the best way to get through all of it is in chronological order.

Big yay: I've got a phone interview! I knew it was coming, but that office finally got in touch with me on Thursday to arrange a time. It's not for any particular position, but a family friend connected me to a higher up in FL, so I've got an interview set up for this coming Wednesday. I have no clue what we'll talk about, so I have no idea what to prepare. I guess I'll just have to be quick on my feet then. Wish me luck!

Big boo: My grandmother passed away rather suddenly on Friday. She went into the hospital for simple back surgery and was going to be discharged pretty much immediately after, but it seems like the stress of the surgery was just too much for her 86 year old body. She'd been really sick for a long time, so it's best that she's at peace now. She was a pretty funny lady on her good days, so while I'm glad that she's no longer in pain, I'm sad that her spunkiness is no longer in the world. I'm not really able to talk much about it just yet, but I'm doing alright as long as I can remember that she was really sick. It's actually not very comforting to me to remember the fun times yet, because that's what really makes me miss her.

A little boo mixed with a little yay: I'm going to be going back home for Grandma's service at the end of the week, and it looks like I'll be driving all the way there without the hubby (stupid call schedule). Things are scheduled for Friday, so I'll be gone from work for a couple days. The yay part is that I'll be coming in to town just in time for the twins' birthday party, so I'll FINALLY be at somebody's party! I offered to bake the cake/cupcakes, so that'll be fun for me. I think I'll try to weigh out my ingredients before I go out there so I can just dump & mix, but I'll probably bring an extra batch and my scale as a backup. I'm also bringing some of my yarny projects with me, as I suspect there will be some quiet time this weekend, too.

Oh, there's actually a little more boo/yay: We dropped the price on our house a little (boo), but we immediately got a flurry of interest (yay). We had to skedaddle for a little bit on Sunday for someone to look (yay), but as we pulled back into the driveway, we saw-- to our horror-- that one of the cats had pulled down our sheers from the big bay window while we were gone (boo). We just pray that the cats got the rips and destroyed our curtains after the couple left. God forbid that someone surprised Simon with a stealth petting and got a tension rod pulled down on their head!

Let's hope this coming week is not so action-packed as this last one has been. I don't think I have that much Pepto.

It just seems so... final.

It is official: I will no longer be in my current job as of May 16. I'll be training the new person starting May 5, and then I'll be free two weeks later! I have mixed feelings about leaving that early before we move, but I think it'll be good. We are supposed to leave to go house hunting the next day, so the timing is nice... I guess.

What makes me uncomfortable is that I still haven't found a new job in FL. Not like I could keep this one, but still. It's nice to know you'll have a soft landing.

I guess if all else fails, I can stay home and craft all day... You know, that's not such a horrible thought. I'd probably finish a few projects for a change!

Wait.

If I finish my projects, then I'll need to start new ones, which means I'll have to buy more supplies for my new projects, which means I'll be spending money, which means I'll need to have a job so that I can earn money to buy more supplies to do the projects I'll start because I finished my old projects when I stayed home and crafted all day because I have no job.

*blinkblink*

I think I need a job.

After a short and bloodless battle, I admit defeat

I like to think of myself as an optimistic person, someone who believes in the power of an individual with a mission. My mission was to spread handmade goodness to the masses, starting with my niece and nephew. Alas, after crocheting my little hands off yesterday, I ended up with only 3 finished play food cookies. 3. Now, that's pretty admirable, considering that they are completely finished, ends woven in and everything; but there's still only 3. Had I thought about making play food last week, I probably could have finished in time. Yet, I have a plan.

That's right! I have lost this battle, but I have not lost the war!! I'm going to work on a complete play food set for Christmas! *cue inspirational music, preferably something with a snare drum and a fife and/or trumpet* It will be the single most gloriously adorable present in my family's history, possibly in all of human history. Do you hear me, crochet gods? *shakes fist* IN HISTORY! As long as I can hold yarn in my hand, there will be joy in this world. Small, fake pieces of play joy shaped like food.

With this, faithful readers, I leave you to dream optimistic dreams involving an overestimation of your abilities and no concept of time. Godspeed, dear friends. Godspeed.

Unreasonably cute

My sister's twins will be turning 3 in 8 days, which means it's crunch time for crafty presents. I have been desperate for an excuse to make play food, so I decided to take the amigurumi bull by the horns and crochet some! I found insanely cute patterns on Etsy.com from several sellers, and ended up buying:

Classic Cookies and Classic Muffins patterns from CandyPopCreations
Veggie tray and Breakfast patterns from NeedleNoodles
Beaut Fruit and Cute Fruit patterns from Crochet Roo

I made a test cookie (chocolate chip, of course) last night, and it's ADORABLE!!! It's just the right size for little hands, and I know they'll love them. Today's task is to make some sugar cookies. I figure if I can make a dozen cookies fairly quickly, I'll move on to the breakfast pattern. There's no way I can finish all these in time to ship them, but I asked my sister to prioritize them for me, so I'm aiming to finish cookies & breakfast. After that, I think I'll go for the veggie platter (It even has a bowl of dip!!!)

I can't stand the cuteness. I have to go.

From Gainesvile to Gainesville, by way of Key West

It's (semi-)official: I'm going to run the Gainesville Marathon next February. "But you can't even run a mile," you say. True, but I will be able to by then, plus about 25.2 more miles on top of that. Why would I decide to go from zero to 26.2 in less than a year? A few reasons: My husband, my sister-in-law, my sister, and my future kids.

1) My husband: He's just completed his 2nd marathon, and he was thisclose to qualifying for the Boston Marathon without even having tried to! He refuses to believe he's an elite runner, but when you run a 3:20 marathon after having the flu, you're an elite frickin' runner. Anyway, I have this dream that we'll both qualify for Boston someday, and I want to run it together. I guess I'd better start training.

2) My sister-in-law: She just started running in August, and she's running 3-4 miles, 6 days a week. On top of that, she's lost 30-something pounds doing it! I'm not sure where she found that much weight to lose, but I guess she has literally run her buns off. She's doing it to set an example for her 2 daughters, to destress, and to be healthier. I say, "go, girl! I'm right behind you!"

3) My sister: She's not a runner. She is, however, really fit, and she's interested in becoming a runner. There's a half-marathon in Key West before the Gainesville Marathon, and I threw out the idea to her and my sis-in-law of all of us running it together. Both my sister and I will be training as beginning runners for now, but I know we've got plenty of time to work up to 13.1 miles before January 25, 2009. We're both scared but excited by the prospect of doing this, but I'm excited that it'll give all three of us a way to connect more.

4) My future kids: I've decided that I want to run a marathon so that I can make sure I am fit enough to have a healthy pregnancy. Right now, I'm on the cusp of being seriously at risk for gestational diabetes, hypertension, preeclampsia, etc. To be ready for babies, I want to lose about 20-25 pounds. This isn't about fitting into a bikini anymore, this is about taking care of my kids and having the health and energy to be a good mother to them. I plan on having a lot of kids, so I'd better be able to run around after them!

So, here's the plan:
1) Follow a beginner running program for the next two months to get up to 3 miles, 3 times a week.
2) Move to FL.
3) Celebrate my successful adjustment to running in the unbearable heat by running the 30th annual Melon Run 3-mile run in Gainesville this July.
4) Train, train, train.
5) Run the Half Shell Half-Marathon in Key West in January 2009 with my sister and sister-in-law.
6) Train, train.
7) Run the Gainesville Five Points of Life Marathon in February 2009.
8) Rest.
9) Run some more.
10) Have babies.
11) Keep running.

I think that about does it. Wish me luck.

ugh

So, the house officially went on the market today. I have to say, my house looks pretty cute online! It's so hard to not take this whole home selling situation personally, like you're getting ready to sell your baby to the highest bidder. I just know I'm going to be insulted by at least one offer; there's always that one low-baller that tries to catch you in a moment of desperation. Anyway, now that (just about) all I have to do with the house is to keep it clean enough to show (which is a monumental task in and of itself), I can focus on the job search! I sent in and posted some more materials today, so hopefully I'll hear from some folks soon. Keep your fingers crossed!

In other news, I'm considering running the Napa-to-Sonoma Half Marathon next year. I realized that I need to make stress-busting a part of my everyday life, so I'm thinking about finally taking the time to really focus on becoming a runner. I kinda wish this race was a full marathon, because I would take the training more seriously, but I just want to go somewhere beautiful for a race. I'll train for anything if there's wine at the finish line!

Coming up for air

As you can tell based on how long it's been since I posted last, things have been insane. We're in the midst of the chaos that is relocation, so we're finishing the last few home-improvement projects before the house officially goes on the market, I'm getting job applications put together, we're looking at houses in Florida, and I'm trying to get everything set up at work for a smooth transition for the next person. There's also the usual meat-grinder conditions that our office operates under, so I think it's safe to say that the pressure is really getting to me.

I never thought that I would be under so much pressure to find a good job. We can't even get a mortgage without a written job offer for me because the lenders have clamped down so tightly. Add all the hiring freezes going on at the moment, and the picture becomes pretty terrifying for me. I know I will get something, but I really don't want to have to take a step backwards. I am literally sick to my stomach about all of this most days. Of course, that doesn't make it any easier to get any of it done. :-p

*sigh*

In crafty news, I have continued to be delinquent in completing the 2 Christmas scarves I promised coworkers. I'm taking one of them with me this weekend to Virginia Beach so I can work on it while Dave runs the marathon. Oh yes, we're running this weekend! We're participating in the Shamrock marathon & 8k; Dave's running both, I'm walk/running the 8k. After the races, there's more crafting to be done, as I have a cake order due the 20th, and I refuse to be up all night again. I will take a break for a special birthday dinner on Monday, though. Which brings me to:

Birthday news!
I will be 27 on the 17th! Yes, this St. Paddy's Day baby is another year older, and to celebrate this auspicious occasion, the Hubby & I are going out to l'etoile for dinner. We've wanted to try it for a while, but since it's out of the way for us, we usually forget to go. I will report back.

Etsy goodies!

jellybeans group,
originally uploaded by Darth Martha.

I forgot to post this in the joy of setting up the blog, but I just got a shipment of handmade goodness from Etsy seller jellybeans! I needed something to brighten up my windowless dungeon of an office, and I thought these would do the trick.

I've framed them in simple, black frames with plain white mats, but I want to switch them out for mats with a black core for some pop. They remind me of a children's book I used to have called Put Me in the Zoo; the main character was some kind of huge puma/lion/cat thing covered in spots that he could change the colors of, juggle, and use to perform other sundry tricks. It's so cheerful! Yay!

Take THAT, Smucker's!

My hubby made me the happiest woman on the earth again yesterday. This happiness is somewhere below engagement/wedding bliss and getting surprised with flowers or sparklies. I asked him what he would choose if presented with the choice of his favorite Smucker's strawberry jam (not preserves, mind you) or the strawberry puree I made for my cake order (yay, leftovers!), he said, "Pssh. Are you kidding me? Puree. Hands down."

I win.
*flex*

A bright spot in an otherwise trying day

So, I won't go into too much detail, but a muckity-muck (mm#1) sent an e-mail recommendation on my behalf to a fellow muckity-muck (mm#2) to let him know I'd be heading his (mm#2's) way soon and that he should give me a job. Mm#1 forwarded the whole back-and-forth e-mail conversation to me, so I got to see his original recommendation. IT WAS AWESOME! It is now on record somewhere that I kick some serious butt. On top of that, mm#1 said that I'm "very underutilized here."

Mm#2 said that there's a hiring freeze at the moment because of the economy, but that didn't really put a damper on the fact that SOMEONE IN POWER ADMITS I'M UNDERUTILIZED!!!! Plus, mm#2 said I should come see them anyway when we relocate, and he copied the appropriate VP in his organization on that e-mail.

I need to go print that e-mail out before the internet gets deleted or something.

Another baking all-nighter

The cake order for yesterday went off nicely; but, as usual, I was up all night finishing it because I'm too anal to cut corners. I usually get at least a little sleep, but I seriously got a 20-minute nap (which resulted in about 10 minutes of actual sleep). I slept during my lunch hour, but I was walking dead when I got home. What took so long? The fact that I needed to make a new batch of filling because I forgot to figure out how much of my conserve I would need to flavor the buttercream. That took 4 hours to reduce to the right consistency; I had to keep the heat low-ish to keep it from boiling over. Apparently there's a fine line with strawberries.

I got some pictures that I'll post later on, but I have to say that taking pictures of my cakes reminds me that I need to take a cake decorating class. The cakes always look pretty good and taste great, but that just means it's time to up the ante. Plus, I want to get over feeling like an amateur with a piping bag. That all being said, people did gasp when they came to the party & saw the cake. A few asked if it came from Chandler's, which I take as both a compliment and an insult. Compliment because they think it's a real bakery cake, insult because my buttercream is better (Plus, I think their cakes look nice but not what I would call pretty.)

Anyway, my first foray into half sheets went very well, and while I don't think I'll be doing them in my usual 4-layer fashion, it's nice to have the option of making one cake to feed a crowd. I think next time I'll pull back on the buttercream between the 2 layers & add more filling. It tasted good, I just want it to look prettier. I like cake fillings more, anyway.

A moment of silence, please

It's official: they killed the knitting class I was signed up for. Now I will have to throw myself on the mercy of my teacher/buddy/coworker/friendly neighborhood librarian and beg her to teach me to knit in the round anyway. It probably wouldn't hurt to be holding a skein of something yummy when I ask her. ("This is just begging me to turn it into a cowl! If only someone would show me how!")

I guess this means no more Professor Judy for me, as I'll be leaving this summer. I really had a blast in the last course, so I'm genuinely bummed out about this. Meh! :(

Get more fiber!

Essentially a Super Facebook for knitters, crocheters, spinners, and dyers, Ravelry.com is quickly becoming a tour de force in the online craft world. This site has everything, including places to keep track of your yarn stash, your pattern library, and your needle/hook collection! The search features on the site are incredible, too; you can search for a yarn and see what projects other ravelers have made with it, or you can search for a pattern and see pictures, reviews, and yarn substitutions from other users.

If you are into fibercraft, you need to go sign up. The site is not totally public yet, but they are inviting several hundred people a day to join, so go get on that waitinglist!

Double, double, toil, and trouble...

Double, double, toil, and trouble...,
originally uploaded by Darth Martha.

One last post for the night/morning...

I have a strawberry buttercream cake order due for delivery on Wednesday, and since I've never been happy with the results from store-bought preserves, I thought I'd try another recipe from my Cake Bible Lady. This was also my first venture into the world of home canning, and I think it was a good choice. Seriously, all I did was:

-Boil up a sugar syrup
-Boil berries
-Boil the whole shebang together until reduced
-Pour it into hot jars
-Seal
-Boil jars for 10 minutes

That's a brief summary, but it's really just repetitions of those simple things. The end result was this. I'm not sure what took me so long to start canning. I'm already daydreaming about shelves lined with gleaming, jewel-like jars of fruit curds and jams and pie fillings and...

Stitch Slump

I'm in the middle of a scarf for a friend (a very late Christmas present), and I can feel the jealousy creeping in. I have yet to make anything for myself, so I've promised myself that I will make something pretty for myself right after I finish this scarf, but I've got another gift in the queue that is also late. *sigh* I'm just glad I didn't take the handmade pledge this Christmas, because I very well may have burnt out after only learning to knit in October!

There are 3 projects I want to do desperately: the Muriwai Bath Mat, the Doctor's Bag, and the Witches Britches from Knit 2 Together. They all may be far too big for me to make in a reasonable amount of time, though, so I'm also toying with the idea of a really nice neckwarmer or a pair of legwarmers. I'll probably just end up making a couple mug cozies to learn how to knit in the round.

Does anyone have any ideas for a quick, gratifying project for an ambitious beginner?
-------

On a nailbiting note: my next knitting course might be cancelled! Oh, the humanity! I purposely held off on learning how to knit in the round so I could take this class, and now they might not do it at all because there aren't enough students! I think fliers for the class should be plastered all over campus, down the hill, and all the way down Route 20! I'll stand outside the school in a big ball-o'-yarn costume and hand out little FOs to people if that's what it takes to get this class the green light! (Nerdy Knitter, if you provide the FOs, I'll provide the costume.)

An Inaugural Post!

I've taken the plunge and claimed my very own bit of the blogosphere! *insert flag in blogoturf* To be honest, I'm torn about whether I want to put myself quite so far out there in the world, but I'm so obsessed with reading other blogs, that I decided to try and hang out with the cool kids. We'll see how this goes.

Things you might see here:
- General life updates
- Crafty works-in-progress (which hopefully turn into finished objects)
- Kitchen Capers
- Fuzzy fun with Simon & Sophie

I suspect that this will become a way for folks to keep tabs on me, as I'm obscenely bad at keeping in touch with people. My mother raised me better than that, but I apparently needed to have it beaten in to me.

Thanks for peeking in to see what I'm up to! See you soon.

-DM