Classes

Depending on my rediculous school schedule and all, I am pleased to announce that I plan on teaching two classes this coming spring and summer, a sock class and a lace class. The sock class will probably be a two week series and the lace class will be four weeks. I'm still working on the exact plan and how much it will cost, which depends on how much materials I provide. Each session will be an hour and I plan on covering a lot of techniques. If there are any requests please let me know!

Easter!!

Happy Easter!!

This weekend has been fairly eventful with Gramma Jane in town to see Hunter. Yesterday we dyed Easter eggs and to use up the extra dye I let Hunter dye some of her own yarn. Not bad for 4! She proved that the creativity must run in the family. She did a striped egg (the first pic). ::::wipes a tear:::: I'm so proud of my baby!

Finally calmed down!!

So the last two weeks of my life have been absolute chaos, but with spring break looming, I think I might actually have some time. I still have a lot of work in my lab to do, figuring out where I am at with my bacteria (love the bacteria). In the last couple of days I have been itching to dye some yarn. Grandma Jane is coming to visit Hunter, so I don't know if I will be able to. Hopefully I can go home tonight and do a couple skeins.

I have actually managed to finish some projects though....

My Lelah in bonsai cortousy of Knitting for Boozehags

And of course I finally finished my Lousiana Alligator Socks. I'm working on a shirt that I think will be adorable when done, but I am not letting anyone see pics of the mess I have going right now. Got some new yarn from my mom, some Koigu KPPPM and some called Yukon. Pretty stuff, need to start some new and fun socks!!

On the needles:
Ben's alpaca socks
Heather's Wedding shawl
The Bamboo T

No life for the next 4 days

I have a crap load to do and absolutely no time or motivation to get it done....

Stitch Markers

Well I have decided that based on the very positive response that I recieved on Friday at Threads Unlimited Knits, that I will continue to make beaded Stitch Markers until I am out of beads. I will have a feed with pictures of my current markers available for sale, kept as updated as possible. For those who live outside of Monroe that may be interested, I will accept custom orders, and if you see a set that you must have, I will try my best to hold them for you. Please keep in mind that most of these are one of a kind and cannot be reproduced. I will update my availability weekly, most likely on Fridays, and that would be the best time to get them!

Here is little blurb on my markers:
"For You By Me stitch markers are hand made and unigue with either silver plated or gold plated findings and high quality gemstones. Each marker is soldered shut and great care is taken to ensure that there is no way for your yarn to get snagged."

I also offer free repair for stitch markers in the event that they are damaged.

He's here!!

We left yesterday morning at about 3:00, drove 6 hours, spent an hour deciding which dog to bring home, finally picked and drove 6 hours back! He doesn't have a name yet though, Joe has yet to decide and doesn't like any of my suggestions. Please excuse the following rant....

Of course the know it all strikes again. I texted a pic to Joe's sister so that she could show his parents. What do I get back as a reply? "Neuter please". Wow. That's a little rude. Let me explain something here. I am not your average dog owner. I have been around more puppies than most people will in their entire life. My family bred labs that competed, with one son going on to be a grand champion hunter and retriever. In fact the puppies that we bred were in such demand that the majority of the puppies were sold before the litter was whelped. We have also breed working cattle dogs and horses with the understanding that breeding requires responsibility and we have come up with some phenomenal dogs and horses. I don't let my dogs run loose. I didn't by a pet store puppy. I bought an impeccably bred dog that I may choose to breed one day, but only if it's the right thing to do. As a horse breeder I am well aware of the implications of breeding lower quality animals. It's hard enough to sell high quality animals, and with the issues of slaughter and unwanted horses I am well aware of the implications of breeding. How dare she tell ME what to do with my animals. Oh I forget that she knows everything at the tender age of 21. What a spoiled little bitch.

Monroe doesn't suck anymore!!

Well there are quite a few things that I could do with out in this town, however the addition of Threads Unlimited Knits has made life so much better and it just opened today. I was antsy the whole day when I finally got out and went down there. Ro is an amazingly friendly and wonderful lady. She embodies the ideal of a knit shop owner. She is more than willing to take a minute out of her busy day to connect with you, answer your questions and make you feel comfortable. Currently her yarn selection is a little thin, but she is expecting a few more shipments of yarn in the next couple of weeks and I can't wait to see what comes in. Of course the more Monroe knitters shop, the more diverse her yarn selection will be, and I am sure I will be an integral source of capitol (due to my yarn addiction).



Even more than petting fun yarns, the atmosphere in the shop makes it feel like home. I was almost hesitant to sit around, but the second I walked in I felt like I was in my living room with a bunch of new friends. We knit, we talked and we schemed. I met a few new people and I even sold a bunch of stitch markers. I actually left the LYS with more money than I came in with. Amazing.



So my new name is the "Guru" the knitting guru to be exact. I know that I have only been knitting for two years, but it seems that I have a larger base of understanding than other knitters who have been knitting that long. I don't know if it has anything to do with the sheer quantity of projects or the level of difficulty that I am willing to take on with absolutely no experience. It probably has to do with both though. There are a few things that I understand very well, biochemical pathways, bacteria....knitting. I should really do something with the design ideas I have. I did by some more Berrocco Bonsai today so that I could work on my shorts only to remember that I have no idea what I did with the waist band that I have made.



I think some of the most interesting comments I have heard about knitting lately is the desire to knit in a more "mainstream" fashion. I know I have said it before although probably not here, but knitting is all about freedom of expression, creativity and ingenuity. I don't believe there is a wrong way of knitting as long as you produce the result that you like. Never listen to anyone say "that's the wrong way." Pick, throw, hold your yarn as you please. I think that some ways of holding yarn help maintain gauge though. Do what your comfortable with.



In other news, I finished my SWS pillow, stuffed and all. Wooohoo I CAN finish things!! I have to stay up late tonight for reasons untold, so I have some time on my hands. We are leaving in an hour to get the puppy. Squeeee!!

Better get ready, I just went into the black hole of crafts and managed to find the lost box of knitting and my bonsai shorts. Off I go!!