Okay, NOW I'm HOPEFULLY Coming Back from the Dead for Real

Okay.  This summer has been so horrible and I hope that along with the season, all the things that have been going on leave.  In addition to the other stuff I already talked about, I had a really bad wart that needed a few laser treatments to remove it, but I had a bad reaction to the laser every time. Which resulted in a horribly bad and deep blood blister, so I couldn't walk for about a week each time.  I had another bout of sinusitis that spread to my eye, ear, and throat.  I also had some colds, more issues with my lady bits, and problems with a couple organs.  The latest thing is pretty much my fault, but still sucks.  I went to the Renaissance Festival wearing some shoes that looked great, but hurt my feet... really bad.  I did eventually switch to tennis shoes, but it was too late.  Both of my big toes turned purple, I had to get some meds (which caused yet another lady bit issue) and had parts of both nails removed.  Healing has been a long process, hindered by yet another cold.  Yay for me.

On a more cheerful note, I've been doing some glass fusing, experimenting with stuff... that mostly isn't turning out, but hey, live and learn.  I am also knitting, which is soothing since I haven't been able to spin when I have feet issues, though I did just have to frog a big secret project.  My sister in law had her baby, which is the most adorable baby in the entire universe.  I've gotten to visit her a few times, and even watched her once!  Hopefully I will get to see her again soon, but ever since she went back to work they've been busy.  Andy is her godfather :) which kinda makes me like a step-godmother sorta.  I'm the one who has time to plan things for her and stuff :P I knit her a couple pairs of socks and a blankie (that I of course forgot to take pictures of).  And I might or might not be working on some other things *shifty eyes*.

Tonight I'm going out for the first time in a while.  One of my friends is in a band that is part of a charity concert SlutWalk Benefit Concert @Acadia which benefits slutwalkminneapolis.  Don't let the name scare you, check it out.  It's an awesome cause. It's at a bar/restaurant place so there will be seats and food.  Perfect for a nice night out that isn't too taxing, all for a good cause, and watch my friend perform!

Present-y Pictures Please?

I have a horrible habit.  I will knit something up as a gift for someone, and never remember to take a photo of it.  I know it seems like a small thing to get irked about, but... I really really want to post a pic on my Ravelry projects page.  It just looks so empty.  And that makes me feel sad, and not at all productive, especially since I have this horrible habit of forgetting all the wonderful things I did.  I tried journaling my life for a couple months, once, and it was really amazing.  My short term memory and bad self esteem made me feel like I did nothing at all, but by chronicling my days, I saw that I did a LOT.  Then I lost the notebook and being the obsessive person I am wouldn't write anything until I found it.  Then forgot about it.  And still haven't found the notebook, despite several thorough cleanings of the entire house, top to bottom, or rather, bottom to top.  And then, when I ask for pictures, I rarely get them.  In fact, to date, I believe only one cousin has complied with my request.  Is it really that unreasonable?
Anyway, onto more fiber-y things.  I finished some more yarn from my Painted Tiger club, it's not colors I would have picked for myself, but that's kinda the point of why I'm doing the club.  To expand my experience of different types and color combos of fiber.  Don't get me wrong, it's by no means ugly, it's just not me.  And now that I have some hand carders, I've been carding up all the bunny fiber I have, which is a surprising amount.  First I practiced on some cheap superwash wool, and now angora.  Next up is either the puppy fur, or a blend of angora, merino, and possibly sparkles? Help me decide!  I have also determined that I NEED a drum carder.  I just can't afford one.  Ah, maybe with time... *sigh*.  I have horrible habits that snowball into bigger ones.

What puppies are really good for

My lace!

Pics of my lace project.  Two skeins. Very thin. Lots of it.

Quickie

I just finished a super lace project.  before washing, it is roughly 2634 yards.  I will post pics later. I feel quite accomplished.
Peace out dudes!

Some Artsy Inspiration For Your Day

I had been thinking about doing something like this if I ever had the money, and this morning I came across this!

What I'll probably end up doing is making some smaller versions to make some chair cushions or something. Much more affordable than 1,600 balls and cones of yarn.

Art!

I've been up to artsy things again, more than usual.  Well, more like I'm getting the stuff to actually do art.  I took a glass fusing class that I've been wanting to take for about a year and a half, and am getting a small glass kiln on monday :)  I've also been buying some awesome fibers from people, mostly on etsy.  The yarn swift my friend is helping me make is almost finished, and my mom is letting me use her scale until I find one I like.  I upped my meds again, so hopefully soon I'll be able to leave the house on my own, so I'll be able to garden, and am going to learn how to can from a new friend.  And in about half an hour, my mom is dropping of my new used potter's wheel :D  So slowly but surely, I'm doing more and more.  I'm excited, and hopefully I'll be able to post some stuff in my newly renamed etsy shop, more appropriately named: ArtsyLittleThing.  It has nothing in it ... Yet.  Just wait.  I'll do things.  Many things.  Stuff I like to do.  *shifty eyes*

Belated Birthday Post

My 26th birthday was quite a doozy!
My husbear, who is sweet, but never good with the whole gift giving thing, bought me a top of the line mac book pro!  My old laptop has been dying slowly for the past year, and I've taken to playing games of minesweeper in between the loading of pages.  This thing is fast.  Very fast.  And it's my first mac product ever.
On sunday, We went to Quarry Park with two of our friends and our puppy, hiked to the nature preserve, and went off the beaten trail to hike around the woods for a few hours.  That was awesome.  I took pictures until Teddy got snow all over the camera, at which point I put it away so it would hopefully dry in peace.
On the way home we picked up some firewood from some really nice folks that live near us, and after some nourishment, Andy assembled the fire pit we got for Christmas.  It was bigger than we thought it would be, and after setting it up on the shoveled out patio, had a nice large fire :D  My dad even came over, and we roasted hotdogs and made s'mores.  It was awesome.
Tuesday, for my actual birthday, we did the traditional Mexican Village (steak fajitas, heck yes!) family meal, only without my mom or youngest brother, because they were, and still are, down at my Grandma's place helping her clean up the neighborhood after a tornado ripped through.  Her house wasn't hit directly, but there was damage, and her RV was totaled.  At least she was okay.  She wasn't even at home at the time.
I'll add pictures later, when I have time to upload and organize them.  I'm feeling lazy right now :P

Christmas, New Year's, and beyond.

Okay.  My meds are doing great things.  Christmases were filled with great presents and conversations.  Among my favorite gifts... well all of them are great. Here's the list (that I remember)

*Kindle keyboard (I'm still not ready for touch technology) Andy and I actually got matching ones :D
*Amazon giftcard
*Silk Cocoons- heck yes
*Star wars themed usb drive
*A giant cutting mat for sewing, because my old one was too small for fat quarters without doubling the fabric up
*Some tank tops, you can never have too many tank tops
*Electronic catch phrase
*A whole mess of candies from around the world and various other goodies
*Target giftcard
*Best Buy giftcard
*Boba Fett piggybank (to go with our Yoda and Darth Vader piggybanks)
*Fuzzy dice (I love dice)
*Cash
*My camera
*Ribbon for crafts
*A remote controlled car customized for me :)

Three generations of ladies :)

My fuzzy puppy enjoying his new toy

Our happy little family <3

My whole nuclear family.  From left to right: Me, Andy, Drew, DJ, Mom, Dad

How DARE I interrupt their play time!

All tuckered out!


New Year's Eve was really nice.  We bought way too much food.  WWWAAYYY too much.  We still have unused frozen stuff.  It was just some family and friends getting together to eat, talk, and play games, especially Trivial Pursuit.  This year the women kicked butt!  It helped that we realized that last year the guys got the easy pile, and the girls got the hard pile :P

Only a portion of the food we had!!!

Yearly tradition of trivial pursuit, guys vs. girls!

With the start of the new year came a new insurance in addition to Andy's work one.  My parents added me onto theirs because they could (and probably because they want grandchildren :D), so I have extra insurance through March, which is when I turn 26.  So I am announcing now that I have been going through an insane amount of fertility tests.  I have a couple things left, including having something removed, but now I pretty much know what's wrong with me.  Andy will have all of his tests done on the thirteenth of February, so soon we will know everything.  I even have an ultrasound picture of my uterus :D  Somehow all of these things keep happening on knit nights and spinning guild, so even though I feel like I'm ready to go to one, I haven't been able to.  For example, I have a minor surgery on the same day as spinning guild.  Things just keep coming up!
I have been making social contact with people though.  Through Andy's work party, I have made some new friends that are really awesome.  I have done everything from trying karaoke for the first time, to going Irish dancing for the first time!  I am really enjoying myself and trying to open up. 

Fiber, Games, Family

First, an apology for being so negative and grumpy in the last post.  I just can't seem to figure out computer-y things like most people.  Sorry :(
The last month and a half have been pretty eventful for me.  My family's yearly vacation actually got split up into two parts, and I was lucky enough that I was able to go for all of it.  My grandparents have a small lake home on Lake Carlos that they so generously share with the family every year.  Many, many thanks to them (not that they would ever touch a computer, which I respect) for making my summer, every year.  And the fall.  Nothing beats watching my family members do their own polar bear plunge.  Anyway, our vacation always lines up with the Tour de Fleece.  This year only part of it lined up with it, so I brought my spinning wheel along for the ride.  It was awesome, and I got a lot done, considering all the other things we did.  I ended up spinning about 12 oz. and getting about 8 oz. plied up before the end.

I am happy with what I got done.

I just got back laaaaate wednesday night (technically thursday) from the second leg of the family vacation.  It was almost two weeks, and it was the BEST.  Lots of sun and water for swimming and tubing, lots of games with the family, especially shanghai (possibly my favorite card game), lots of movies for the nighttime (which gave me lots of time to spin!) and even a bit of wine from Carlos Creek Winery.  I actually have some color on my skin, and a smile on my face. 
I have to de-jungle-ize my garden, and clean the house majorly because the puppies stayed at our house and my husband had to come home a couple times for work, but it's worth it.  And he appreciates my cooking and cleaning even more :)

Grr. Just. Grr.

No one can find me, not even my mom, who's trying.  I can't figure out how to get the Flickr thing on the side.  Maybe I'm just not technologically savvy enough for blogging?
I've been spinning a lot, considering that I've been on vacation for most of the Tour.  Now I'm home, getting things re-organized, and trying to get my pictures posted.  They may not be good, but I'm doing the best I can.  So far I've spun about ten ounces, but have yet to ply anything.  I've been saving my club fiber for this, and I'm not regretting it :)

peanutbuster's photostream

peanutbuster's photostream on Flickr.

Art, food, camera

Hmm.  It's been a while.  Well, I told you (kinda) how hard it is for me to write.  Lack of bravery and all that.
At school, I got to take part in running the giant gas kiln for the first time.  The thing is, the gas kiln had been rebuilt, changing how it runs, so we were kind of flying blind.  We had a sheet of temperatures and such to follow, but no real guide.  ...To get to the right temps, we had to run the kiln longer than it was supposed to.  Much longer.  We found out later that we were using too much gas, causing the flames to loop, and stuff like that.  Some stuff sagged from the cooking, some cracked, some glazes dripped, and a lot of the colors didn't turn out like they were supposed to.  Oh well, chalk it up to a learning experience, and the teacher needing guinea pigs. Meh.  I still got some cool stuff out of it.
I do not own a camera.  So, every time I need one, I have to beg to borrow one from my family.  My brother owns a camera that he got for his birthday that he used once to take about three photos at a concert.  I actually used his camera, and in using it, got a mark on it.  He got mad, and won't let me use it anymore.  My mom has a really nice camera, but only lets me borrow it for tiny amounts of time, about once a year.  I understand, it's her baby.  I take what photos I can, when I can.  I want to get my own, but that costs money, and the money that I could have used on a camera got spent on something I consider to be much, MUCH more worth it: a spinning wheel.
My spinning wheel is amazing. She's big and powerful, but can still spin delicate soooooper tiny lace.  I like to spin on her whenever I can.  The only downside is that the lace I'm spinning could be likened to thread, and is taking forever.  I want more bobbins.  I have been spinning some stuff on the other bobbins that I already have.  I'd like to think they are pretty good.  If you want to find me on Ravelry, here I am: peanutbuster
Since the very beginning of January, I have started a babysitting job.  I watch a little six month old baby named Jeremy.  He's adorable.  The bee's knees.  Spiffarific.  And helps me with my baby urges.
I've also been taking advantage of my free time to cook like crazy.  I make bread nearly every day, and come up with lots of meal-type things.  My current favorite veggie is a leek.  So nummy.
So I've been being domestic, and working on some traditional women's art.  A nice start to the year.

School and Stuff

School is ending, I have gone crazy, holiday family pressures are making me wish for no Christmas, and I'll post pics of what I've been up to in school soon.  Until then, I leave you with this artist: because it's art meets knit

Get Out! (and Knit)

I had another assignment a bit back that I think is pretty spiffy.  I had to incorporate a few different elements for the teacher, and it all came together well.  I had to create something in response to this group called Futurefarmers.  They go out and do stuff in communities.  They are a collective based in San Francisco, CA that works with tons of stuff.  It had to have at least one of these elements: performance, collaborative, or temporary installation.  I chose performance.  The teach added a couple more parameters to this.  Because of the earthquake and fire in 1906 in San Francisco, I had to spend at least $19.06 (bonus if you can spend exactly that, which I did!  Thank you Bonnie) and I had to use wood or the woodshop.  It also could NOT be in the art building.
I went out and made my own double pointed knitting needles, which went better than I could have hoped for.  I might make my own again sometime when I don't need a specific size. 

I then bought some spiffy yarn and went out to Quarry Park and knitted bracelets while I hiked and gave them away as I made them.

It was a bit disorienting, but worth it.  I couldn't work too fast because of the hiking and cold, but it was so fun.

Some were scared when I approached them and tried to give them a free bracelet, some were excited.  It was really nifty to just pop in on people in a place where you don't run into many, and give them something handmade for free.  People just don't expect it at all.   I plan on doing it more, after the busy semester is finished.

Go there sometime.  You definitely will enjoy the scenery, and you might just get something extra ;)

Yarn that is not yarn?

I had an assignment to take an existing collection, and make an addition that could both be added to the collection, and also represent the collection.  I happen to have a fair amount of fiber around, so I decided to spin up a new yarn, and include one yard of every yarn that I own (or an equivalent amount of fiber).
This is my whole collection of yarn, including the new one in the basket.



This is a closeup of my new yarn.

He loved the idea, but hated the shape of the yarn.  Said it looked too sculptural, like a drill bit, not like yarn.
Whatever, I love it.  And I think it looks like yarn.

First Post!

Hello there blogging world!
Well now, I'm kind of excited!  I've been wanting to start one of these on here for a while.  I have a (basically) private journal over at livejournal, but I use that for more personal things.  I am hoping to bring out my as yet undiscovered brave side, and post about stuff I make. 
Right now I'm an art student, but due to financial reasons, and a lot of life, I'm not going to be going anymore in the spring.  I want to continue creating, and not let things get in the way of doing what I love.  Who says you need a degree to make art?  I do have my A.A. degree though, and I'm glad for that.  And who knows what will change in the future?