Busy, Busy Mama Duck

Things I have accomplished since the last time I found time to post:

1. Quilted 2 lap/throw quilts. Still need bound.
2. Finished Clessidra. Still need pics
3. R-U-N-N-O-F-T for a day with one of my dearest friends. ALONE, no children or hubby for the first time in over 4 years.
4. Whipped up dress for E only to discover that she'll probably only really wear it once...it's snug in the hips.
5. Picked out yarn for HSP '07 (Cherry Trell Hill supersock solid: burgundy) Still need to decide on pattern.
6. Picked Mariah back up, discovered gauge issue, started again. Sleeves are almost ready to go into holding. Yup, both at once because it just made more sense this time.
7. Mailed off a slew of packages.
8. Ebay'd some stuff from the garage. Broke even after shipping and fees. Rethink ebay?
9. Planted tomato seeds and they actually germinated! They are still growing. Keeping fingers crossed they give tomatoes later.
10. Accompanied Hubster to new specialist who told us the last doc was wrong. At least we have an answer for this last problem.
11. Set date for Michigan trip. Now to raise extra $$ to be sure we've got enough. J will celebrate her Sweet 16 with her Gram while we are there.


Things I have NOT accomplished since last post:
1. cleaning the house
2. cooking decent meals
3. sleeping well
4. taking many pictures since someone keeps using the rechargeable batteries and then forgetting to charge them at night.

SOLD For Sale-Straight Knitting Needles

THESE HAVE SOLD. THANK YOU, ASHLEY!!An assortment of used knitting needles from my cedar chest. Some of these are from my orginal stash and some are from my late grandmother's who began knitting in the 20's, if not earlier. I detest using straight needles now that I'm older so these must go to help fund other pursuits. Included in this lot are: all sizes are:
1 pair US 15
I pair US 10 1/2
1pair US 10
4 pairs US 8 (I think one pair may be Balene?)
1 pair US 7
1 pair US 6
3 pairs US 5 (again, I think a pair may be Balene)
4 pairs US 4 (again, maybe a pair of Balene)
1 pair US 3
Miscellenous singletons, dpns and stitch holders. (I know somewhere there are brand new, still on the card, Lion Brand cable needles. They are NOT pictured but will be included)

I had listed these on ebay and they did not sell. I really do not want to send these to the Goodwill because I doubt they would remain together in pairs. I'd love to see $12 for them, including 1st class shipping in the USA. Or I'll trade them for some fat quarters (I'm looking for a few from Moda's Spring Fling by Me and My Sister)...or what have you???

Email me: sewjillquiltsATverizonDOTnet. I'm sure you know how to translate that into a real, working addy.

Is There A Sewing Gene?

This weekend was filled with fibery fun for the youngest duckling. For some time now, she's been pestering for lessons with the 'slow machine'. Pestering me to the brink of losing my mind. All I can say is thank goodness for older sisters (R) who spent an entire paycheck on a variable speed machine last year and is willing to share with E. I know, she's giving me that look in this shot, but believe me, she was/is all about the sewing.
Every day, she greets me not with "good morning, mama" but "CAN I SEW RIGHT NOW?" A large box of 6.5" squares has kept her occupied for days now. She can almost sew a perfectly straight line after 3 days of practice and I'm finding that sewing machine time is a powerful motivator with that child. Her grandmother and I have shared several laughs over her new-found obsession. We both cannot wait to see her in a quilt shop now that she understands how much fun we have.
One of the first things she designed and made on her own: a skirt for Barbie. I'm amazed with how she can just create like that without a pattern. R has that ability as well. I'm jealous. I admit it. Over the weekend, she has created numerous pillows and "blankets" for barbie and her merry band of cohorts. It made no difference that she already has a box full of this stuff...stuff I'd made for Christmas one year. Barbie now has pillows everywhere! I love it.

Thanks for falling in love with sewing so young, E. Practice often, long and love the art. I have no doubt you will soon surpass me.

Random Questions

I stole this from Thicket Dweller. Clearly I am a follower and have nothing worth blogging about at this very moment. Go ahead, talk amongst yourselves about the weird woman who writes this blog.

Random
Do you have any pets?	yup. a mute wonder dog
What color shirt are you wearing?	grey TRIBE tee-shirt
Name three things that are physically close to you:	Fritos, Magnifying Glass, 1975 Kentucky Derby Mint Julep Glass
What is the last book you read?	Christmas with Morris and Borris
Are you or were you a good student?	Yes.
What's your favorite sport?	Women's softball
Do you enjoy sleeping late?	YES
What's the weather like right now?	too damn cold
Who tells the best jokes?	My father
What was the last thing you dreamed about?	my late grandmother
Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed?	Yes. And Yes. OUCH
Do you believe in karma?	Somewhat
Do you believe in luck?	We make our own.
Do you like your eggs scrambled or sunny side up?	Both.
Do you collect anything? If so, what?	Fabric, quilt stuff, cookbooks, dust bunnies
Are you proud of yourself?	Not really
Are you reliable?	Most of the time
Have you ever given money to a bum?
What's your favorite food?	Pizza
Have you ever had a secret admirer?	supposedly
Do you like the smell of gasoline?	no
Do like to draw?	not really
What's your favorite invention?	besides indoor plumbing, the electric sewing machine
Is your room messy?	Yes
What do you like better: oranges or apples?	Apples: Golden Delicious
Do you give in easily?	Only to my children
Are you a good guesser?	About what, other people's weight? NO. Gifts? YES
Can you read other people's expressions?	Somewhat
Are you a bully?	No
Do you have a job?	I'd call raising three kids and taking care of a house a job so yes.
What time did you wake up this morning?	5:15AM
What did you eat for breakfast this morning?	Bagel with cream cheese
When was the last time you showered?	Last night
What do you plan on doing tomorrow?	Teaching lessons, cooking, laundry. Want to help?
What's your favorite day of the week and why?	Saturday. Because I don't play taxi driver that day.
Do you have any nicknames?	Yes. And no, I won't share them.
Have you ever been scuba diving?	Nope
What's your least favorite color?	Brown
Is there someone you have been constantly thinking about? If yes, who?	Yes. Again, not telling
Would you ever go skydiving?	NO. I like life, thank you very much.
What toothpaste do you use?	Crest-something cinamon
Do you enjoy challenges?	Depends
What's the worst injury you have had?	Besides childbirth, a ruptured appendix
What's the last movie you saw?	The Green Mile
What do you want to know about the future?	That my children are happy and succesful in whatever they choose
What does your last text message say?	I don't text message
Who was the last person you spoke over the phone to?	Hubster's buddy, Jimmy
What's your favorite school subject?	English and History always tie.
What's your least favorite school subject?	Math
Would you rather have money or love?	At this point, money. The whole living on love thing is not all that it's supposed to be.
What is your dream vacation?	Pretty much the same vacation I take now..Michigan with the girls and Duck.
What is your favorite animal?	I can't pick one. Pig, sheep, dog for various reasons
Do you miss anyone right now?	Yup
What's the last sporting event you watched?	OSU/UM Football game '06
Do you need to do laundry?	5 people live here...what do you think?
Do you listen to the radio?	Every day.
Where were you when 9/11 happened?	At the doctor's office
What do you do when vending machines steal your money?	I rarely use vending machines
Have you ever caught a butterfly?	Yes.
What color are your bed sheets?	Um, green?
What's your ringtone?	No cell.
Who was the last person to make you laugh?	My children
Do you have any obsessions right now?	Too many to discuss
Do you like things that glow in the dark?	Why? Do you glow in the dark?
What's your favorite fruity scent?	I don't enjoy fruity
Do you watch cartoons?	The Flinstones rule
Have you ever sat on a roof?	Yup
Have you ever been to a different country?	Yup
Name three things in the world you dislike:	stupid people, mean people, poverty
Name three people in the world you dislike:
Has a rumor even been spread about you?	Probably
Do you like sushi?	no. God gave us fire for a reason.
Do you believe in magic?	If I say yes, will you magically make me rich?
Do you hold grudges?	Sometimes
Take this survey or other MySpace Surveys at PimpSurveys.com

It's Easter??

This is from 2 weeks ago. R wrote this on our back porch at the top of the steps. I think her cursive is lovely. She taught herself from a book not long ago. I am a strong believer in kids learning when it's right for them. Turns out waiting for her has proved wise on a lot of things: reading, math and cursive. Thank you for the beautiful welcome mat, R!
And this is the sight we woke to this morning. SNOW. And it is still coming down. I feel like we are living the Long, Hard Winter all over again. Thanks, Mother Nature.

Hurricane Sock Party Questionaire

1. Repeat after me "no hurricanes, no hurricanes, no hurricanes" . Okay we just had to get that one out of the way first. We needed to created a bit of "good weather karma"! Last year, I swear it was due to all the good knitting vibes that we didn't have any hurricanes hit Florida.

No hurricanes, no hurricanes, no hurricanes. No tornadoes or floods either!

2. If your pet(s) wrote a paragraph about you to describe you to us what would they say? (If you have no pets then just pretend you husband or best friend wrote it! This is a 3rd person writing exercise that is always fun.)

My dog is mute. He never barks unless mortal danger is inches away from his face. So you'll have to suffer with what my best friend would say.

Jill? You want to know about Jill? Well, there's a lot to learn about her. She loves being a mom. In fact, she's a great mom who almost always puts her daughters ahead of herself. When she's not busy teaching them (she homeschools, ya know!), she's either taking care of her husband who has health problems or helping her father with his construction company and farm. Her hands are never, EVER still. I've had to take clicky ink pens away from her in restuarants before because she drove me up the wall with her clickity-click-clickity. I imagine I'll have to watch out for possible stabbings with dpns now that I've shared that secret with the world.

Jill learned to knit when she was 6. She learned to sew not long after that. I'm sure if the doctor told her she needed more fiber, she'd look at him like he had 3 heads and a tail because the lady IS fiber. And paper. Jill loves to read and is constantly checking out (and rechecking) books on quilting, sewing and knitting. She can crochet but doesn't like it much. Awesome tomatoes and peppers come from her garden.

I really think each of you should have the chance to go fiber shopping with her. For years, we have haunted quilt shops together...it's our shared passion. Her eye for color is sometimes baffling to me while shopping but the finish project is always a WOW! We laugh alot and she comes up with the best inside jokes. Everyone should have a friend like Jill.



3. What is your favorite hurricane supplies snack?

Junk food! Fritos, chips, pretzels, slim jims. I don't like HOT stuff, just regular.



4. Do sock patterns normally fit you "as written" or do you usually modify them for size in any way? (other than foot length)
They fit.
4a. What are your foot measurements, not just shoe size? (Measure the length of your foot from heel to toe, then the ball of your foot. )

My shoe size is a 9.5 which in writing seems huge. I usually wear clogs more than other shoes but I also live in construction boots at various times. Foot measurements:
Ball of my foot is 8.5"
Length is 9.5"

5. What one city abroad would you visit and why if money was no object? (and terrorism was non-existant)

Paris because of it is Paris. Actually, I'd love to visit Europe and see all the art, historical sites and eat the foods.

6. Do you wear socks all year round or just during the winter? Do you prefer them tall or short or regular height?

Mostly year-round. If it gets really hot, I live in flip-flops but Hubster keeps the house very cold in summer so I sleep with socks on. Taller is better. I will not wear ankle socks.


7. The last time the power was out during hurricane season (or bad weather of any kind) did you knit by lantern or were you lucky enough to knit to the humm of a generator? Or did you knit at all?

Last power outage was in the middle of a beautiful day so I knit out on the swing while the girls read and played outside. Of course, it was SOCKS.

8. Make a wish for your favorite sock yarn that you've already used once. What would it be? ? Dont be shy about listing an exact colorway or two if you'd like.

A Lorna's Laces semi-solid. I haven't used the solids yet.

9. What is it about sock knitting that keeps you wanting to knit more and more socks?

Portability, speed and endless supply of interesting and challenging patterns.

10. Make a wish for a sock yarn that you are dying to try but haven't bought for yourself yet. (be specific,even colorway if you'd like)

Austermann Step-the green one

11. What size needles do you knit socks for YOURSELF with the most? Are they circular or bamboo needles? What brand?

Addi Turbo circs (US2), Knitpicks circs (US1) and Crystal Palace bamboo dpns in both sizes. I use and abuse them equally. It just depends which ones are empty when start-itis kicks in.


12. If you could only take 3 yarn related books and one previously knitted project that you love with you when you evacuated what would they be?

Knitting on the Road, Knitting Vintage Socks and Socks,Socks, Socks. Project would probably be Clessidra as they will be the newest FO in about 2 days.


13. What knitting notion do you wish you had that you just keep putting off getting for yourself?

Not really a notion but I keep putting off buying a good stitch dictionary, one with lots of great cables in it.

14. What is your favorite tv show?

Any variety of Law and Order.

15. Do you want a lacey sock or a "solid fabric" sock from your hurricane sister?
Either is fine.

16. It's midnight and the power has been off for two days, its hot, and you have a craving for something sweet! What would it be? (This is a FOOD related question ladies! LOL)

A good old Hershey's MILK chocolate bar. I do not enjoy dark chocolate all that much. Or maybe M&Ms because then my hands would be clean enough to still knit!


17. Tell us a story about any of your hurricane weather related experiences.

Being far inland, we sometimes get the rains from hurricanes which leads to flooding here. Our county tends to become a collection of islands at times. Non-native folks get stranded because it's just too hard to get out if you don't know all the back roads, horse trails and dog paths. Luckily, our home is generally no bothered by water and we are able to get to the important places like the library.

18. What was the one thing you wish you had remembered to get last year for hurricane supplies that you swore you wouldn't forget this year?

Batteries. We never seem to have enough batteries.


19. What color sock would you like to recieve from your sock sister? (if you don't have a pref just say so otherwise give us a hint!)
Anything EXCEPT blue. 85-90% of my sock drawer is blue. My real favorite color is green but I also have been coveting a pair of red socks, a purple pair and a yellow pair.

THANK YOU CHRISTY FOR HOSTING SUCH A GREAT SWAP!!

Reason #2 Why I Love My Children

This morning, Miss E presented me with this portrait. While I love how much detail she put into this picture (shoes that tie, striped shirt, curly hair), what I love the most is she drew me SKINNY and SMILING. View of a mother through her child's eyes, it's a touching thing.


Crafting news:
Clessidra is now waiting for the Knitpicks order to arrive. Placed Friday AM, we'll see how long it takes this order to travel the 2 hours from the warehouse to my house. Once the yarn arrives, Clessidra and Mariah will be dueling needles I suspect.

A pair of boring, stockinette kid's socks will finish up before dinner today. The intended recieptent is the parish sock drive in the fall. I used E's foot as a guide and just knit to use up the last of this simple stripe I had. Hopefully between socks and mittens, I'll be able to use up the odd ball remenants of fingering yarn AND the parish drives will benefit too.

This afternoon has been spent finish up 3 little tops for a friend's daughter. Pictures are forthcoming. I used stash fabrics, a favorite pattern from E's toddlerhood and bias binding. A rather fast project if I'd have sat down and done them at once instead of dwadling about.